Agency Snapshot: 
Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration (SSA) delivers services through a nationwide network of over 1,500 offices. The agency provides benefits to Americans when they retire or are disabled and also provides supplemental benefits to those with limited income and resources. The agency’s budgetary resources ensures the operation of the Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program, and the Supplemental Security Income Program.

Senior Real Property Officer: Michael Gallagher

Agency Real Property Profile

SSA occupies 29 million square feet of space, of which 9 million square feet is Federally owned and 20 million square feet is leased. The graph to the right shows the type of space SSA has in its inventory. SSA is a community-based agency with nearly 1,500 local offices nationwide. The Administration strives to maintain convenient, safe, and cost-effective office space that allows the best service to the American people. The "All Others" slice of the graph is made up of numerous minor categories that includes laboratories, hospitals, prisons & detention centers and industrial buildings.

Tabular View
Reduction in Real Property Usage

SSA’s goal for cost savings by the end of the fiscal year 2012 is $15 million. The chart “Progress Towards the Goal” identifies the achieved to date in real property cost savings.

Tabular View
Breakdown of Reduction

With severely reduced funding in fiscal year 2011, SSA was forced to make extremely difficult decisions regarding its real property. Eight new hearing offices that had been planned to deal with increasing hearing requests and backlogged cases were cancelled.  Also cancelled was planned construction of a new facility to house employees who work on an 800-Help number. That facility would have improved telephone service to customers in the eastern and central time zones. These difficult decisions helped the agency achieve $10 million in savings. The Administration continues to look for opportunities to achieve further savings, including consolidation of offices where it makes business sense.

Tabular View