Letter to the Public on Service
Reading Time: 5 MinutesLast Updated: November 2, 2023
I want to update you about how things are going at the Social Security Administration.
About a year ago, I took the unprecedented step to close our offices to the public. I did this to keep our employees and you—the public we serve—safe. As we enter year two of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines and other precautionary measures give us cause for hope. For now, we will continue our current safety measures as described in our COVID-19 Workplace Safety Plan. This plan is iterative, and we will update it as we receive additional government-wide guidance and information from public health experts in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Like many businesses and organizations, the pandemic has forced us to adapt. I want to thank our employees for their willingness to embrace innovative ways of working while we continue to deliver our mission. As we examine our work in a new light, we are asking which lessons learned could improve service beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
We understand that the public wants to engage with us on some matters in person, and our local offices are integral to our communities. We also know that not everyone can conveniently come to us in person and that when you do visit, you want the process to be efficient. For example, we may need evidence from you, but we do not need to interview you in person. We are currently testing drop box and express appointment options for the public to bring in documentation.
Often, you only need to know your Social Security number and do not need a physical Social Security card. However, if you do need to replace your card, we are testing video appointments if you need a new Social Security card but do not need to change any of the information in our records. Although ideas like these began as solutions during COVID-19, we are considering how they could improve service in the future.
Some of these concepts also allow us to consider how we might continue to use telework, something that most organizations and companies have depended on during the COVID-19 pandemic, to drive longer-term operational efficiencies like reducing space. We could use those savings to provide you more online service options and hire more people to serve you more quickly as well as to retain outstanding employees. We will continue to engage our managers, employees, and unions on ways we could use telework to improve customer service and other issues.
We often note that Social Security touches the lives of nearly every American. Be assured that as we continue to evolve, we are committed to serving everyone including our most vulnerable populations who often require in person assistance. We are working with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, claimant advocates, and other organizations to ensure our services are accessible to people with low income, limited English proficiency, mental illness, or facing homelessness. We recently added online tools and information pages to our website including:
- Online resources for People Helping Others access our services.
- Online Outreach Materials for Partner Groups.
- Updated information for Faith-Based and Community Groups including a new toolkit.
As we contemplate the future, we are delivering now. To help improve deteriorating service, we have added over 6,000 frontline employees to help you. We decreased the average wait to talk to our 800 Number agents by one-third and reduced the agent busy rate by over 50 percent in the last two years, and our 800 Number agents handled 1.6 million more calls than they did a year ago.
During the pandemic, we shifted service to the telephone where local office employees answered 13 million more calls last year than they did in fiscal (FY) 2019. They answered your calls in under 3 minutes on average compared to an average wait of nearly 24 minutes in FY 2019.
For individuals who were denied benefits and requested an appeal, we quickly shifted to holding hearings by telephone at the start of the pandemic and then added online video hearings. During the pandemic, we have continued to reduce the number of people waiting for a hearing to 376,000 at the end of February 2021, the lowest level in nearly 20 years. We reduced the average wait for a hearing by over 9 months in the last two years. If you are still waiting for a hearing, please consider scheduling by telephone or video. You can find out more information about telephone hearings and video hearings.
The pandemic has significantly disrupted parts of our disability process, particularly at the state Disability Determination Services (DDS) that make disability determinations for us. We have provided the DDSs with additional hiring and overtime to help address a significant increase in pending initial disability cases. The DDSs have been able to reduce the number of people waiting for a decision on initial disability claims by about 100,000 cases since the height of the pending cases in August 2020. In order to make initial disability decisions as quickly as possible, and to reduce the burden on the medical community still stressed from the pandemic, we have focused our limited resources on completing initial requests for disability benefits and have reduced the number of continuing disability reviews we are conducting.
We have made some notable improvements to our online services:
- Our redesigned Retirement Benefits Portal helps you prepare and apply for retirement benefits, with clearer, simplified information.
- We improved our registration process for our online my Social Security account – more than one million people will register for an account this month.
- Our Message Center allows people with a my Social Security account to access notices online instead of by mail.
- We implemented an online payment option for people to repay debts to Social Security.
- We expanded our online Social Security card replacement service to almost all states. If you need to replace your card, you can request a replacement through your my Social Security account if you:
- Are a U.S. citizen age 18 years or older with a U.S. mailing address;
- Are not requesting a name change or any other change to your card; and
- Have a driver’s license or a state-issued identification card from one of 45 participating states or the District of Columbia. If your state does not yet participate in this service, check back soon. More states are added regularly.
The entire team at Social Security is working hard to serve you. We thank you for your patience during the COVID-19 pandemic and we look forward to welcoming you back in our offices when it is safe to do so. We also look forward to continuing to improve all of our service channels to provide you with convenient options to do business with us.
