Jennifer Cronenberg, Interim CEO

My old boss had a favorite answer he liked to give young associates when we questioned how to handle certain client issues: “just pick up the phone.” A seemingly simple concept that can practically and effectively resolve (and avoid) most client issues. In fact, if you look at one of the most cited reasons for bar complaints, it frequently boils down to a basic failure to pick up the phone. But what happens when its the agency that is seemingly screening our calls? This is the painful question many of us have been asking over the past few weeks. How do we appropriately advocate for our clients if we cannot even get the agency to answer?

Well we have some good news. NOSSCR has been hard at work behind the scenes advocating on your behalf—explaining to anyone and everyone at the agency that the current “route to the 800 number” system is not tenable for representatives. While the entire problem is not yet resolved, we have received assurances that they will work to unravel their current 800 number routing, returning to a system that allows representatives to connect directly with the needed field office. We don’t have a date for this “unraveling,” nor do we expect that it will be perfect. Will you still get routed to the 800# if your local FO lines are full? Potentially. But will you at least have a chance to get through to the office that you called? Yes.

Please also know that we continue to work on wholesale solutions to the the actual problems. As we all know too well, a significant number of representative calls to the agency would disappear if the 1696 attachment process weren’t such a disaster. If third-party filed initial applications didn’t unnecessarily require attestation, if we had complete transparency into a claimant’s file, if notices of award (or denial) were routinely and timely uploaded, still more calls would disappear. If we could contact the needed agent at SSA via a messaging system within a portal, we would rarely need to call at all. SSA knows all of this because we tell them all of this on a near weekly basis. And we will continue to tell them until the problems resolve. They are working on a new representative portal. They are again considering the idea of a representative-only hotline. They are looking into overhauling the application and 1696 processes. As with all federal agencies, it’s rare for anything to be fast-moving or perfect.

So, hang in there. Know that NOSSCR hears you and is actively fighting for you. And keep picking up that phone.

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