THe stimulus package that is passing thru Congress this week may have its detractors, but one portion that thrills those of us in the field of Social Security law is a designation of part of the $789.5 billion stimulus package for the Social Security Administration. The agency will receive $1 billion for a new computer facility and to help reduce the processing backlog at the Woodlawn campus, which deals with processing payments and appeals.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the deal worked out this week by House and Senate negotiators gives Social Security the additional funding for “infrastructure improvements and critical agency operations,” according to an official committee report issued today along with the legislation. Of that money, $500 million is to be used to replace the agency’s National Computer Center at Woodlawn, which is now nearly 30 years old. See full story here