Customer Service Is What We Do
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: August 19, 2021
Social Security has been in the customer service business for more than 81 years, and with Customer Service Week, October 3-7, at hand, it is an exciting time to share the importance of this long-standing tradition.
“My experience with SSA has always been positive.”–Edward M.
This week focuses on commitment to excellence in service. Many of you rely on us for our programs and services. While much of the assistance we give is during the most critical times in your life, it is our belief that with every interaction with us you deserve professional, courteous, and compassionate service.
Times have progressed from 81 years ago, when most customer-to-employee interactions were in person. Today, part of your changing needs is the convenience of quick and secure online service options to conduct your Social Security business. Whether you are home or on the go, you can visit www.socialsecurity.gov to use our many online services. And we are committed to customer choice, so you can always come see us in the office or call us on our 800 number.
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Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
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Mr. S.
Customer service is what you DON’T do. That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. I just spent an hour and 45 minutes calling 3 different numbers to still not have my issue taken care of. I’m trying to make a payment on an SSI overpayment. There’s no automated payment system, no online payment system, and they won’t even take a payment over the phone with a representative. If I mail a check or credit card number, it takes them 2-3 months to process it, so how do I know if the payment is considered “on time”? If you call the regional office listed in the letter (Birmingham), you’re put on hold for exactly 21 minutes, then the phone will just ring forever. This has happened every time I’ve called over the past year. The national office has a 30 minute + wait time, and then the rep didn’t seem to know what I was talking about and I had to wait another 8 minutes while he asked someone else. The local office here is much more responsive, but I got disconnected while calling there, then when I called back they said ‘their systems are down, you can try to call back tomorrow’. SSA seriously needs to modernize their systems.
Sherry
Sorry but good customer serive and SSA don’t even belong in the same sentence. While I’m sure this doesn’t apply to all SSA employees some of the WORST customer service I have ever received has been dealing with them. A friend of mine was spoken to so rudely then hung up on and I heard the entire phone call. Maybe some states are better than others but the RALEIGH, NC SSA office is horrible!!! Even the supervisors are rude and nasty.
Patricia G.
SSA customer service got a big fat F from their inspector general’s office. That report uncovered alarming deceptions in the information provided or incorrect information or no information at all the help guide those needing help.
Anonymous C.
Patricia, do you have a link to that report? How about you Ray? I apparently missed this report and could not find it with a quick Google search. Thanks.
BTW, I’d say SSA often does fairly well for the masses – if your case is routine, particularly if it does not involve disability or SSI. However, if your case gets off the center of the most well-traveled path, correcting your record or other individual manual actions will often take months if not more. In the meantime, the SSA agents you speak to about the situation collect their checks but you may not be collecting yours. In T2 cases, even if SSA forces out “critical payments” to you, your Medicare benefits are often left in limbo, meaning that for all too many sick/disabled people, they are left with no access to the medical treatments they need for months at a time (unless the lack of medical coverage gets them sick enough to be treated at the emergency room). Even if SSA gives you a letter stating your Medicare claim is active, it does you no good if your doctor can’t validate your status with Medicare, meaning your doctor will usually refuse to treat you because as far as Medicare is concerned, you currently have no coverage.
The worst part about all this is that now for all too many of SSA’s clients, being stuck in a rut at the side of the road with no sign that help is really coming has become an acceptable predicament as far as the agency is concerned. Nobody seems to be able to do anything (i.e. really care) & you just get quoted meaningless/conflicting time-frames to getting the situation resolved. Even the Manager-to-Manager “critical case” procedure and/or Congressional inquiry/intervention often accomplishes little; these have all but become another routine processing step.
I wish I could be proud of the Social Security Administration, but unfortunately I am often ashamed – the way the agency treats so many of its most-needy clients tears at my heart. Such situations wouldn’t happen so often if God would somehow exchange a few of SSA’s administrative staff with the positions in which the agency all too often places some of its clients. Acting Commissioner Carolyn W. Colvin, will you please read this and do something to identify & expedite action on “stuck in a rut” cases involving Medicare that are taking entirely too long to resolve?
