Terrible Service

From the Washington Post: 

Hours-long wait times. Endless looping music. Useless robot messages. 

Millions of seniors and disabled people call Social Security’s 1-800 number every month. What they experience is often maddening. … 

The Trump administration has said it is improving Social Security customer service and dramatically cutting wait times to build on a phone experience that callers have complained about even before Trump. But the agency’s public reporting doesn’t count the time people wait for callbacks from humans, and nearly three dozen callers who spoke with The Washington Post or let a reporter join their calls said their experiences have not matched the agency’s claims. … 

 In response to this story’s findings, SSA spokesman Barton Mackey said that “there have been significant advancements in customer service” over the past five months. “Cherry-picked instances may meet the goal of a preconceived, negative narrative, but they do not accurately reflect the experiences a vast majority of Americans have when interacting with SSA,” he said in a statement. … 

Once callers get their estimated wait time, they might get offered a callback. The agency says 19.3 million calls were handled by callbacks this year, up from 6.8 million the previous year when the option was first introduced.## One Social Security worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the feature appeared helpful at first but has since deteriorated because of understaffing. Many of those she has called back don’t answer the phone because it has been hours or even weeks since their initial call, she said. ...

     The article gives many concrete examples of the difficulties that callers face. 

How Well Does AI Answer The Phone?

      From Grada3:

… When Social Security beneficiaries call the SSA’s helpline, they’re greeted by a friendly virtual voice that says, “How can I help you today?”. So now, instead of waiting on the telephone line for a human assistant, the bot tries to understand what you are asking and will direct you to assistance.

This “digital-first” strategy appears to be a significant advancement on paper as it uses artificial intelligence to answer basic enquiries, free up human personnel, and provide assistance more quickly. However, the experience has not been easy for a lot of callers.  …

Even though this was meant to improve the system, there are many Americans who are struggling to adapt to the new system.

1. Sometimes, the AI might misunderstand you

There are many callers who reported that the bot sometimes doesn’t understand the basic questions or even sends them to the wrong department for help.

2. Fewer Humans Are Available to Help

The SSA has been reducing the number of staff in local field offices and sometimes if the bot can’t help, it might take a fairly long time to reach an actual person.

3. Complex Problems Still Need Real People

The SSA deals with personal and complex issues and sometimes this requires human assistance instead of help from a bot. …

Attack On Field Office In Virginia

     From WSET:

The Social Security office in Lynchburg [VA] was the target of a threat of violence on Friday. …

According to law enforcement at the scene, a message was left at the site, threatening to "come back and shoot you all up."

The office facade was also visibly egged, and something on the sidewalk outside the building had been set on fire. We haven't been able to confirm what exactly was lit on fire, but the wall has what appears to be smoke damage running up the side. …

New Staff Assignments

Sent: Friday, 24 October, 2025 13:00

Subject: Disability Adjudication Personnel Announcement

To: All DA Employees

It is my privilege to announce that Jim Parikh, currently the Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Disability Adjudication, is now the Head of Disability Support for Disability Adjudication. Within Disability Support, the following leadership changes will take effect, along with the establishment of the units that will comprise our newly formed organization:

Jennifer Thompson, currently the Regional Management Officer for Southeast, is now the Acting Executive Director for Disability Innovation.

James van der Schalie, currently the Associate Commissioner for National Disability Determinations, is now the Executive Director for Disability Solutions.

Hank McKnelly, currently the Associate Commissioner for Hearings, is now the Executive Director for Disability Governance.

Jeffrey Kirkwood, currently the Executive Director for Appeals, is now the Executive Director for Disability Compliance.

LeRoy Weeks, currently the Assistant Associate Commissioner for Office of Management, is now the Executive Advisor for the Flexible Support Division (FSD).

In Appeals, Lucinda Davis, currently Deputy Associate Commissioner for National Disability Determinations, is now the Head of Requests for Review. Claudia Postell, former Deputy Commissioner for Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, is now the Head of Civil Actions. …

2.8 % COLA

      The Social Security Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2026 is 2.8%.

Conflict Of Interest?

      From the Baltimore Sun:

Congressional Democrats are investigating whether Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano knew — and should have disclosed — that his company stood to benefit from a huge contract overseeing a debit card program serving millions of recipients of Social Security and other programs, The Baltimore Sun has learned.

The Senate Finance Committee’s Democratic staff, led by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, is exploring whether Bisignano knew during his confirmation procedures that the firm, Fiserv, had bid — or was planning to — on a pending 5-year Direct Express contract, which distributes government benefits to about 3.4 million Americans via prepaid cards, a committee spokesperson said.

Another Democrat, Connecticut Rep. John Larson, told The Sun that Bisignano’s “connection to Fiserv certainly raises questions about Treasury’s new contract. Especially as he moves to end paper checks for monthly benefits, which could push hundreds of thousands of Americans over to Direct Express, he has a responsibility to be transparent about any potential conflicts of interest.” …

The contract was awarded to Fifth Third, an Ohio-based bank, and began on Sept. 9, according to the company’s news release that day naming Money Network Financial, LLC as the program’s manager. Money Network Financial is a subsidiary of Fiserv, the company Bisignano headed as chairman and CEO until stepping down on May 6 to take over the federal agency. ….

Deputy Commissioner Nomination

      From a press release:

U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced the Committee will hold a nomination hearing on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET to consider Arjun Mody to be Deputy Commissioner of Social Security …

     Mody has been the Senate Republican Conference staff director.  He’s also been a lobbyist and served on the Trump transition team,

I Suppose This Means That Trump Would Rather End Medicaid, Medicare And Social Security Than Negotiate With Democrats

      From Newsweek:

President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that if the Democrats don't approve funding, there are dangers to the future of Social Security and Medicare. 

Trump said at a press conference that when he asked Democrats for feedback on the funding bills, one said, "It means death." 

"There's nothing about death," Trump said. "Theirs is death because they're going to lose Medicaid, they're going to lose Social Security, they're going to lose Medicare, all of those things are going to be gone becausethe whole country would be bankrupt, and you're not going to have any kind of medical insurance." …

     This is Donald Trump’s Administration in a nutshell — governing through threats and intimidation while denying any responsibility for the consequences.  Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are just “Democrat”programs that he and his party won’t mind destroying? This is lunacy.