Trump fired thousands of Social Security workers. Here’s how it affects Florida.

In 2019, Jeff Meisler started feeling strange at work.

A software engineer nearing 60, Meisler was having trouble thinking clearly. He fell behind on basic tasks, working extra hours to make up the slack. Eventually, his hand was forced. He had to go to the doctor.

The diagnosis: cerebrovascular disease. Clogged arteries in his brain. Doctors told him he’d be unable to work with his condition.

In 2022, Meisler, of Palm Beach County, applied for Social Security Disability Insurance, a program funded by federal taxes and administered partly by the state.

That was the start of his yearslong journey in the American Social Security disability system. He made countless calls to understaffed Social Security offices. (A tip he learned: If you call at exactly 9 a.m., you might get a person on the phone.) He sent medical records to various officials. He kept on top of his case. He hired an attorney.

“I was trying to make it a no-brainer for them,” Meisler said in an interview.

His claim initially was denied by the feds. He kept trying. Last October, after some 30 months of waiting with no income, he finally got his benefits.

All of that was before Donald Trump was reelected. Less than two months into his term, Trump has promised to reduce the size of the government, slashing federal agencies with the aim of cutting spending and reducing waste. One of the agencies he’s targeting is the Social Security Administration, which this year will pay out about $1.6 trillion in programs such as the one sought by Meisler. That agency plans to lay off 7,000, it announced in February, a reduction in staff of about 12%.

Advocates and attorneys interviewed by the Tampa Bay Times say they worry Trump’s cuts will slow down an already glacial system.

“If you’re my friend saying ‘I’m going to apply for disability’ with all this stuff going on with the government, I’d say, ‘Oh, God,’” Meisler said. “Be prepared.”

Nancy Cavey, the St. Petersburg attorney hired by Meisler, said she’s telling new disability clients to expect a year of additional delays.

A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration directed a reporter to an online statement that notes the agency is moving to eliminate “redundant layers of management.”

“SSA (the Social Security Administration) is committed to ensuring that all Americans can get the help they need whether that is in our field offices, telephone, or through automated solutions,” the statement reads in part. “Our common goal is to improve Social Security services for all Americans.”

The slow pace of the disability system

Social Security disability benefits typically refer to two programs. Social Security Disability Insurance is available to those who previously worked but no longer can because of a disability or blindness. Benefit amounts are based on how long the worker paid into the Social Security system. As of last year, beneficiaries collected about $1,500 per month on average under this program.

The other program, Supplemental Security Income, gives a monthly payment to poor people with disabilities or blindness who are unable to work, including children. These benefits top out at $967 monthly for an individual and $1,450 for a couple.

Both programs can be extremely difficult to access. Applicants wait months as Social Security, with the help of the state’s Disability Determination division, evaluates their application. A yes from Social Security means benefits.

A no means submitting a motion for reexamination, which is handled by the state. Another no means an appellate hearing before an administrative law judge, who weighs in one final time.

Each step of this process — the first application, the motion for reconsideration, the hearing — can take a year.

In the Southeast, which includes Florida, applicants wait an average of 291 days before hearing just the initial decision, according to Social Security’s figures. That’s the longest average wait time of the five regions measured by the agency.

“My clients are trying to outlast the Social Security system. It’s a war of attrition,” Cavey said. “You’re in line for as long as it takes and they’re hoping you’ll go away.”

For years, the disability determination system hasn’t been a budget priority in Florida. State legislative documents show the office’s budget has failed to keep up with inflation since 2020.

The Florida Department of Health, which oversees the disability determination office, did not respond to emails requesting comment.

The federal government did make modest progress during the Biden administration to speed up the disability process. The average wait time for a hearing decision — the final step for those denied earlier — fell by about 150 days between March 2023 and last December. Pending hearings dropped to a 30-year low, the agency reported.

But now advocates worry that progress could be undone.

How much waste is in the disability insurance system?

Advocates say the problem with the Social Security disability system is administrative bloat — the very issue Trump says he’s trying to address with the federal layoffs.

But firing the federal employees overseeing claims won’t make the process any faster, said Robyn Powell, a professor at Stetson University College of Law who teaches a class on disability law. She said she’s represented clients seeking disability who died before their case was resolved.

“These anticipated cuts, which are pretty sizable, will make a terrible situation even worse,” Powell said.

Instead, streamlining the system in the applicant’s favor would cut down on the cost of the process, advocates say. For example, Cavey suggested eliminating the motion for reconsideration — the step in the process between the initial application and the final hearing.

A 2023 internal audit of Social Security found that the program erroneously kept paying a few thousand beneficiaries after it determined they were no longer eligible for benefits. That cost the system about $68 million — a tiny fraction of the cost of the program.

Elon Musk, the multibillionaire businessperson whom Trump has deputized to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has said entitlements like Social Security and Medicare are bilked to the tune of “a half trillion, maybe 600 or 700 billion a year.” There’s no evidence to suggest fraud is that widespread in these programs, which give health care and living stipends to older adults and people with disabilities.

An audit of Social Security found that, between 2015 and 2022, the entire program made some $78 billion in improper payments — a hefty sum but less than 1% of the total program.

Improvements to the system are possible, Powell said. But it depends on what policymakers’ goals are. If the goal is to ensure people get their benefits faster, cuts may not be the answer.

If the objective is to make getting benefits as frustrating as possible, staffing reductions make sense, said Eric Kingson, a professor emeritus of social work at Syracuse University.

“The harder they make it, the less money that goes out,” Kingson said.