Trump dismissed thousands of social security workers. So it influences Florida.

In 2019, Jeff Meisler felt strange at work.

Meisler, a software engineer who was near 60 years, had problems thinking clearly. He fell back on basic tasks and worked additional hours to make the gap. Finally his hand was forced. He had to go to the doctor.

The diagnosis: cerebrovascular disease. Constitious arteries in his brain. The doctors told him that he couldn't work with his condition.

In 2022, Meisler from Palm Beach County applied for a disability for social security, a program that was financed by federal taxes and partially managed by the state.

This was the beginning of his years of journey into the system of American social security. He called countless calls from understaffed social security offices. (A tip he learned: If you call exactly at 9 a.m., you can get a person on the phone.) He sent medical documents to various civil servants. He stayed in his case. He hired a lawyer.

“I tried to make it child's play for her,” said Meisler in an interview.

His claim was initially refused by the government. He continued to try. Last October, after about 30 months of waiting without income, he finally got his advantages.

All of this was before Donald Trump was re -elected. Less than two months in his tenure, Trump promised to reduce the size of the government and reduce the federal authorities with the aim of lowering and reducing the expenses. One of the agencies he aimed at is the social security management, which this year applied for programs of 1.6 trillion dollars in programs such as that of Meisler. This agency plans to dismiss 7,000, as announced in February, a reduction of about 12%of employees.

Proponents and lawyers who were interviewed by the Tampa Bay Times System.

“If you are my friend, who says that I will apply with the government for disabilities with all these trains, I would say:” Oh, God, “said Meisler.” Be prepared. “

Nancy Cavey, the lawyer of St. Petersburg hired by Meisler, said that she asked new disabilities to expect additional delays for one year.

A spokesman for the social security administration indicated a reporter about an online declaration in which the agency is moved to remove “redundant management layers”.

“SSA (The Social Insurance Administration) is committed to ensuring that all Americans can receive the help you need, whether this is in our external offices, telephones or through automated solutions, ”the explanation says. “Our common goal is to improve social security services for all Americans.”

The slow pace of the disability system

The social security disabilities usually refer to two programs. In a disability of social security, those who have previously worked are no longer available due to disability or blindness. Performance is based on how long the employee paid into the social security system. Last year, the beneficiaries collected an average of $ 1,500 per month as part of this program.

The other program, additional security income, gives poor people with disabilities or blindness a monthly payment that cannot work, including children. These advantages Do $ 967 for a person and USD $ 967 for a couple.

Both programs can be extremely accessible. The applicants are waiting for months for social security with the help of the Department of Disability of the Disability. A yes from social security means advantages.

A not means entering an application for review that is treated by the state. Another is not a calling to an administrative judge who weighs in a few last time.

Each step of this process – the first application, the application for review, the hearing – can take a year.

In the southeast, which includes Florida, applicants are waiting for an average of 291 days before they only hear the initial decision on how the figures of social security can be seen. This is the longest average waiting time of the five regions measured by the agency.

“My customers try to survive the social security system. It is a war of wear, ”said Cavey. “You are in line for so long and hope that you will disappear.”

The system for determining disabilities in Florida has not been a budget priority for years. The state legislative documents show that the budget budget has not kept pace with inflation since 2020.

The Florida Ministry of Health, which monitors the disability office, did not answer e -mails that requested a comment.

The Federal Government made modest progress during the bid administration to accelerate the disability process. The average waiting time for a hearing decision – the last step for those who were previously rejected – fell by about 150 days between March 2023 and last December. The pending hearing decreased to a low of 30 years, the agency reported.

But now the supporters fear that progress could be reversed.

How much waste is in the disability insurance system?

Proponents say that the problem with the system for disability of social security is the administrative bloating – exactly the problem that Trump says he tries to address the federal decisions.

The discharge of the federal employees who monitor claims will not make the process faster, said Robyn Powell, Professor at the Immer University College of Law, who teaches a class about disabled rights. She said she had represented customers who were looking for a disability who died before the fall of her case.

“These expected cuts, which are quite considerable, will make a terrible situation worse,” said Powell.

Instead, the tightening of the system in favor of the applicant would reduce the costs of the process, the supporters say. For example, Cavey suggested The application for review – the step in the process between the initial application and the final hearing.

An internal examination of the social security of 2023 showed that the program incorrectly paid a few thousand beneficiaries after it had found that it was no longer entitled to services. This cost the system around 68 million US dollars – a tiny part of the cost of the program.

Elon Musk, the multi -billionary businessmen, who Trump intended as head of the Ministry of Government Efficiency, said that claims such as social security and Medicare are released into the melody of “Half Billions, maybe 600 or 700 billion a year”. There is no evidence that fraud in these programs is widespread that give older adults and people with disabilities in healthcare and the life of scholarships.

An examination of social security found this between In 2015 and 2022, the entire program made improper payments of around 78 billion US dollars – a strong sum, but less than 1% of the overall program.

Improvements in the system are possible, said Powell. But it depends on what the goals of the political decision -makers are. If the goal is to ensure that people get their advantages faster, cuts may not be the answer.

If the goal is to get that The advantages that are as frustrating as possible make personnel loss makes sense, said Eric Kingson, emeritus professor of social work at Syracuse University.

“The more difficult you can do, the less money it goes out,” said Kingson.