Overview
- The Washington Post, citing internal documents and interviews, reports up to 6 million pending cases and 12 million field‑office transactions delaying basic services for millions of beneficiaries.
- Roughly 7,000 employees—about 12 percent of the workforce—were shed earlier in 2025, with many remaining staff rapidly reassigned with minimal training as regional offices were eliminated and the website repeatedly crashed.
- New anti‑fraud rules restrict changes such as direct‑deposit updates to in‑person or online channels rather than by phone, creating barriers for seniors, disabled people and others without easy access to travel or computers.
- Service strains described in the report include peak average phone waits near two and a half hours, large shares of callers not being served, and disability appointments scheduled within 28 days dropping to 66 percent in December from nearly 90 percent earlier in the year.
- The Social Security Administration disputes the characterization, citing an inspector general finding of improved phone service, claiming a 1 million‑case reduction in processing center backlogs and one‑third fewer pending disability claims after approving overtime, and asserting only 1.9 million pending field‑office claims.