Overview
- The SSA Office of Inspector General verified that the agency’s published national 800-number data for fiscal year 2025 were accurate and issued no recommendations.
- The report found 68 million callers were served in FY2025, up 65% year over year, with average waits falling from about 30 minutes in January to roughly seven minutes by September.
- Performance improvements were tied to a cloud-based telecom platform launched in August 2024, expanded self-service automation averaging nearly 2.9 million calls per month, and daily reassignment of about 1,000 field staff to phone duty starting in July.
- The audit clarified that accepted callbacks are counted as zero active hold time and that approximately 25 million calls ended without service, which are not included in the wait-time averages.
- Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said the findings validate the agency’s reports, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren argued the methodology masks longer real wait times and leaves many callers without help.