The Senate confirmed former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Mr. O’Malley was noted to be a “strong
operational leader” who has previously produced results by holding people accountable by Sen. Ben Cardin.
Historically, Mr. O’Malley has been known for being data-driven. This focus on data is likely to be put to the test as the Administration continues to struggle with understaffing, underfunding, and post-pandemic reopening. These problems have real-world consequences for our clients: the current processing time for initial claims (220 days) is nearly four times the Agency’s goal time of 60 days. Call hold times are nearly 40 minutes. Payment processing is not terribly predictable - leading to frustration for people who have been approved but continue to wait for their funds to be distributed.
Mr. O’Malley has promised to listen to front-line workers and to consider “leading actions” that can be taken to improve communication and processes. We wish Mr. O’Malley all the best as he steps into this role; he certainly has his work cut out for him.
Image source: C-SPAN via Instagram, "The U.S. Senate, Senate Session," 2023. Accessed via https://www.instagram.com/p/C1A3yAeMnxa/?igshid=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==
