A Newsweek article just confirmed what many clients have been saying for months: Social Security wait times are getting worse.
That’s at all stages of the disability process from initial applications to PERC interviews that determine Supplemental Security income benefits once a case has been awarded.
Only 64.6 percent of initial claims are currently being scheduled within 30 days, down from 78.1 percent a year earlier. In some offices, that number has plummeted to just 45 percent of claims.
The reason for this is simple: job cuts. The Department of Government Efficiency cut about 7800 Social Security jobs, or 14 percent of SSA’s workforce. That means fewer Social Security employees are being asked to do more than ever, and as a result, morale has reportedly plummeted.
It’s also not clear whether the solutions on the table will do much to fix the problem. Field employees have been redeployed to assist the agency’s 800 phone number, but in many cases, claimants are reporting being disconnected after lengthy waits, or employees not being able to assist them when they finally do reach someone.
Social Security is also pushing for more central scheduling, automated and online access to some services, and is now seeking to hire 1,000 new employees to help with the workload.
Even when these changes go into effect, it’s highly questionable that they’ll do much to reduce wait times. Unfortunately, for the near future, it just looks like the lengthy process to get disability benefits is only going to take longer.
