Untitled Document

[00:00:00] Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. [00:00:01] Thanks to the witnesses for being here. [00:00:03] H how do I pronounce your last name? [00:00:06] >> Shorlay. Okay, Mr. Shlay, thank you for [00:00:08] being here. Let me just start with you [00:00:11] on the subject of the Railroad [00:00:12] Retirement Board. I actually get quite a [00:00:15] few inquiries from constituents about [00:00:17] the Railroad Retirement Board and I have [00:00:19] to say very few of them are positive and [00:00:21] I just want to walk through a few of [00:00:22] them with you and maybe you can tell me [00:00:25] what the issues are and if you need [00:00:27] additional resources. I want to get some [00:00:28] of this disentangled. Let's start here [00:00:31] with a 77year-old [00:00:33] woman from Independence, Missouri. This [00:00:35] is pretty typical. I'm going to put her [00:00:37] comments up here behind me. This is [00:00:38] pretty typical of the concerns that I [00:00:40] hear. She says, I'm going to quote her [00:00:42] now. I've been waiting patiently for my [00:00:44] increase on my ex-husband's railroad [00:00:46] retirement pay. The website said it [00:00:48] would be processed by July. When I [00:00:50] called this morning, the lady told me it [00:00:52] could be as late as December. I'm 77 [00:00:55] years old. I was diagnosed with cancer [00:00:57] last year. I need that money. She goes [00:01:00] on to say, "When I voiced my concern to [00:01:02] an RRB employee," she was told, "Well, [00:01:05] if you don't live to see it, your kids [00:01:08] will get it. That's not good. [00:01:11] If you don't live to see it, your kids [00:01:13] will get it." Uh, that's that's very [00:01:18] bad. Why Why is Why is this happening? [00:01:21] The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers [00:01:23] and Trainmen found that the average wait [00:01:25] time for adjudication of our RB [00:01:26] occupational disability claims is [00:01:28] currently 450 days. [00:01:30] 450. Average telephone time on hold 4 [00:01:34] hours. [00:01:36] Why is that? [00:01:42] I think there's three questions in that. [00:01:45] the the the the comment that our employ [00:01:49] I'm I'm sorry I wasn't speaking into it. [00:01:51] Um [00:01:53] three parts to your question. The that [00:01:55] comment to the the that our employee [00:01:59] made is inexcusable. Um and we'd love to [00:02:02] hear who it was that said that. Um and [00:02:05] >> so would I. [00:02:06] >> We would and we would follow up on it. [00:02:08] As to the other two, it is a question of [00:02:10] resources. Um, we we just we do not have [00:02:14] we we don't have the people with our [00:02:17] current technology in place that can [00:02:20] that can make determinations any faster [00:02:23] than they are. Let me let me just on [00:02:25] that point, let me just ask you this. In [00:02:27] Missouri, you have two field offices, [00:02:29] one in Kansas City, one in St. Louis. [00:02:31] Both of those offices are open Mondays [00:02:33] through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. [00:02:35] only. [00:02:37] In the St. Lewisfield office, their [00:02:39] website still advertises, and I quote, [00:02:42] "Due to high CO 19 community levels, all [00:02:45] visitors are required to wear masks [00:02:47] during their visit." End quote. Why is [00:02:50] that? [00:02:52] >> I can't I can't give you an answer to [00:02:54] that. It it shouldn't be. [00:02:56] >> No, I mean, it shouldn't be. Why Why the [00:02:58] office is only open till 3? I mean, you [00:02:59] got people who are waiting 400 some days [00:03:02] to get an initial response. They're on [00:03:05] the phone for hours. They're told they [00:03:07] may as well just go die. If they go to [00:03:09] an office, they're closed and they got [00:03:12] to wear a mask. [00:03:14] It's not good. No. Uh here's another [00:03:17] Missouri Railway worker. He says, [00:03:22] "I became disabled in 2022. I filed for [00:03:26] disability 16 months ago. When I call [00:03:28] RRB for updates, it's the same answers. [00:03:30] We're underst staffed and it's a minimum [00:03:32] of 480 days to process any [00:03:34] applications." He goes on, "I'm not [00:03:36] looking for a handout. I worked my tail [00:03:38] off to be able to utilize this program [00:03:40] that I paid into for situations like [00:03:44] this one." Another disabled railway [00:03:46] worker in Missouri told me that she [00:03:48] waited 475 [00:03:50] days before she got any response. 