U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) last week led five of his Ohio Republican colleagues in requesting that the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) reopen its offices to the public and that SSA employees end remote work now that vaccines are available to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are concerned that the SSA is falling behind in its duty to provide services to Americans due to a lack of access to in-person services,” Rep. Latta and his colleagues wrote in a July 15 letter sent to SSN Deputy Commissioner for Operations Grace Kim.
“It has come to our attention that in Ohio most, if not all, employees of the SSA are still working remotely and SSA remains closed for in-person appointments,” wrote Latta and the lawmakers, who included U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Troy Balderson (R-OH), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH). “This inaccessibility has hindered basic services, delayed time-sensitive assistance, and hurt senior citizens.”
The lawmakers noted that while they understand “the severity and hardships the COVID-19 pandemic placed on our country,” safeguards such as teleworking capabilities were implemented to keep employees safe. And now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three vaccines for Emergency Use Authorization to help stop the spread of COVID-19, people are safer and much of the country can now reopen and return to pre-pandemic activities, according to their letter.
“In our state alone, there have been over 5.6 million Ohioans, or close to 50 percent, who have been vaccinated,” wrote Rep. Latta and the lawmakers. “The community COVID-19 positivity rate in Ohio is at its lowest since the beginning of the pandemic.”
The congressmen called the service delays at SSA due to remote working “unacceptable,” adding that “it is time to return to normalcy.”
“We request SSA employees return to the office so that struggling Americans can get the timely assistance they deserve,” they wrote.