From The Social Security Administration’s Telephone Service Disruptions, a report by Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG):
SSA's telephone systems experienced an increasing number of service disruptions at the end of 2022 as it maintained operations under the temporary Unification platform. From May 2021 through December 2022, 40 telephone service disruptions occurred on the national 800-number and field office systems. The majority of these disruptions occurred from October through December 2022 and involved the 800-number. These disruptions resulted in dropped calls, increased wait times and, in some instances, unavailable automated services. Wait times increased as SSA employees could not take calls during several of the outages. Further, such functionalities as the “estimated wait time” and the “call back assist” features, which callers used to avoid waiting on the telephone to speak with an SSA employee, were no longer available to callers. The rate of unanswered calls for those who opted to speak with an employee during each of the service disruptions ranged from 32 to as high as 80 percent. ...
I'll pull out some eye-catching charts from this report in coming days.
27 comments:
Also in the news, water is wet.
Bottom line ssa does not have enough staff to answer those calls. The training is short, acute pressure to answer as many calls as possible, not help customers. All the managers care about is the dropped calls and available rate.
That is all the managers cared about. When I worked for the agency, they would also call you out for the duration of the calls. If they were too short, they wondered why. “Well, how long does it take to tell someone when we close? I could stay on longer, ask how the family is doing etc…” Or they didn’t want the calls to last too long. If someone called with a complex problem, should I try and help or just take down some information and move on to the next call? Many of the longer calls I had were from widows wanting to file for survivors benefits. Rather than tell them it was a two month wait, I just took the claim.
The comments already are pretty correct. I think it's a multifaceted problem that is exacerbated by terrible "leadership" at SSA. First, the agency is so worried about the intake of work, that it fails to consider the part of actually processing the work. The agency (or maybe specially my region), has all but abandoned hiring CSR's in field offices and will almost primarily hire CR's instead. Their reasoning is, "well, if we hire a CR who can take claims AND work windows/answer phones, then that's better for us!" but they fail to realize that when CR's are expected to answer phones and work windows, then the claims, paperwork, and other backed up workloads don't get done timely. So the public calls to complain about things not being processed because the people who are supposed to process stuff are stuck answering the phones and doing replacement cards for walk-ins. It's a vicious cycle for field employees.
The agency has a hard-on for "meeting metrics" at the detriment of its employees. Hire more Customer Service Reps to answer phones and process window transactions so that Claims Reps can go back to actually doing claims work and paperwork.
The agency is woefully understaffed and no one can deny that, but management will ride employees backs for stuff they can't control. If a phone call takes too long, managers will push for you to end the call and get to the next one. SSA systems are complicated and barely work half the time, the issue itself could be complex and the person may need technical assistance to provide a reliable answer. Management (usually) is so far removed from actually being a Claims Rep that they don't understand the the agency today isn't the agency of 10-15 years ago when there were 10,000 more employees and millions of less beneficiaries, meaning workloads were lighter. They are stuck in a bygone era and don't have the capacity to see that lots of SSA employees DO want to take their time on calls to actually help the people who need their questions answered instead of just hurrying to get the person off the call/away from their window to "meet metrics" and immediately take the next claimant. It's an untenable position for the agency and employees, and unless there is a MASSIVE culture change at SSA, the ship will continue to sink because of poor unrealistic management.
It is so useless that I don't use it and don't advise anyone else to use it unless they have nothing else to do. Also, have had to advise that the information may not be accurate.
The report is incredibly damming for the operations people at Social Security. And, the actual situation is worse than described. They say there was a disruption of several days in February/March 2022. There was a disruption of two weeks, at least, when no calls at all were being answered anywhere in Social Security during that period.
I don't know, but have been lead to believe, that Verizon is the vendor. The comment that they didn't want to renegotiate with them because as the report states on Page 1
adding [a Service Level Agreement] to the existing Unification Task Order would require additional negotiations with the vendor and a bilateral agreement to ’implement’ them. Since [SSA does] not plan to upgrade Unification, [it does] not plan on reopening negotiations with [the vendor] over Unification. Moreover, because [SSA] [has] unsuccessfully sought to negotiate with [the vendor] to include performance based incentives to [the vendor] in the past, we do not believe [it] would agree to a bilateral modification implementing [a Service Level Agreement].
just shows how little business ability or even common sense the people in operations at Social Security really are. If Verizon or whoever can't or won't do the job, they cannot be the only possible provider.