475 [00:03:54] days. It's like a year and a half. [00:03:56] Another Missurian told me they wanted to [00:03:57] change their withholding. They called [00:03:59] RRB three times to ask about the proper [00:04:01] form to fill out. and four months later [00:04:03] they still haven't heard an answer. [00:04:07] What are we going to do about this? [00:04:09] So the the the the [00:04:14] I can't quarrel with [00:04:17] the delays and as I said earlier, [00:04:21] they're inexcusable. I mean, there's no [00:04:23] reason that people should wait 480 or I [00:04:26] mean 470 days is the average. [00:04:28] >> But Mr. Surely, if I may interrupt and [00:04:30] I'll give you a little extra time. In [00:04:32] your earlier testimony, you spoke about [00:04:34] how Congress needs to give you the [00:04:36] resources and the resources should be [00:04:38] there. Could you elaborate on that for [00:04:39] Senator Holly? [00:04:40] >> Oh, no. AB: Abs. Absolutely. I mean, the [00:04:44] the the delays in technology and the [00:04:47] office and the and the office hours in [00:04:50] certain offices are limited again [00:04:52] because of the staffing levels that we [00:04:54] have. I mean, a single person office or [00:04:57] or even a twoerson office is going to be [00:04:59] closed part of the time. I I I don't [00:05:02] know what to say about the fact that [00:05:04] there's a sign up in in in one of our [00:05:07] offices that says [00:05:08] >> it's on the website, but [00:05:10] >> that we're still on under under a co [00:05:13] protocol. I I I don't [00:05:14] >> Here's here's here's the here's the [00:05:16] bottom line for me. Listen, if if you [00:05:18] need more resources to staff your [00:05:19] offices, I'm I'm all for doing that. [00:05:21] Mhm. [00:05:21] >> Um if you need more offices in my state, [00:05:24] you've only got two. I mean, we're a [00:05:25] geographically pretty large state. We [00:05:27] cover a lot of territory. I'm I'm all [00:05:28] for doing that. But what is absolutely [00:05:31] inexcusable to me and has nothing to do [00:05:33] with funding levels is people being told [00:05:35] on the phone that, you know, hey, if you [00:05:37] die, good luck to you. At least your [00:05:39] kids your kids will get it. Offices that [00:05:40] aren't open. Uh offices that are still [00:05:43] observing so-called COVID protocols. I [00:05:45] mean, I just the you can understand the [00:05:47] frustration and I hear it regularly from [00:05:51] people in person and on the phone who [00:05:52] come to see me and they are beside [00:05:54] themselves. Beside themselves and this [00:05:57] has got to change. Senator, I think the [00:06:00] the vast majority of our people do a [00:06:03] pretty good job day in and day out. And [00:06:06] if that person who who who spoke to your [00:06:11] constituent that way uh did that for [00:06:14] that I apologize it's inexcusable and [00:06:17] again when things like that are brought [00:06:19] to our attention uh we will follow up [00:06:21] and we will act accordingly. [00:06:23] >> So again other than apologizing at this [00:06:25] at this point I don't know what what I [00:06:27] can do other than that. [00:06:28] >> Well I hope that I'm I'm finishing with [00:06:30] this Mr. chairman. But listen, I I hope [00:06:32] that that what you'll do is come back to [00:06:35] us, and I'd ask you to come back to me [00:06:36] for the record, to submit for the [00:06:37] record, uh a plan to make sure that [00:06:42] you're that you're actually addressing [00:06:43] the concerns of these folks. I want to [00:06:46] know how it is. In fact, I'd like to see [00:06:47] the protocols for how it is you address [00:06:49] people on the phone. Surely, there are [00:06:51] written protocols that you have for your [00:06:52] employees. I want to see them. I want to [00:06:54] see your protocols for your offices. I [00:06:56] want to see your training materials. I [00:06:58] need to see all of it because at this [00:06:59] point my constituents are not getting [00:07:01] the it's not the services that they [00:07:03] deserve in some general sense. It's what [00:07:05] they have paid for. It's what they have [00:07:07] worked their lives for and paid for. And [00:07:09] they're angry about it and I'm angry [00:07:11] about it and I want to see some results. [00:07:13] And if you need more funding, I'm happy [00:07:14] to give you more funding. But I tell you [00:07:16] what, I want some answers. So I'm going [00:07:17] to ask you to come back. I'll have more [00:07:19] questions for you for the record. But I [00:07:20] want to see some stuff in writing. And [00:07:22] as soon as I see it in writing, I'm [00:07:23] going to make it public because there [00:07:24] have got to be changes. Mr. Chairman, I [00:07:26] just want to say this for the record. [00:07:27] There have got to be changes. This [00:07:29] cannot go on like this for the people of [00:07:31] my state. It just cannot go on. Thank [00:07:33] you, Mr.