Social Security has announced a series of “significant” improvements for Americans as a digital transformation takes place at the agency.
news week has listed the key improvements you need to know about.
Why is it important
Few programs directly impact as many people as Social Security does. More than 70 million Americans rely on Social Security payments each month, representing nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population.
Nearly all American workers pay Social Security taxes, and about 55 million people receive retirement benefits through the program.
These are the changes being made to the Social Security Administration:
Improvements to the service could make life easier for Americans who use it. The technological transformation comes as the Trump administration made cuts to the Social Security Administration, the agency that administers and oversees the program.
What to know
- Americans will now be able to access their personal Social Security account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Previously the service had been down 29 hours a week.
- Call responses increased sixty-five percent in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024.
- Average response time to the National 800 Number has dropped by single digits
- 90 percent of calls can now be resolved through self-service or callback.
- Average wait times for visitors at field offices decreased nearly 30 percent from fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2025.
- Those who have an appointment wait an average of six minutes to be attended to
- There has been a significant decline in the pending inventory of disability claims, down one-third from an all-time high of 1.26 million pending claims in June 2024.
- More than 3.1 million payments, totaling $17 billion, were sent to beneficiaries under the Social Security Fairness Act. These payments were five months ahead of schedule.
These changes were shared in a press release after Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank K. Bisignano met with the Social Security Advisory Board.
The commissioner described the administration’s “investment in technology” in the statement, where he said: “Under President Trump, we are serving more Americans faster than ever. I look forward to the leadership of the new SSAB chair and a strong working relationship with the Board.”
What people say
Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in a press release: “Under President Trump, we are serving more Americans faster than ever. I look forward to the leadership of the new SSAB Chair and a strong working relationship with the Board.”
Amy Shuart, SSAB President said in a press release: “I look forward to continued updates as the agency builds on this momentum and strives to better serve the public.”
What happens next?
It remains to be seen whether changes will continue at the agency, as we move towards greater digitalisation.