Older Kansans deserve better customer service from the Social Security Administration
Most of us have experienced long hold times or dropped calls when trying to get through to a customer service agent. You may have even received incorrect information the first time you called and had to start the process all over again.
Unfortunately, this is what many people who are trying to reach the Social Security Administration experience.
The guaranteed income provided by Social Security is more crucial than ever as inflation and the high cost of living remain a problem for many older Americans. Hundreds of thousands of older Kansans, people with disabilities and their families rely on Social Security.
And they should also be able to rely on quality customer service to get their questions answered or get information on the status of their disability claim — whether online, in-person or over the phone.
Last year, almost half of the 151 million calls to the SSA’s national 1-800-number and field offices went unanswered, including 16.4 million callers who gave up while waiting. So far this year, almost one-third of calls to SSA's local field offices across the country have not been answered.
For those who have been able to get through, they are waiting an average of 34 minutes for someone to pick up on the other end — more than 10 times longer than a decade ago. Americans who file for disability assistance now wait over 200 days on average for an initial decision, and if they are initially denied, they could wait another 460 days for a decision from a judge.
More than 10,000 Americans die every year waiting for Social Security to resolve their disability claims.
And no one wants a repeat of last year, with customers having to wait in long lines outside of SSA field offices in the heat of the summer and in some cases having to return multiple times to get their needs addressed.
Seniors, people with disabilities, and AARP are fed up with the SSA’s poor service. There is no excuse for failing to provide people with the services they need and answers to questions about the Social Security they’ve earned and now need to cover basic living expenses and to pay bills.
Around one in five Kansas residents — more than 580,000 people — receive Social Security. These payments inject more than $10 billion into the state’s economy every year. Forty-one percent of residents 65 and older rely on the program for at least half of their income, and 17% rely on the program for at least 90% of their income.
Over the past year, AARP members have sent Congress more than 200,000 emails urging increased funding for the SSA to improve customer service. Now, AARP is asking Congress to provide at least $15 billion in funding for long-overdue improvements to fix their customer service problems, so seniors and people with disabilities can get accurate information when they need it.
It’s about time.
AARP's Social Security Resource Center has answers to commonly asked questions and our Social Security Calculator can help Kansans estimate how much they can expect to receive in Social Security income.
Glenda DuBoise is the Kansas state director for AARP.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Social Security Administration is coming up short for Kansans in need
