[Colorado-Talk] Disability Advocates Sue Social Security Administration and DOGE to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social Security Services

[Curtis Chong]

Link to Original Source
https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/disability-advocates-sue-social-security
-administration-and-doge-stop-unlawful

 

Washington, D.C. (April 2, 2025): The National Federation of the Blind
(NFB), the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Deaf
Equality, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare,
and Massachusetts Senior Action Council, along with individual plaintiffs,
filed a federal lawsuit today against the Social Security Administration
(SSA), Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, DOGE Acting Administrator Amy
Gleason, and Elon Musk in his de facto role as head of DOGE. The lawsuit
alleges that recent mass staffing reductions, policies requiring individuals
to seek services in person at field offices, and the elimination of critical
offices within the SSA unlawfully harm Americans with disabilities and older
adults who rely on Social Security services. Justice in Aging and Brown
Goldstein & Levy, LLP join the lawsuit as co-counsel.

 

Filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the
complaint seeks emergency, declaratory and injunctive relief to halt the
dismantling of the SSA's infrastructure, including the abrupt closures of
the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity (OCREO) and the Office of
Transformation (OT), and the termination of 7,000 SSA employees.

 

"The Social Security Administration is being gutted without regard to
existing law, without transparency, and without any obvious plan as to how
services will be provided to applicants and beneficiaries going forward,"
said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind.
"Many blind Americans rely on Social Security benefits for their survival
and for the support of their families. Given the technology and
transportation challenges many of us face, the dramatic reduction in force
and the new so-called anti-fraud requirements will work significant hardship
or deny access to benefits altogether. In the most severe cases, these cuts
could endanger people's very lives. The National Federation of the Blind
supports greater government efficiency and recognizes that much can be done
to improve the SSA, but careful planning and collaboration with blind
Americans and other disability advocates are the right ways to handle
reform."

 

At the center of the lawsuit is the allegation that the federal government
has undertaken a campaign to "reform" the SSA by gutting the very
infrastructure designed to ensure fairness, accessibility, and timely
delivery of benefits.

 

"Americans with disabilities deserve a functioning Social Security system,
not arbitrary shutdowns and inaccessible service," said AAPD President and
CEO Maria Town. "We filed this lawsuit because disabled Americans are
already suffering-and without urgent court intervention, the harm will only
grow. Even before efforts by DOGE and the administration to weaken SSA,
approximately 30,000 disabled people died in 2023 while waiting for their
SSDI application to be approved. Working Americans pay into Social Security
for their entire career because they recognize the protections of SSI and
SSDI are part of our moral obligation to one another. These benefits have
been funded by working American taxpayers with the understanding the funds
will protect their futures and their communities. Making SSA harder to
access is not only denying disabled Americans their right to access that
protection, it is theft."

 

Howard Rosenblum, founder and Chair of Deaf Equality, said "Our Federal
Government is abandoning people with disabilities, and this lawsuit seeks to
hold it accountable by asking the Federal Courts to restore the government's
obligations to us. The SSA is a lifeline for millions of people with
disabilities including Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, and
Late Deafened Americans. By throwing out essential services, the Federal
Government is disregarding its legal responsibilities and failing to protect
these American individuals who rely on these programs. Many of these
Americans have dedicated a lifetime of work and service, only to be
disrespected and disserved when they need support the most."

 

"Social Security has been lifting seniors, people with disabilities, and
survivor children out of poverty for nearly 90 years. It is the benefits we
have earned and represents a contract between generations," stated Rosa
Bentley, President of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council. "We cannot
look away as the Trump Administration, Elon Musk and DOGE push forward
aggressive personnel cuts and operational changes that undermine access to
our earned benefits and demonstrate a complete disregard for the
hard-working people of this nation."

 

The plaintiffs argue that the mass restructuring violates the Rehabilitation
Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and multiple constitutional
provisions, including due process and the First Amendment right to petition
the government for redress of grievances. With more than 1.1 million
disability claims already pending, and thousands dying or going bankrupt
each year awaiting decisions, the plaintiffs allege that the SSA's recent
actions are both unlawful and life-threatening.

 

Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social
Security and Medicare, said "Under the influence of Trump, Musk and DOGE,
the leadership of the Social Security Administration has been recklessly
slashing services, offices, and staff. These harmful policies have already
hindered our members and supporters (mostly seniors, people with
disabilities, and their families) from collecting the benefits they have
paid for."

 

Plaintiffs are requesting that the Court reverse the closures of OCREO and
OT, halt all staffing reductions, reinstate employees who were wrongfully
terminated, and roll back the policies that require in-person appointments.

###

 

About the National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind, headquartered in Baltimore, defends
the rights of blind people of all ages and provides information and support
to families with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and
more. Founded in 1940, the NFB is the transformative membership and advocacy
organization of blind Americans with affiliates, chapters, and divisions in
the fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. We believe in the hopes
and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality.
Learn more about our many programs and initiatives at <https://nfb.org/>
nfb.org.

 

About the American Association of People with Disabilities
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener,
connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic
power of people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights
organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the over 70 million
Americans with disabilities by promoting equal opportunity, economic power,
independent living, and political participation. To learn more, visit the
AAPD website: <https://www.aapd.com/>  www.aapd.com.

About Deaf Equality
Deaf Equality is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization determined to achieve
equality for all Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, and Late
Deafened people in the United States by ensuring full accommodated access to
all aspects of life and dismantling oppressive attitudes and systems.

 

About the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
Founded by the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the National
Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is a non-profit
membership organization whose mission is to protect, preserve, promote, and
ensure the financial security, health, and well-being of older Americans,
including people with disabilities.

 

About Massachusetts Senior Action Council
Founded in 1981, the Massachusetts Senior Action Council is a statewide,
grassroots, senior-led organization that empowers its members to use their
own voices to address key public policy and community issues that affect
their health and well-being. It is dedicated to safeguarding and
strengthening the systems that all community members need to rely on for
economic and health security.

 

About Justice in Aging
Justice in Aging is a national organization that uses the power of law to
fight senior poverty by securing access to affordable health care, economic
security, and the courts for older adults with limited resources. Since 1972
we've focused our efforts primarily on fighting for people who have been
marginalized and excluded from justice, such as women, people of color,
LGBTQ individuals, and people with limited English proficiency.

 

About Brown Goldstein & Levy
Brown, Goldstein & Levy provides the highest quality legal services to a
broad range of clients, without sacrificing our deep sense of community and
social responsibility. By elevating our clients' voices and fighting for
their rights, we seek to bring about a more just world - sometimes one
dispute at a time, sometimes through systemic change.
 

 

For additional information, please contact:

National Federation of the Blind: Stephanie Cascone at
<mailto:communications at nfb.org> communications at nfb.org.

American Association of People with Disabilities at
<mailto:jdavidson at aapd.com> jdavidson at aapd.com

Deaf Equality at  <mailto:contact at deafequality.org> contact at deafequality.org


National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare at
<mailto:Gottliebw at NCPSSM.org> Gottliebw at NCPSSM.org 

Justice in Aging at  <mailto:vbarrington at justiceinaging.org>
vbarrington at justiceinaging.org;  <mailto:rbailey at justiceinaging.org>
rbailey at justiceinaging.org 

Brown Goldstein & Levy, LLP at  <mailto:ehill at browngold.com>
ehill at browngold.com 

 

 

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