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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Anne M.
I just read the letter on Public on Service dated March 17th. It would be more informative if some context for some of the numbers in the letter were provided. For example, the number of people waiting for a hearing has been reduced to 376,000 – a 20-year low. That sounds like a great achievement. How long have they been waiting? Next, reduced wait by 9 months. Again, what is the average wait time? Another statistic mentioned, reduced number of people waiting for a decision by 100,000. That is great news. But to understand how good, it would be helpful to know what percent of the whole represents. Is that a 1% reduction or a 20% reduction?
Glenna M.
Hi. How and who can I ask to get my payment to social security lowered from what they said was an over payment? I was providing medical care for my roomate in exchange for rent. I assumed I was exempt as outlined in social security guidelines. Any helpful responses would be appreciated! Tx
laura
my case worker took down wrong living arrangements. im on ssi and have had 1 third of check taken since she submitted the wrong information. I have been trying since last June to correct this. I have called case worker 52 times never returns calls i have mailed in living arrangement information nothing happens i have callled national line 4 times they said they will take care of it 9 months and when i call my local office and ask for a higher up to help me they hang up on me and so so rude. There is no where on line to submit this information. Its posted at least 10 times on pamphlets etc contact us call us email us to no avail. This is not acceptable. dollars to donuts if it was to their advantage i need to submit information they would take it Ijust dont understand why 9 months and counting nothing has been done and i dont know what to do ive done all i can do and no one will help me with correcting this information can someone direct me and ive left messages here too this is beyond my comprehension and not acceptable
J m.
Since we all paid into SSI. Every paycheck….INTEREST FREE. I might add. What is the return on our investment???? Squat.
Debra R.
I always get my check directly deposit to my bank, my other 2 payments were done that way too, but this 3rd wasn’t? Why ? Nothing has changed. ? Please help
John H.
I’m waiting to.im tired of the website’s not being of any use at all.im tired of no answers from anyone i have had the irs computer that answers the phone hang up on me.an really the only consolation is I’m not out here alone.
John H.
I sure could use this stimulus money I’m in the hole an if it hadn’t been for a friend I’d be going hungry right now so when can we expect it Im on ssdi.an I’m broke
Gloria
I know the feeling i am broke too
M.Silva
I apply for SSI and SSDI and denied bcse don’t have credits.I don’t have any attorney the judge make his last determination.I have fibromialgia,asthma, sciatica, incontinence urinary, migraine,I have gi problem I Pooh my self,Now i feel more depressed than before I’m not even going church or out.I need help.
V.V.
Hi M. Silva, thanks for using our blog. Check out our publication “Your Right To Representation” for details on what your representative may charge you. If you need to speak to a Social Security representative regarding the details, please call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can 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.
Grace O.
Am 65 years old, am retiring and I registered but some one sent me a letter that my case denial that I should go through market place.l tried to call but no avail. My email address is goshunlalu@gmail.com
Please I need help
I don’t know where to go.
V.V.
Hi Grace, thanks for checking in with us. Generally, we will only contact someone if they have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. To see if Social Security did send that letter, you would need to call your local 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.
Aida G.
I Aida Guzman draw SOCIAL SECURITY I HAVE NOT RECIEVED MY 2ND OR 3RD STIMULAS I HAVE 2 KIDS AN. STILL NOTHING
PLEASE HELP