@11:10 absolutely all of this!! Employees can’t do it all so something suffers and it’s usually the claims processing that gets pushed to the back burner.
All correct. When a caller is in benefit status all the TSC does is refer them to the servicing for FO further action. They do not even realize that in some metropolitan areas Social Security Card matters have been centralized to CARD centers and rather then referring them there they refer to the local FO. It is clearly noted on the office locator data base known as DOORS. Why is no CSR @ TSC capable of basic address changes (agreed SSI more complex) or Direct deposit changes. Some TSC reps just stealing money (AKA salary).In the FO I get a second call from a customer (as I am asking to answer the General Information line (GI ), I am a CTE and if I am I will take 15-20 minutes to resolve the issue or set the table for further action. Our answer rate on the General Information line is always > 85 % !!
Some office are forwarding their calls to the 800 number who is usually clueless about what is going on. I truly hope they will be hiring more agents in the near future. I spend more time on hold than in hearings.
.There are actually two vendors Verizon which is actual career and Avaya which is 'provides cloud communications and workstream collaboration services. The company's platform includes unified communications, contact center other services'. Once a call delivered by Verizon to the call center it is Avaya which manages from that point on. While there might be issues on Verizon side the bulk of service issues are with Avaya.
Here is a little interesting tidbit. The Illinois Dept on Aging and the Pennsylvania Dept on Aging have been having meetings with major providers in the state like the AAoA to start taking disability claims for SSA. SSA is involved in the talks as well. I dont know if other states are seeing this feeling out stage or not. In Illinois the AAoA are balking because they only get paid $25 to do a Benefits Access application and they want to roll the SSDI/SSI apps into that. No way that can be done for the money, and it is unclear where funding would come from to pay more. AAoAs are looking at $200 to $500 to complete an initial.
Nobody has said who would do the follow ups, any appeals if needed or any of that. Its kind of interesting to watch, but it looks like the beginning of trying to move some stuff off of the staff, but it will end up making more work for the agency in claims that shouldnt be taken, are not complete or have unresolved issues. Apparently SSA was going to do the training.
Anyone else hearing this in other states?
I mispoke, it isnt IDOA it is just SSA directly going to the community services provider. The next virtual meeting is actually today 11am Central. They call it:
Understanding Disability Benefits: SSI&SSDI
The meeting email was sent from SSA Baltimore MD, looks like the agency headquarters or something, 6201 Security Blvd.
$500 to complete the initial application?? Maybe I will come out of retirement and start a business. I know the product will be better than any 3rd party application the agency has been getting for years.
1:07 and all the follow up through the decision from what they are saying. I know me an my team would only due the initial application, we would do that for $200 but helping them navigate anything else is more. Everyone on the call said they were not interested in doing it without a bunch of funding, seems to have taken the wind out of a lot a sails, i honestly believe they thought a bunch of agencies were just going to do it all for free!
Ok. Even $200, I could do the application, the 3368, the work activity report for work after onset(which is hardly ever done) and still be making $. All in under an hour for most applications. That is pretty good coin for an hours work.
ssa should allow CR's to moonlight at a fee of 150.00 per application paid to the CS in order to expand the ability to intake claims and serve the public.
I think it's really eye opening to hear community service providers care more about the money than helping the needy (which they always claim is their main priority). The audacity to demand $200 to $500 PER initial application is ludicrous. The application from start to finish usually takes an hour, at most, often times less than that. If a community service provider is essentially telling you their hourly rate to help you is somewhere between $200 to $500 PER HOUR, they aren't much of a community service provider imho.
Under an hour, and you call that good work? Lets see what you forgot in that hour. You have to help them set up the MySSA account, they may or may not have an email account, so you may have to set that up, they dont know all the medications, or doctor visits, hell they dont even know the name of the doctor or practice. Yeah I can do it in an hour too if i leave most of it blank!
Then the follow ups when they bring the letters in because they dont understand, but sure, you can do it all in an hour. That is why they are backed up, half @$$ed filed work.
