Long Waits, Waves of Calls, Web Crashes: Social Security is Breaking Down [ETA: call wait times no longer reported publicly]

[essentialsaltes]

WaPo

MSN mirror

• The website has crashed 4 times in the last 10 days
• Customer service has plummeted, but the office to monitor customer service experience has been eliminated
• Acting head Dudek acknowledges that "phone service 'sucks'" and that DOGE is actually in control
• Before the cuts, approving disability cliams took 233 days on average
• Requiring people without computers to come to a physical office to apply brings up the question of homebound seniors
• Deputy of operations acknowledges there will be a decline in service and they're looking for solutions for the homeless or housebound
• Average phone waits are now routinely two or three hours. [compared to 50 minutes previously under Martin O'Malley's tenure under Biden]
• Turnover at the call centers has reached 24%
• One NGO that helps seniors apply has been told to use fax as a more efficient way to send information or questions
• Back-to-office orders mean that 1200 Philadelphia employees fight for 300 parking spots
• Scammers are capitalizing on the chaos
• Software modernization required by law is questionable to hit the target date, due to loss of talented software developers who took buyouts and ran to the private sector
• Spending freezes mean that requests for office supplies have to be routed to 'about a dozen people' for 1200 offices -- and even then, office supplies are not on the automatic approval list, so they have to get approval from further up the chain

"They're creating a fire to require them to come and put it out," said one high-ranking official who took early retirement this month.

What form does putting out the fire take? Privatization? AI customer service? AI benefits approval? 'Reform'?


ETA

Social Security stops reporting call wait times and other metrics
The changes are the latest sign of the agency’s struggle with website crashes, overloaded servers and long lines at field offices amid Trump cutbacks.

 

[Say it aint so]

I can attest to this. Recently a Social Security recipient, I went to the social security office to change my tax withholding. Had to go to the fourth floor, and when that elevator door opened up there was a line to beat all lines. A good sized waiting area was full and the line went down the hallway. Lucky, I just grabbed the form from a cubby box, filled it out, and was able to drop box it. Firing social security workers will make this worse. Making people file first time in person is going to make it worse. (I filed through my Union) Making every single person already receiving benefits who don't use a computer and prefer the phone, to go to an office in person is going to make it worse. Specially when they are closing offices. And it's all because Musk et al have no clue how social security works.

 

[durangodawood]

The plan is to get people to hate social security by destroying its functionality.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Making every single person already receiving benefits go back and refile in person is going to make it worse. And it's all because Musk et al have no clue how social security works.

I'm on Medicare - there is no call to refile - just not happening.

 

[Say it aint so]

I'm on Medicare - there is no call to refile - just not happening.

Social Security. And I was in error. Not refile, but instead of calling the office for those who don't use a computer for help, existing customers will have to go to an office. My bad.

 

[Richard T]

To me it is curious that the end of the baby boomers, myself included seem to be getting the worst of social security so far. First, they raise the retirement age and now they make it harder to file. I will add too that social security has always discriminated. First, they make it redistributive. Lower incomes get a higher percent back than those with greater income. This will only worsen if they make top earners give above the current limits. Secondly, social security discriminates against minorities because they have a lower average life span. Social security also discriminates against singles who never use a spousal benefit. Those with two or more spouses of ten years are especially rewarded. I just hope the overhaul is careful. I am thinking they should let the social security system take on debt to pay 100% of benefits. They really need to allow some of the funds to go into the stock market though. Had they been doing this over time, it would be a far larger surplus. But investing requires cash and instead the social security system just obtains special IOU's in the form of government debt.

 

[DaisyDay]

I'm on Medicare - there is no call to refile - just not happening.

Yet. Fingers crossed.