SSI is actually the more frequent offender in terms of “stuck cases” that are not being acted upon timely, but because SSI is handled almost exclusively at the local FO, these cases (and the many abuses to clients) are more easily hidden from upper administrative management. As a start to resolve this, please take a good look at ePath referrals in which reported mailing address changes do not get posted timely to the record (often due to conflicting info in MSSICS) – meaning mail & sometimes checks continue to get sent to obsolete addresses – and then the client often gets blamed (or at least pays the price) for any resultant problems! Another severe problem occurs in multiple entitlement households (often with RP involvement) – invariable the address and the direct deposit on the various records end up “out of sync” because SSA’s software doesn’t immediately identify and update all affected records together at the same time (manual action is usually necessary on each record).
It is also unacceptable how long it often takes for residence address changes to get from ePath to the SSI record, as often the client is unable to get the Medicaid services they need until the residence address change issue is resolved. In many cases we are talking about many months! Please please give this situation the attention it deserves.
The residence address change is a bit more complicated by potential changes in living arrangements, though I see no reason why the new State & County Code can’t be immediately posted on the SSID (if not by the TSC, then by the FO within a few days). Long term, SSA should push Congress to eliminate SSI ISM, as the administrative overhead to develop it is too high, it takes too long, & it is almost impossible to routinely properly/fairly develop. That said, the first and most simple action that can be immediately taken to resolve many of the above problems is to ensure ALL reported mailing address changes immediately get posted to the SSI record – even if that means CSRs bypass ePath & manually post mailing address changes directly to MSSICS & the SSID (something CSRs must already do when a RP is involved, though this doesn’t seem to be universally recognized – so in many cases RP mailing address changes are also not getting posted to the SSI record timely).
Acting Commissioner Colvin, thank you in advance for your attention to the above matters. Please don’t just turn these issues over to others such as a workgroup – get personally involved and insist on continued reporting directly to you! These issues are that important! The issues I addressed here are long-standing basic problems that have defied correction for many years. Epath was supposed to help resolve many of these issues (the TSCs were being blamed for messing up MSSICS), but now in many cases the delays in posting info from ePath (and RPS) to the SSID is doing as much harm as good.
tammy
“Social Security has been in the customer service business for more than 81 years, and with Customer Service Week, October 3-7, at hand, it is an exciting time to share the importance of this long-standing tradition”.
“My experience with SSA has always been positive.”–Edward M.
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Well I hate to disagree with -Edward M, but my personal experience with Social Security customer service has been a 44 year nightmare, with some of the most horrible experiences anyone could ever have! I lost out on a lifetime of benefits all because of three words in a Socialist Security rule and a moral decision I made.
I am 45 years old, a mother of three older children and physically disabled ( I was born with cerebral palsy ). I’ve never collected one red cent of money from the Socialist Security System, even though I have applied several times and they find me disabled.
Technically, I am an “adult disabled child” (please look this up, it is NOT SSI or SSDI) but have never been able to secure any benefits whatsoever from the Socialist Security system, even under that program because I got married to an “Able bodied person”. The Socialist Security system is too busy paying benefits to some people who scam the system and worrying about adult disabled children (who they pay benefits to off of a parents record) marrying an able bodied person. This gives them the justification to cut off benefits to the adult disabled child because the husband (in theory) can now support the disabled person. This theory works great, if your husband is rich and you have no need for money but what it actually does, is to force two adults (one disabled one able bodied person) to live off of one income. In the real world, the socialist security system is forcing adult disabled children to only marry other disabled persons (and NO able bodied persons) at the threat of loosing any and all benefits that they are entitled to.
If you are a physically disabled person (an adult disabled child) and you happen to marry an “able bodied person” you will be loosing out on a lifetime of benefits, all because of a one word “rule” that prohibits you from marrying an “able bodied person”. Best of all, they never tell you about their “Rule” so that they can justify cutting off any benefits that you may be due.
Because you are physically disabled (adult disabled child) and you choose not to marry another adult disabled child or disabled person drawing off socialist security, you WILL LOOSE ANY AND ALL BENEFITS FOR LIFE. This means that the SOCIALIST SECURITY system is TELLING YOU WHO YOU ARE ALLOWED TO MARRY and who you are
NOT ALLOWED TO MARRY! It is a discriminatory act “rule” and should be ILLEGAL!
Even though I am permanently and totally disabled, if I marry an “able bodied person”, somehow that marriage makes everything ok and I am no longer considered disabled (in the eyes of the socialist security system). Magically (because I married an able bodied person), the pixie fairies come down and cure my disability, because now I can just go out and find gainful employment, no one will discriminate against my physical disability and everything will be grand, right? Somehow magically, marrying an able bodied person makes my physical disablility dissappear and now I am cured, right? WRONG!