@814 You need to up your game. You'd never make it in an SSA office if you can't do a disability claim in an hour or a bit more. Sure a few take longer but not the majority. In my office we are allotted 60 to 75 minutes. Plus, we have to do more stuff to get it to DDS that day.
@11:52 well see after the application we have to do all the stuff that you ingore. We have to get them food and utility assistance, maybe file an application for Medicaid, get them to the food pantry and see if we can get them medication, then there is rent assistance, referrals to see what other programs they are eligible for. Transportation? Food stamps.
We dont file and forget, we have much to do.
But hey, you guys want to file them for free and see if they get paid in a couple years be our guest!
I call BS that you can set up a MYSSA and take a complete application, 3368 complete and everything in 45 minutes and even do a passable job, that sounds pretty sloppy. My bet is it includes such molden golden oldies like,
I am unable to stand to prepare meals and microwave all my meals
I have to lean on a shopping cart to complete my shopping
I must take frequent breaks when cleaning my house or performing my daily grooming routine and frequently do not complete the task
Ohhh the list of cut and paste goes on for days and days....but it gets it done in 45 minutes i guess.
A typical disability application takes 60-90 minutes. If you add ssi up to to 2 hrs. And dac adds even more. Ssa needs to invest in its workforce instead of attempt to pass it off to untrained navigators to intake and adjudicate applications
@1240 Maybe you can pick and choose your claims but in the office we have to take everyone that wants to file. Some have only one doctor, medicines, etc. Some have none. Work history may be one job or none. It's not every claim by any means but I've taken claims where the person goes back to work (say they filed w/ Covid) in a few weeks. Yes, it was explained to them about disability duration, etc but they still wanted to file. Attorneys may be able to just tell the person they won't help them file but we can't. Ages ago I had someone with a broken wrist that seemed like a waste of time for him to file a DIB claim. Turns out he also had AIDS and was approved.
I worked quite a while doing third party claims filed by attorneys. Some were pretty good but most ended up being about as much work to fix as if we took it ourselves in the SSA office. Work after onset not accounted for, SSI app when the person is receiving $3000 a month in Worker's Comp, incomplete 3368s etc.
Lmao an SSI application does not take 2 hours. Nor does a DAC take any longer than a normal DIB. I don't know where you all are pulling your timeframes from but they are absolutely incorrect and you probably don't work/haven't worked for SSA, so it's not like you would know anyways.
95% of DIBs can be completed in under an hour. Most of the time, the person has 1 or 2 doctors, sometimes up to 3-4. Some prescriptions, you talk a little bit about their work history, education history, add any necessary remarks. Easily done within an hour, SSA does these DAILY in under an hour or even at an hour. Your problem is you likely sit there and listen to the claimants whole life story about this and that, how they fell off their bike at age 10 and now they can't work! SSA doesn't have time to listen to all the non-material filler crap stories. SSA cares about getting the relevant information, passing the case along to DDS, and serving the next person. If SSA spent any more time on applications, the backlog would grow larger and then you'd all be screaming about that.
Sorry you're sour about getting called out for caring more about money in your pocket than helping people. Again, might as well just say that and stop with the "but we care!" charade. You can cry foul about SSA all you want, but when given the opportunity to put your labor where your mouth is, you balked.
I stopped doing T2 applications for new clients because they take too long and I’m just typing up their answers in the online application. I almost never did T16 applications, I directed then to the local office for those. And it always took me 90 minutes or more to do the application. You have to talk to the client to get their story so yo make sure that you don’t leave out the important stuff, like not listing AIDS, for example. If I just wrote down their answers, I’d be no better than a robot. I hated doing applications so now I spend about 20 minutes going over the process in detail and most people I talk to either retain me once the application is filed or if the application is denied. I only do applications if the client is mentally challenged and has no one to assist them. And I still hate doing it.
SSA CSes have the advantage of seeing the earnings record, employers, recent earnings, etc in completing the 3368. If the employer paid SSA or Medicare taxes, we have a good idea of the time worked and salary. Ditto non covered work for the most part. Plus, we won't waste time on the 3368 if SSI is not an option and the person is uninsured for disability.
We also have information regarding prior filings.
I am a cs and most of my dib apps take over 1 hour. I am proficient at my job.
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