Social Security Under Strain
Staffing cuts, office closures and stricter rules are straining the Social Security system. In this episode, we hear from beneficiaries, workers, and advocates about increasingly long wait times and unanswered phone calls, what’s breaking down — and what it means for the more than 100,000 San Francisco residents who rely on the program to survive.
Civic · Sylvie Sturm, Lisa Rudman, Mel Baker, Lila LaHood
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (cdn.simplecast.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
If you’ve experienced issues with Social Security — missed checks, delayed responses, or inaccessible services — you can file a complaint with the California Department of Justice at oag.ca.gov/socialsecurity.
APPEARING IN THIS EPISODE:
Kelly Dearman – Executive Director, San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services
Paul Aguilar – Social Security disability beneficiary, long-term HIV survivor
Dr. Monica Gandhi – Professor of Medicine, UCSF; HIV/AIDS specialist
Joanna Parnes – Managing Attorney, Bay Area Legal Aid
Laura Chiera – Director of Legal Services, Legal Assistance to the Elderly, San Francisco
Jacqueline Hopkins – Claims Specialist, Social Security Administration, Richmond office; union representative
Sylvia Norman – President, AFGE Local 3172, SSA workers union, Northern and Central California