Trying to obtain a reasonable level of customer service at the Social Security Administration over the last two years has been extremely difficult. The reasons for this are completely identifiable, but the solutions not so much.
Since March of 2020 Social Security’s doors have remained mostly closed to the public. Prior to March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced all sectors of society to figure out how to continue to operate while allowing employees to work from home, Social Security offices were extremely busy with customers looking for assistance. Since March 2020 customers have had to rely on online or phone service rather than face-to-face service and customer satisfaction dropped drastically.
Although Social Security offices remain closed, there is some hope that employees might return to the office in the near future after the government reached agreement with Social Security employee unions, but that will not solve all of Social Security’s customer service issues. Social Security is extremely understaffed and underfunded, which is a huge roadblock to providing better customer service.
In a recent online article posted here a former Social Security employee, who worked for the agency for more than 30 years, takes a look back at how customer service used to be at Social Security and what it looks like now. Below is portion of that article.
Complaints about poor service can be partly explained away by COVID-19. Dealing with the virus, and having so many agency employees working from home, has obviously put a huge strain on the agency’s ability to deliver services. Social Security offices around the country remain essentially closed, with only a skeletal, and mostly managerial, crew on duty. The SSA says it can only handle the most critical issues via an in-person appointment in a local Social Security office. Everyone else is encouraged to take care of their Social Security business either online at www.socialsecurity.gov or via phone by calling 800-772-1213.
