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Washington—The nation’s largest independent union of federal employees today welcomed proposed legislation that would require the Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide detailed and timely information to Congress on the status of its programs and possible decisions impacting local office closings and staffing levels.

“This measure offers the potential for improved customer service and greater accountability on the part of SSA for staffing decisions, claims handling and other critically-important matters,” said President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

H.R. 5110, introduced by Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), would, among other steps, require SSA to provide Congress with a detailed yearly budget estimate; statistics on the number of pending claims—including disability appeals; the rate at which case backlogs are increasing or decreasing; the average length of time it takes for claims to be administered; and staffing level trends at local offices over time.

NTEU, which represents some 900 SSA employees in the agency’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, has long argued that staffing levels are woefully insufficient to address the growing backlog of claims for disability insurance payments.

Last fall, as the union called for substantial additional SSA funding to handle disability insurance cases, Kelley noted that such claims had risen to a record 735,000, more than double the number at the start of this decade. Moreover, she said, processing times had climbed to 512 days from 275 days over the same period.

In addition to the reporting requirements, H.R. 5110 would prohibit SSA from closing or limiting hours at local offices without providing Congress with at least six months’ notice and justifications for such proposed closings, as well as requiring SSA to inform Congress of changes in how it staffs offices at least three months before a proposed change could be implemented.

“The information to be provided under this bill,” President Kelley said, “will go a long way toward increasing SSA accountability for its handling of claims. Just as importantly, it will shine a bright light on staffing levels—and that is the key to addressing the outrageous case backlog as well providing high-quality customer service to the public.”

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.