Baltimore, MD — Today, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its highly anticipated audit of SSA’s telephone service metrics and the significant improvement in customer service performance during Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
The report definitively concludes that, “SSA’s publicly reported national 800-number telephone metrics were accurate and its overall telephone service performance improved in FY 2025.” Furthermore, the report acknowledges that the profound customer service improvements were the result of technology enhancements and strategic staffing decisions.
“The results of the audit come as no surprise to anyone following the historic progress we are making at the agency under President Trump’s leadership,” said Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. “We are serving more Americans at significantly faster speeds than ever before. While partisan politicians are attempting to undermine trust of SSA, we are determined to continue improving customer service online, on the phone, and in person at field offices.”
During a July meeting with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Commissioner Bisignano briefed the Senator on the significant customer service improvements being made at the agency. When Senator Warren expressed disbelief about the data provided by the Commissioner and career SSA staff, unwilling to recognize the notable progress happening at the agency, Commissioner Bisignano and the Senator agreed to an independent review of the agency’s performance data on the National 800 Number. The OIG audit determined that not only are SSA’s published performance metrics accurate, but the agency clearly improved its telephone service in FY 2025, reducing the average wait time from 30 minutes in January 2025 to 7 minutes in September 2025, while serving 65 percent more callers than in the previous year. It also concluded that the agency’s use of technology, self-service options, and process engineering were integral contributing factors.
Read the full OIG Audit here.
Commissioner Bisignano continues to transform SSA into a model of excellence—an organization that operates at peak efficiency, delivers world-class service to every American, and protects and strengthens Social Security for future generations:
- The average speed of answer for the National 800 Number has been in the single digits the last five months.
- Sixty-five percent more calls were answered in FY 2025 compared to FY 2024.
- The average wait time for visitors at field offices decreased by nearly 30 percent from FY 2024 to FY 2025, and those with an appointment wait on average just six minutes to be helped.
- The backlog of pending initial disability claims has decreased by 33% from the all-time high of 1.26 million pending claims in June 2024.
- Americans now have 24/7 access to their personal my Social Security account, when previously the website was down 29 hours a week.
More information about how SSA is better serving Americans at their preferred service channel is available at www.ssa.gov/ssa-performance.
For more information about Social Security’s services, visit www.ssa.gov.
For more Social Security news, follow the agency on X @SocialSecurity.
Reprinted with permission from www.ssa.gov.
A) the appeal process still takes three years.
B) the unions who protect lazy and incompetent employees has to go.
C) my son works at ssa, I have inside information.
So the national customer service improved. Now, maybe they can work on the local offices. Every time I manage to get a human to speak to, they act like my SS benefit comes from THEIR MONEY! I have spoken to 1 out of about 4 or 5 local office workers that are helpful and want to do the job. The others are condescending, rude, and act like you are a problem and not the reason they have a job to begin with.