EPISODE · Aug 7, 2025 · 29 MIN
Social Security Under Strain
from Civic · host Sylvie Sturm, Mel Baker, Lisa Rudman, Lila LaHood
If you’ve experienced issues with Social Security — missed checks, delayed responses, or inaccessible services — you can file a complaint with the California Department of Justice at oag.ca.gov/socialsecurity.APPEARING IN THIS EPISODE:Kelly Dearman – Executive Director, San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging ServicesPaul Aguilar – Social Security disability beneficiary, long-term HIV survivorDr. Monica Gandhi – Professor of Medicine, UCSF; HIV/AIDS specialistJoanna Parnes – Managing Attorney, Bay Area Legal AidLaura Chiera – Director of Legal Services, Legal Assistance to the Elderly, San FranciscoJacqueline Hopkins – Claims Specialist, Social Security Administration, Richmond office; union representativeSylvia Norman – President, AFGE Local 3172, SSA workers union, Northern and Central California
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What this episode covers
Staffing cuts, office closures and stricter rules are straining the Social Security system. In this episode, we hear from beneficiaries, workers, and advocates about increasingly long wait times and unanswered phone calls, what’s breaking down — and what it means for the more than 100,000 San Francisco residents who rely on the program to survive.
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Social Security Under Strain
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