i learned the other day that SSA hearing reporting was only privatized in 2017 - previously reporters would contract directly with the SSA, and now there are middleman companies like the one(s) i am working for it's difficult to find information about what happened but I'm wondering if it was a trump appointee scam or a costcutting thing. i don't know enough about the internal structure of the SSA to know it feels like a set of positions that would be ripe for some unionization if it wasn't a contractor job. I'm wondering whether it was ever in-house, or if it's always been on a contract level even without middlemen from this, it sounds like things have been cooked right from the get-go - these companies feel like a scam to get a grant and then coast until the nonmanagement catches up with them. I wonder whether the system will continue or whether they'll go back to the old way
Work holiday party was today. Made a delightful almond cake from Claire Saffitz's latest book. Holiday gift this year is a massive and very nice 55L personalized backpack full of emergency supplies. Super cool and very on-point for an emergency preparedness team.