The Syracuse Social Security field office holds a dubious distinction in New York. It has the largest backlog of any office in the state.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) says it can’t keep up with requests because of a lack of resources, and a flood of new retirees.
"The Syracuse hearing office has a backlog of 9,000 claims," Schumer said. "That’s a lot of people in a city of 200,000. It takes 620 days for a hearing. So if they’ve not given you the money your entitled, you will wait two years, or one and three quarters.”
There are other disturbing statistics. For example, the Syracuse office received 22,000 calls last year, the second most in the state. Only 66 percent them were answered.
Schumer says the good news is that the recent federal budget increased Social Security Administration funding by $480 million.
"Put that extra money, those extra personnel, that extra equipment here in Syracuse first because we have the longest waiting time," He said.
Schumer expects the federal funding to make it to central New York by the end of summer.
