The Social Security Administration is making some changes to improve customer service efficiency. For example, if you have applied for SSDI payments, it may have taken much longer than expected to receive a decision.
Social Security Disability Insurance payments are for American workers who cannot work because of a disability. Therefore, they need to have some earnings to make ends meet since they had to give up their jobs.
SOCIAL SECURITY’S TOP 3 PRIORITY AREAS
One of the things the Administration wants to enhance is the National 800 Number customer wait times. Reducing these wait times will give a better service to millions of Americans who need help.
Commissioner O’Malley has visited SSA’s offices to get feedback and suggestions to improve the Administration’s customer service from customers, employers, managers, advocates from claimants and beneficiaries as well as labor union partners.
Apart from reducing customer wait times, there is another important goal. Decreasing the average processing time for disability determinations. In this way, SSDI and SSI applicants may not have to wait so long till they know if they qualify or not for monthly benefit payments.
UNFAIR UNDERPAYMENTS AND OVERPAYMENTS
The third thing that the Social Security Administration wants to tackle is injustice. Sometimes, there are disability recipients who have to face unpleasant and unfair overpayments or underpayments.
Things seem to be improving. The latest statistics show that the National 800 Number average wait time has gone down to 24 minutes. It used to be 42 minutes, so there has been a considerable difference.
Callbacks are frequent, rather than holding. Reducing administrative burdens helps both disability applicants and employees. Investing more money in SSA’s workforce has also proved to be efficient.