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IRS stopped processing paper returns in late March to comply with coronavirus-related social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines; Rich Edson reports.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a backlog at Social Security processing centers – meaning some applicants and beneficiaries have yet to receive key program documents, according to a new report.
The Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration on Thursday released a report detailing the different types of processing backlogs that occurred during the pandemic, affecting thousands of letters dating back to 2020 in some cases.
The agency suspended in-person services in March 2020 due to the pandemic and has since relied heavily on paperwork for correspondence.
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One facility had more than 9,000 unprocessed documents from November 2020, some of which were needed to establish eligibility for social security payments, according to the report.
A social security card center had thousands of unprocessed documents dating back to May 2021, meaning these people have yet to receive their social security number documents or cards.
Another facility had 200,000 pieces of returned unprocessed mail, which the report said may require action such as suspension or termination of benefits.
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Offices were informed up to four weeks in advance of visits by inspectors, who acknowledged in the report that the arrears may have been dealt with in anticipation of their arrival. The inspectors visited 73 establishments, including field offices, program service centers and social security card centers.
Half of the field office managers told the OIG that they were overwhelmed with postal work.
A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration (SSA) did not immediately return FOX Business’s request for comment.
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SSA is not the only government agency that has struggled to maintain operations with limited resources during the pandemic.
Cumulatively, the IRS is facing a backlog of 35.3 million unprocessed personal and business returns, which is a fourfold increase from the backlog it had at the end of the season. filing 2019.
In addition to staffing issues related to the pandemic, the IRS has also been tasked with distributing several rounds of direct payments to US households during the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons. The agency began the 2020 filing season with a backlog. over 11 million unprocessed paper declarations.
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