EXCLUSIVE: The top Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee has written to the Social Security Administration to demand an explanation for the spike in phone call wait times following the removal of an online tracking tool from its website.
New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan has expressed ‘serious concerns regarding changes to the performance metrics that the SSA shares through its public dashboard.’ The removal of historical data and other critical information may be contributing to the increased wait times for seniors and other beneficiaries.
Earlier this month, DOGE won a major victory in its efficiency quest, as the Supreme Court issued an unsigned order lifting a Maryland federal court injunction on its efforts to access SSA systems. However, the agency has claimed that similar information cited in the Washington Post report is ‘false.’
The SSA claims that the majority of callers use self-service options, with only 75% opting for callback-assist features. SSA spokesperson Stephen McGraw stated that average wait times have improved and are forecasted to continue doing so for the rest of the year.
Commissioner Frank Bisignano has endorsed the DOGE idea of upgrading tech systems, stating that the agency should be ‘a digital-first, technology-led organization that puts the public as our focal point.’ He also acknowledged SSA’s last-place ranking among government agencies in employee satisfaction before taking office, and wants to improve that aspect.
Hassan also highlighted the impact of DOGE’s work, which eliminated 7,000 jobs at SSA—about 4,000 of which were voluntary. The agency has faced service disruptions, error messages, and unprecedented failures in tools to schedule and manage appointments at field offices throughout the country.
In her letter, Hassan outlined several questions for Bisignano, including a real-time report by 5PM ET on the current callback times, wait times, and other relevant metrics for Thursday.