From NEXTGOV/FCW:
… The Social Security Administration wants to halve the number of people that go to its field offices in the 2026 fiscal year.
More than 31 million people visited SSA field offices over the last fiscal year. Now, the agency aims to have 50% fewer visits — or no more than 15 million total — in fiscal 2026, which began in October, according to internal planning documents viewed by Nextgov/FCW. …
I’d call this wishful thinking at best.
19 comments:
Fairy tales do happen along with bringing grocery prices down from day one.
Does anyone have any insight on the upcoming structure changes in the field? Hearing rumors but nothing official. Flattening and eliminating layers.
So, don't bother coming in. We won't help you if you do. And good luck getting help or accurate info on the phone.
OMG, WTF
In case you had missed it, SSA Leadership operates in a different reality than SSA Field Offices.
Really easy, and this exactly what they're doing. You make all office visits appointment only. Then you limit how many appointments are available. Then you have the guards turn away anyone trying to get in, no matter who they are or what they need. Because they can go online! Did you know you can do almost everything online? Or they can call, and the AI can tell them to go online. Did you know you can do almost everything online? And if they're really desperate and can manage it, they can talk to a perso eventually to make an appointment to come in. But since appointments are limited, they might have to wait a month or two, or drive hours away to the next nearest office because the ones close to them don't have any appointments available at all.
This has been going on for a year, getting more and more strict every day. Remember, it doesn't matter how long someone has to wait for service or if they can even get service, so long as that waiting is done off the books. Having someone wait 8 hours for a callback us better than an hour on hold. 2 months for an appointment is better than 2 hours in a lobby. If someone just gives up, that's not tracked or reported to congress, so it doesn't count. If someone has to drive 3 hours to a different office, it doesn't count because only the time in the lobby matters
Currently, claimants cannot file appeals online in cases where they dispute onset dates. They can't file online for disability benefits if in current pay on retirement or file for retirement if a disability claim is pending. I can go on and on as to what cannot be done on line that should be possible online. And inability to contact the various field offices and resolve problem issues by telephone does not help the matter.
Pie in the sky promises as to what will be done without people in the offices has been the recurrent promise of the Agency for years. If it ever happens, great, but I suspect the plan is like fusion energy, five years away and always will be.
Any truth to the rumors about AI implementation in 2026 followed by more RIFs?
It's easy to halve the number of people who are served in field offices by requiring appointments, turning people away who show up without appointments, putting long hold/callback times on the phone number used to schedule appointments, and not having enough appointment slots. It's very hard to actually halve the number of people seeking in-person services. That would require:
* resolving more issues when someone calls the teleservice center, or in a single visit to a field office rather than multiple visits.
* putting more forms and processes online
* figuring out a way to help people get through the ID verification to set up mySocialSecurity accounts...that is a real hurdle for a lot of people
Even if SSA achieved all of the above, there are some documents SSA wants to verify in person (like when they declare a living person dead and need to resurrect them) and some people/issues best addressed face-to-face. If Congress made SSI easier to administer that would probably help a lot with reducing field office visits, but that might lead to a poor person getting a tiny bit more money so I won't hold my breath on that happening any time soon.
I see that the trolls have emerged for the Holiday season. . .
10:58. Incorrect. Anyone with a MySSA can submit an appeal for anything. Along with most forms. Don’t see the form you want to submit? Just use something that looks close and upload anything.
Many rumors, including another round of early retirement offers.
@12:52 Reminds me of the jokers earlier in the year that asked ChatGPT for some believable RIF percentages per component.
All anyone has to do to know it's BS is read the actual PBR for 2026.
Please stop with the RIFs this administration is hugely unpopular and there is zero and I mean zero political will for that.
Wow. Never thought I’d say it but I’m beginning to miss Leland Dudek.
Pushing AI in the current leadership….
The Social Security Administration is prioritizing technology to serve the next generation of users — Gen X and younger baby boomers — who are generally more comfortable with online systems,” Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. “While this digital shift could streamline services over time, it may unintentionally disadvantage older or rural Americans who still depend on in-person assistance. The brutal reality, this effort may help efficiency but risks alienating the very communities that it's supposed to serve.”
Warren denounced the staff reductions and field office limitations on X, echoing many other Americans’ concerns.
“This sure sounds like another way to make it even harder for Americans to get the benefits they've earned,” Warren wrote. “I will not stop fighting to protect Social Security.”
The response from this administration…
It is disappointing yet unsurprising that the fake news media is eager to ignore the truth to scare seniors. The truth is simple: field offices are, and will always remain, our front-line, serving the approximately 75 million Americans who receive monthly payments and more than 330 million Americans with Social Security numbers,” an SSA spokesperson told Newsweek.
“The Social Security Administration under President [Donald] Trump's leadership is serving more Americans than ever before at quicker speeds, and more customers are choosing to resolve their needs online or over the phone… Commissioner Bisignano has pledged to have the right level of staffing to operate at peak efficiency and deliver best-in-class customer service to the American people."
To 2:03. Yes, I can still file an appeal. I can print out the necessary forms and file on paper or I could possibly submit as a non-medical appeal but that typically results in nothing at all being done and having to repeatedly call the DO to find out what happened to the paper appeal. What people within Social Security thinks happens is rarely connected to the real world experience.
"Social Security is also embarking on a plan to further centralize claims processing, folding more work currently done by field offices into central operations, the agency’s chief of field operations Andy Sriubas told staff in an email last week."
This is the quote that sticks out to me.
Warren, Wyden Probe Social Security Chief Bisignano Amid New Questions about His Tenure as CEO at Fiserv
“Mr. Bisignano appears to have failed to manage Fiserv effectively, and may have misled investors and the public about the company’s financial status, raising concerns about his ability to serve as a key Social Security and IRS official in the Trump Administration.”
You missed a part of the sentence:
"The Social Security Administration wants to halve the number of people that go to work in its field offices in the 2026 fiscal year. "
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