 

[DaisyDay]

To me it is curious that the end of the baby boomers, myself included seem to be getting the worst of social security so far. First, they raise the retirement age and now they make it harder to file. I will add too that social security has always discriminated. First, they make it redistributive. Lower incomes get a higher percent back than those with greater income. This will only worsen if they make top earners give above the current limits. Secondly, social security discriminates against minorities because they have a lower average life span. Social security also discriminates against singles who never use a spousal benefit. Those with two or more spouses of ten years are especially rewarded. I just hope the overhaul is careful. I am thinking they should let the social security system take on debt to pay 100% of benefits.

Or they could raise the income cap past which no one has to contribute. This dilutes the percentage paid by the rich and amplifies the percentage of income taxed on the poor.

They really need to allow some of the funds to go into the stock market though.

Absolutely not.

Had they been doing this over time, it would be a far larger surplus.

Sometimes the market crashes.

But investing requires cash and instead the social security system just obtains special IOU's in the form of government debt.

Keep the funds in the Treasury and not in crypto.

Anyone who wants to invest in the stock market can already. There are existing IRAs, 457bs and 401ks.

 

[A2SG]

I can attest to this. Recently a Social Security recipient, I went to the social security office to change my tax withholding. Had to go to the fourth floor, and when that elevator door opened up there was a line to beat all lines. A good sized waiting area was full and the line went down the hallway. Lucky, I just grabbed the form from a cubby box, filled it out, and was able to drop box it. Firing social security workers will make this worse. Making people file first time in person is going to make it worse. (I filed through my Union) Making every single person already receiving benefits who don't use a computer and prefer the phone, to go to an office in person is going to make it worse. Specially when they are closing offices. And it's all because Musk et al have no clue how social security works.

I think that's a feature, not a bug. My suspicion is, Musk et al want to get rid of Social Security, but they know that's a non-starter, so they are trying to destroy it from within, and make it feckless. Then, when people are angry, there will be an attempt to get rid of it because "it isn't working."

All by design. They're playing the long con.

-- A2SG, seems on brand for this administration....

 

[FireDragon76]

I think that's a feature, not a bug. My suspicion is, Musk et al want to get rid of Social Security, but they know that's a non-starter, so they are trying to destroy it from within, and make it feckless. Then, when people are angry, there will be an attempt to get rid of it because "it isn't working."

All by design. They're playing the long con.

-- A2SG, seems on brand for this administration....

Similar things were done starting in the 2000's in Britain. It's been a slow squeeze on social services there ever since, with increasing rounds of austerity, each cutting more and more and privatizing more and more. This is the master plan of the oligarch class, to slowly boil the frog.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

The American people in an overwhelming landslide of voter turnout chose President Trump to fix Social Security and fix it he will. The fix is in and has nothing to do with Project 25.

 

[Richard T]

Or they could raise the income cap past which no one has to contribute. This dilutes the percentage paid by the rich and amplifies the percentage of income taxed on the poor.

Absolutely not.

Sometimes the market crashes.

Keep the funds in the Treasury and not in crypto.

Anyone who wants to invest in the stock market can already. There are existing IRAs, 457bs and 401ks.

It is true the market does crash, but over the long haul, stocks do perform far better and the money would average in both good and bad years. Quite a few nations have sovereign wealth funds, that invest social security dollars in both bonds and stocks. USA state pensions plans may do this too. Calper's (California's system earned 9.3% last year). Investments | CalPERS I think the reason it is not done in the USA, is because the government would have to give up that money to let people invest it. You are right though about IRA's though I think there are many especially lower income Americans that have no private accounts.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

The American people in an overwhelming landslide of voter turnout chose President Trump to fix Social Security and fix it he will. The fix is in and has nothing to do with Project 25.