The issue is a special “Rule” that the Socialist Security System uses to discriminate against “certain” people. If you are a “physically disabled person” (AKA-certain people) and happen to marry an able bodied person, then the SOCIALIST SECURITY system will use special “Rules” to legally discriminate against you and deny you benefits, even if you appeal online.
The SOCIALIST SECURITY system has caused me a lot of economic hardship all because I married an able bodied person. The SOCIALIST SECURITY system thinks someone who is physically disabled (permanently and totally disabled) marries an “able bodied person”, that somehow magically they are cured of their physical disability and two people can survive off the able bodied persons income. WOW, talk about a bunch of bureaucratic idiotic thinking, that somehow this would not cause a financial hardship….. amazing.
The rules that the Social Security Administration uses to legally discriminate against persons who are “Adult Disabled Children” who happen to marry an able bodied person, are discriminatory. This is loosely referred to as the “marriage penalty” but I call it exactly what it is, a legal form of discrimination.
I firmly believe this rule, is an act of bias, prejudice and discrimination against people who (by no fault of their own) are born disabled and happen to marry an able bodied person
Please write your Congressional Representative and tell them to end this modern day form of Legal Discrimination. In this day of fairness and equality, there are still some people suffering from an outdated and oppressive bureaucratic rule.
(PS. notice how the only thing any of these SOCIALIST SECURITY workers ever say are quotes of the rules or processes, like a worker drone. They are unable to address any topics that fall outside of their rule books). Typical bureaucracy and bureaucratic responses, like trying to argue over lost change with a vending machine!
social security reply for my posting = silence……………. how’s that for customer service?
AJ
Please…Take some responsibility. Why didn’t you bother to ask anyone from SSA or check the rules before YOU got married to see what affect marriage has on the benefits you received as a DEPENDENT DISABLED ADULT CHILD?
tony
The Socialist Social Security can’t pay her SSDI benefits because they need the free disability money to pay non-disabled children who have disabled parents.
The disabled parents don’t pay any more FICA taxes than anyone else, but they receive 50% more benefits if they have children.
tony
Social Security is the biggest ponzi scheme and everyone knows how to scam it. The parent signs guardianship of their child to the child’s grandparents on Social Security retirement, so the child can get free Social Security money.
Ray F.
To clarify. Under current law, Social Security can only pay benefits to grandchildren if certain conditions are met. Generally, the biological parents of the child must be deceased or disabled, or the grandchild must be legally adopted by the grandparent. See “Benefits For Grandchildren” for more information.
Chris
Tammy
The purpose behind a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) is to provide benefits for a disabled child who IS DEPENDENT upon a parent for their support. When you married “an able bodied person” you no longer relied on your parents for support but became a dependent of your spouse.
You constantly complain about how you are being discriminated as a result of your decision to marry who you chose to marry. It is NOT Social Security’s fault and this regulation has been in effect for a very very long time.
tammy
Chris
How does getting married make the adult disabled child any less disabled?
If a disabled child is DEPENDENT upon a parent for their support and their are two parents working and the benefits are paid off the social security of the parents. The adult disabled child is not putting any stress on the parents because the benefit is being paid by social security off a parents record.
Marrying a person takes that support structure away and now places the adult disabled child in a situation where two people are dependent on one persons income (not paid as benefits).
so, exactly how does getting married to an able bodied person, make a disabled person any less disabled? Is getting married to an able bodied person somehow going to help the adult disabled child find work and live a productive normal life? I think not.
Jay
Something is seriously wrong with the customer service at this office. I have gone to the Anchorage office at least 4 times trying to get information on how to obtain a social security number for my son who was born abroad. Each time I saw someone different and was given different information or vague help. The people their do not seem have the training necessary to assist the public. The phone numbers listed are not valid or you are on hold for a very long time (45 minutes to an hour) to be just told you have to come in. It should not take hiring a lawyer to get assistance with what should be a simple matter if the social security employees had the training or knew where to find the answers to very important questions.
Ray F.
We apologize for the inconveniences Jay. For complete information on how to get an original card for your son read “Original Card for a Foreign Born Child”. Remember, you must present original documents or copies certified by the agency that issued them. Please continue working with your local office. You can request to speak with the manager to see how we can help to expedite resolution of your situation. Thanks.
