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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Mrs T.
I’m disable and my husband died last year I applied for my spouse survival benefits since July 2020 and complied with the process. Had a case worker never returned my call spoke to a Representative times 3 about my case told case worker will contact me. Then 3 mons later in November she did sent in my marriage license with a letter I wrote explaining and asking why I haven’t heard back from my case and I’m already getting benefits for my disability.Well marriage license came right back in mail to me with no response. Now it March 2021 and my case still processing with no case worker to talk with. I even had a case worker called me on a Saturday because she was helping my case worker Mrs Pyler with her case load telling me what to send in well I did. Guess what still nothing yet. I never in my whole life had this much wasted time with Social Security and it hurts and sucks. I just feel like given up on my case. Cause Mrs Plyer never never never return calls!
Mrs T.
I’m disable and my husband died last year I applied for my spouse survival benefits since July 2020 and complied with the process. Had a case worker never returned my call spoke to a Representative times 3 about my case told case worker will contact me. Then 3 mons later in November she did sent in my marriage license with a letter I wrote explaining and asking why I haven’t heard back from my case and I’m already getting benefits for my disability.Well marriage license came right back in mail to me with no response. Now it March 2021 and my case still processing with no case worker to talk with. I even had a case worker called me on a Saturday because she was helping my case worker Mrs Pyler with her case load telling me what to send in well I did. Guess what still nothing yet. I never in my whole life had this much wasted time with Social Security and it hurts and sucks. I just feel like given up on my case. Cause Mrs Plyer never never never return calls!
V.V.
Thank you for using our blog. We are very sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing. 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.
Pauline
Sorry Vonda….calling either number is of no help. There are ‘bodies’ in SS offices that haven’t a clue of what they are doing. The specific one I’m talking about is Painesville, OH, Lake County. They need to be investigated. And I shouldn’t have to give out the below info for nothing to be done, but I will….
V.V.
Pauline, we apologize for the difficult time you are experiencing working with Social Security. We have referred your complaint to our Office of Operations to follow up and to take corrective action as necessary.
Anne D.
She’s not the only one – the offices around here have people who clearly have received minimal training. The leadership of this agency is APPALLING.
You should have told her to contact the AWIC for her area.
Another issue is that the automated phone line for beneficiaries reporting their wages does NOT work! What are clients supposed to do to report their wages?? If they mail in their paystubs, they “disappear”, or don’t get posted to their accounts for months, resulting in over-payments which are NOT their fault.
Why are there no support links for MYSSA accounts, no tech support for the automated wage line, and no way to contact actual people, aside from your dreadful call centers? Which also are staffed by people with minimal training, apparently….
V.V.
Hi Anne. You can report wages by calling or writing your local Social Security Office. The reporting options are to use the automated toll-free SSI Telephone Wage Reporting Service, the free SSI Mobile Wage Reporting Smartphone app, or the my Social Security online wage reporting tool.
If you are unable to create an account or encounter a problem with your my Social Security account, you may call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 7:00 pm. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”; or contact 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.
Dorothy A.
My SS check was almost stopped because of a mistake on my irs. Costing me over $1000.00 that I have to pay back. I had to call several times and talk to hateful SS employees and they wouldn’t let me drop off my letter of agreement. I had to fax it from a Staples Store in a Pandemic!! So it’ll take me 2 years to pay back that money I don’t even owe. Because the Oak Ridge, Tn. Office, didn’t care, wouldn’t help, was very incompetent. I’m elderly, and totally alone! I depend on that money.
Fontaine W.
Rent goes up everytime Social Security gives increase. However; the increase is appreciated by some, but it is quickly taken away via rent increase, which is over and above the Social Security increase. Would be nice if that issue could be addressed. Especially for those who are on disability and Social Security is their only income.
Anita E.
I really don’t understand how everyone else is receiving all this help money an rental assistant an link when they can pay they bills with all this money yo all are giving out BUT NO HELP FOR Seniors or people with Disabilities we need help to an still no 3rd stimulus check sad we don’t matter
CWoods
Although we have been in a Global Pandemic for over a year now, the SSI & SSDI checks still arrived every month & I received a cost of living raise of $18 a month, so I never fell behind on any bills. I have also received all 3 stimulus payments.
Shonna G.
I completely agree this is a bunch if crap we dont get enough to live on to begin with now with the pandemic it’s made things even worse. I’ve lost EVERYTHING & I mean EVERYTHING!! I cannot even afford a place to live with what I get. Which I should be getting more than I do. The Gov should ATLEAST give us enough to live on. A rental these days is atleast $200 more than what I recieve monthly. I’ve been living in my vehicle since Aug of 2020. Gov dont care cuz they’re robbing us & living high off the hog. It’s not much to ask for enough to LIVE!! I’m not asking to be rich…I just wanna live! This is NOT a hand out, I paid into it, i did NOT ask to be disabled. I would much rather bring home a weekly paycheck then try to live like this. WE DESPERATELY NEED HELP NOW!! Gov needs to worry about their own people here in the states instead of other countries. I’m one ticked off American! We shouldve been one if the 1st to get help & stimulus money. The rich get richer, the poor keep getting Poorer!! Why I dont vote they could careless about us just filling their wallets more
Porschia
This is outrageous and unacceptable why are we last to receive our payments when we are the ones who don’t even have enough money to live a stable life!! We can barely find a place to live with the low payments and now we have to wait last for the stimulus payments as well we DON’T HAVE NO MONEY AND BARELY EATING AND WE HAVE KIDS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT AND CRY CAUSE WE CANT AFFORD TO LIVE A SIMPLE LIFE!! SMH
Raymond D.
Where’s are stimulus check????
Eugene A.
Why are they taking so long to release stimulus this time of SsI and SSDI recipients. Keep saying they are reviewing. It’s plain and simple all recipients qualify and on first two rounds got check within days of signing bill.