10/13/2009
https://www.congress.gov...
"At the end of fiscal year 2010, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had a backlog of almost 850,000 initial claims."
"I commend Director Berry for doing that because I think it is a step in the right direction."
"It would put ALJs on equal footing with other senior-level Federal employees and would be a valuable tool for recruiting talented attorneys from the private sector to government service."
"thanks to the Recovery Act and increased funding, your agency was able to hire thousands of new employees."