Linda L.
Oh dear. This is so sad! Phones are not answered, voicemails are full, published phone numbers do not have a linked voicemail. Staff are not trained to research claim. Waiting 6 months for a retirement claim to be processed. “We are really short staffed at the moment. Be patient for 3-4 more weeks” Give me a break or a check would do! After all I and my employers paid in to SS all my working life
Jean A.
I became a disabled person when a Developed Mentally Challenged Adult (male) struck me at a job I was working at. He was actually one that I was trying to help. It was during lunch period and I was joking with another adult worker and this gentleman came over and struck me very hard with his fist and I was injured. It caused mental health issues for me for many years. Well, I have gotten over most of these obstacles, but people still want me to stay the same of think I am. They don’t come around me or talk to me so how would they know? You cannot get to know how a person lives, or what they do if you don’t visit them. I am continually being told that I play the victim very well by a very close family member. I am a victim and I should be saying something. Too many years went by that I could not stand up for myself. Now, I have been homeless, been stolen from over and over, including my identity. Missouri is not the state to live in. They do not want to help people my age which is 64 they would rather protect the very people that were supposed to be a friend. Only long enough to get my private information and then start harassing me and NO ONE will help me. Shame on Social Security, Medicaid, and the county court system that allowed that person to steal what I had left.
Marian M.
My experiences with SS a Customer Service have all been very positive. Admittedly, I very rarely call but have received good service each time. Yesterday, I called to do an address change. The wait times were expected to be long so I requested a call back. I received the call within in the time frame I requested and my issue as quickly settled. The representative was helpful, knowledgeable and personable.
Jean A.
I started working at age 14 on my 14th birthday and worked for almost 3 years. I have siblings and my fathers Aunt that worked there also as a cook before I was even born. This company did not report my income. I see $88.00 for three years. I was paid 50 cents per hour. After school everyday at 3:30pm till 8:00pm. Saturday and Sunday each weekend at least 8 hours each day every weekend. The SS agent said without pay stubs or tax paperwork there was nothing I could do. Maybe the unkind, ignorant, thief, that was supposed to be taking care of me would have done this for me I would have been drawing all the money that I paid in out of each pay check. County workers are not very knowledgeable but adults my age, we do remember what we did and for who. Good grief!!
John
I am 59 and disabled due to a below the knee amputation from trauma received in a motorcycle accident. I have received an award letter stating I have met the medical requirements for SSDI beginning April 1, 2016 and the nonmedical requirements were now being reviewed. The young man who hit me had no insurance and my under-insured and uninsured motorist policies paid my medical bills until now. I used all my savings, what was left after the IRS penalized me withdrawing early, to pay my bills. I am now broke. I am about to loose my utilities because they can’t be paid this month or last month. How long does it take to see I have no earned income? I have tried to find work and nobody wants to hire a 59 year old, one legged electrician, who would have be trained to do another job, when I would only work for 5 more years maximum. how long do I have to wait?
Deborah
The rule is that there is an automatic wait of 5 months from the day of approval. The payment month in which funds are received reflects money owed for the previous month, i.e., a check in June actually reflects May’s payment. Your 5 months will be over in Sept and you should receive your first check for October payment in November. You don’t get anything extra for waiting 5 months and just start receiving your regular amount with the first check. You should be receiving a letter this month explaining your first payment. Hope this helps. The 5 month delay begins from your date of approval.
Ray F.
Hi John. Current law requires everybody that is approved for disability benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI program to serve a 5 month waiting period. The waiting period ensures that we pay benefits only to persons with long-term disabilities and avoid duplicating other income protection plans (such as employer sick-pay plans) during the early months of disability. The first Social Security disability benefits will be paid for the sixth full month after the date the disability began. In your case, if the state agency decided your disability began on April 1st, your first disability benefit will be paid for the month of September. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due, so you should receive your September benefit in October. Special rules make it possible for people with disabilities receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to work and still receive their benefits. Social Security calls these rules “work incentives“. Also, our “Ticket to Work” program is a free and voluntary program that can help Social Security beneficiaries go to work, get a good job that may lead to a career, and become financially independent. Please read our publication Working While Disabled – How We Can Help for more information. We hope this information helps.