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Tags: COVID-19, my Social Security, social security, SSI
See CommentsAbout the Author
Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Commissioner of Social Security Administration (June 17, 2019 - July 9, 2021)
Comments
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Ketterick D.
I want to know what can I do if someone claimed me and I never gave them authorization to do so??????????? Because of this I have not got the first or second and may not get the third stimulus payment. I get SSI so I don’t have to file taxes. Someone please help me and tell me what’s the first step to this problem
Hospitals &.
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This second edition full-length medical textbook is currently the only downloadable online version available to teach this art to those who desire to learn it, without fee and written covenant, in order to use remedies for the benefit of the ill and keep them from harm and injustice pursuant to the Hippocratic Oath. Publication expedites the moral and material interest of the author to end the COVID-19 pandemic by advertising to the public the right of all people to self-determination relating to the Hydrocortisone, Eucalyptus, Lavender or Peppermint (HELP) Act of 2021 v. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19, Moderna COVID-19 and J&J Single Shot Vaccines HA-6-3-21 coronavirus cure under Art. 55 of the United Nations Charter. The United States Supreme Court has not published since June 20, 2019. Vaccine monographs and public health advisories are unconstitutionally vague regarding the allergic rhinitis leading to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) of coronavirus and instead overemphasize the wet cough, fever and fatigue of influenza, the vaccine for which is notoriously ineffective. After reviewing their 2020 PDQ, National Cancer Institute researchers are hoped to use their vibrant journalistic skill to prove to the Food and Drug Administration Coronavirus Product Advisory Committee and public the statistical effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and hydrocortisone, eucalyptus, lavender or peppermint at curing coronavirus, and (Hall’s) mentholyptus as the frontline treatment for both coronavirus and influenza, with a little face washing. Put away the dusty air filters that should not have been prescribed by public health authorities. Menthol cigarettes cure coronavirus, but are ill-advised for influenza. To ensure a coronavirus free release from intensive care unit (ICU) and return to school – eucalyptus essential oil scented humidifiers – must be strategically placed to provide groups of people with a hypoallergenic, non-contagious, healing indoor airspace, that is curative of both coronavirus and influenza. Topical hydrocortisone treats carcinogenic aspergillosis and many inflammatory conditions. Pneumovax 23 is recommended for working age adults to prevent pneumococcal infection of heart, lung and brain damage. Epsom salt bath treats methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Metronidazole treats antibiotic resistant Clostridium difficile and Helicobacter pylori. Stonebreaker (Chanca Piedra) cures urinary and gallstones.
PS Social security number referencing does not justify indiscriminate disclosure of mailing and residential addresses by SSA. The new mailing address auto-complete in this blog is a grave breech of Art. 28 of the 4th Geneva Convention that must be removed like the mailing address from the SSA profile, to prevent bio-terrorist third party infringement pursuant to a decision of the Commissioner(s) in accordance with Sec. 1106 of the Social Security under 42USC1306.
Amber S.
I am a low income senior who is anxiously awaiting the 3rd stimulus money. I cannot imagine what a young family of 3 or 4 is going through if 1 or both adults have not worked for a year. However, seniors need food, shelter, medicine, OTC drugs and gas to put in their 10+ year old vehicles. Who is our advocate??? Many of us are still a vital part of our communities the via volunteer force. Other matters are the focus but not us. Everyone will have their day in this neighborhood.
Robert W.
They don’t care about us we are a burden to the government after a lot of us work hard for years just to get the run around about everything cost of living and stimulus checks the government doesn’t care if we struggle month to month
Dara D.
How can I take some one off of my SSDI check
V.V.
Thank you for using our blog to ask your question, Dara. If you have a representative payee because of a physical or mental disability and you want to become your own payee, you must show Social Security that you are now mentally and physically able to handle your money yourself. You could provide: A doctor’s statement that there has been a change in your condition and the doctor believes you are able to care for yourself; or an official copy of a court order saying that the court believes that you can take care of yourself; or other evidence that shows your ability to take care of yourself.
To make a representative payee change, you should call your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Michael
I think people on Social Security and disability she making extra help from Social Security ministration through this pandemic
Tammy C.
When are social security recipients getting their 3rd stimulus?
MARCUS C.
I have a new injury that was reported to social security and I do not see why is it so hard now to draw my ssi check.at 55 I’m not in the best shape.
V.V.
For your security, Marcus, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can call your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Laurie E.
I’m on Social Security when will I get my third stimulus check I need it badly
Diana M.
I have be try to file a on tool to get my economic stimulus check I have lupus bad and RA and OA disease a bad heart failure every time I try u said u can read my ide . what do I have to do
Robert T.
They don’t care about us we are a burden to the government we live on ticks incomes and need the money but we’re always last to get it