Trump’s Popular Vote Victory Was Small by Historical Standards​

Trump’s Popular Vote Victory Was Small by Historical Standards

This gives me a bit of hope in our future. The Electoral college was decisive, the average American not quite as decisive. https://www.cfr.org/article/2024-election-numbers Trump got 77, 284 118 or about 49.8% Harris got 74, 999, 166 or about 48.3% He won by 2, 284, 952 votes That is 152...

www.christianforums.com

Harris 48.3% of popular vote (75,017,613 votes)
Trump 49.8% of popular vote (77,302,580 votes)

I hope Social Security can withstand this administrations 'fixing". Other departments are turning upside down. It does not inspire confidence.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Trump’s Popular Vote Victory Was Small by Historical Standards​

Trump’s Popular Vote Victory Was Small by Historical Standards

This gives me a bit of hope in our future. The Electoral college was decisive, the average American not quite as decisive. https://www.cfr.org/article/2024-election-numbers Trump got 77, 284 118 or about 49.8% Harris got 74, 999, 166 or about 48.3% He won by 2, 284, 952 votes That is 152...

www.christianforums.com

Harris 48.3% of popular vote (75,017,613 votes)
Trump 49.8% of popular vote (77,302,580 votes)

I hope Social Security can withstand this administrations 'fixing". Other departments are turning upside down. It does not inspire confidence.

Well, I heard it from a reliable source that it was higher than Reagan in 1984.

 

[DaisyDay]

It is true the market does crash, but over the long haul, stocks do perform far better and the money would average in both good and bad years. Quite a few nations have sovereign wealth funds, that invest social security dollars in both bonds and stocks. USA state pensions plans may do this too. Calper's (California's system earned 9.3% last year). Investments | CalPERS I think the reason it is not done in the USA, is because the government would have to give up that money to let people invest it. You are right though about IRA's though I think there are many especially lower income Americans that have no private accounts.

People can currently invest their own money in the stock market. It may be controversial to say this, but much of the people are not very good at anything financial so expecting them to know what to do with forced investing seems a bit of a reach. Plus, scammers and charlatans are very practiced, very good at scamming people out of their money.

 

[A2SG]

Well, I heard it from a reliable source that it was higher than Reagan in 1984.

How is Alex Jones these days?

-- A2SG, has he found a nice furnished cardboard box to live in....

 

[DaisyDay]

I ordered a replacement SS card online yesterday, just in case, as I haven't seen hide nur hair of it in decades. That went fine.

I might be able to change my withhold via mail. Unfortunately, the postal system seems to be under the gun, too, with 10,000 employees terminated while they are currently understaffed.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I ordered a replacement SS card online yesterday, just in case, as I haven't seen hide nur hair of it in decades. That went fine.

I might be able to change my withhold via mail. Unfortunately, the postal system seems to be under the gun, too, with 10,000 employees terminated while they are currently understaffed.

The post office would have been fine if Biden didn't destroy all the sorting machines before the 2020 elections.

 

[Richard T]

People can currently invest their own money in the stock market. It may be controversial to say this, but much of the people are not very good at anything financial so expecting them to know what to do with forced investing seems a bit of a reach. Plus, scammers and charlatans are very practiced, very good at scamming people out of their money.

You just gave one of the reasons why social security should have trustees invest at least part of the monies they collect in investments other than U.S. Treasuries. Too many do not have the knowledge and discipline to do this themselves. Calpers the State pension plan of California has a return rate of over 8 percent annually over the last ten years. The Social Security Trust Fund meanwhile now earns about 3%. The difference is huge. Yes, I do think that stock market is way overvalued. Thus, they nor anyone should invest in the market all at once but perhaps a small percent that would average in over the next ten or more years. The same could be said of buying high quality corporate bonds. Source of chart. Social Security Update: Trust Fund, Income, Outgo, and Deficit in Fiscal 2023 | Wolf Street

 

[Pommer]

I ordered a replacement SS card online yesterday, just in case, as I haven't seen hide nur hair of it in decades. That went fine.

I might be able to change my withhold via mail. Unfortunately, the postal system seems to be under the gun, too, with 10,000 employees terminated while they are currently understaffed.

Every year AAA sends me a new plastic-y card with my member number on it.
Social Security “cards” are paper “card-stock” and must not be laminated…because reasons.