Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has announced some of its plans to reform the Social Security Administration.
And while there are no plans to cut benefits to retired or disabled Americans, cuts to the agency’s workforce, and changes to the way it operates, could make it more difficult for many people to get the benefits they depend on.
One plan that has received quite a bit of attention so far is that DOGE is looking to cut 7,000 jobs from the SSA workforce, which is currently made up of about 60,000 employees.
It’s unclear exactly which positions DOGE is looking to eliminate, but as anyone who has dealt with Social Security in-person or over the phone can attest, the agency has been plagued by long wait times for years. It’s not uncommon to wait more than an hour for someone to pick up the phone at a Social Security office – if anyone answers at all in some cases.
Cutting the Social Security workforce by more than 10 percent could lead to even lengthier wait times.
DOGE at one point considered eliminating phone service for SSA altogether, but that proposal was scrapped once it received quite a bit of media attention.
Still, some similar proposals have gone into effect. Social Security is now requiring anyone who needs to change their direct deposit information to do it online or in-person. At the same time, Social Security is looking to close 47 field offices.
Unfortunately, taking away options for how the disabled and retired deal with Social Security just makes it more difficult for them to access their benefits.
