AARP “ deeply disturbed ” by declining Social Security Customer Service

The AARP rings the alarm when deteriorating social security services and calls on the agency to rethink the changes to come in the verification of identity that could lead to even more frustration for the elderly.

In a letter to the acting commissioner, Leland Dudek, Nancy A. Leamond – Executive vice -president and responsible for the advocacy and the commitment of AARP – said that non -profit organization “continues to receive thousands of calls and messages from older Americans who are concerned about their social security”.

Leamond said that the AARP is “deeply disturbed” by what they consider “a surprising and sudden drop in customer service”, partially pointing to a loaded price. This metric follows the percentage of calls which I obtained a pre -recorded disconnection message. In February, the occupied rate was 1.5%. In March, it soaring 28.4%.

“I do not remember a case where we have had as many of our members who call for social security problems,” Bill Sweeney, vice-president of government affairs of AARP, told Bi Bill.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as the senators Mark Kelly and Ron Wyden, also sent a letter to Dudek on Monday, which Bi obtained. The letter asked Dudek to process recently reported website accidents, beneficiary account errors and service delays.

“This alarming episode raises new questions about SSA operations and the effects of the Government Ministry of Effectiveness (DOGE) against the Agency, which you have helped to facilitate,” the senators wrote.

The letters come while the SSA faces endowment cuts, policy changes and office closings on the ground under the Trump administration. The agency announced in March that it planned to reduce its 57,000 employees by 57,000 employees – which would place the number of staff members at a historic hollow, despite the growing social security basin.

The Doge of the White House also aims to close more than 25 offices across the country. SSA Leadership said that in an internal memo, given by Business Insider, expects 75,000 to 85,000 additional visitors per week in the coming months.

The changes were a surprise for many within the SSA, which were spared from the first cycle of reduction of the federal workforce of President Donald Trump this year. The president previously declared that he “would not cut a penny” of the program.

Changes in the verification of social security identifiers could worsen customer service

SSA has announced that it would require some beneficiaries to confirm their identifiers in person if they should update their banking information or file new complaints. This policy should start in mid-April.

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It was originally to start at the end of March, but the SSA extended this deadline and introduced some adjustments. The AARP urged the agency to stop changes or develop a longer chronology with more space for communications. The new requirement is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce fraud to services, an extremely rare phenomenon, representing 0.84% ​​of the total inappropriate payments between the 2015 and 2022 exercises, according to the Office of the Inspector General of SSA. The White House told Bi in a statement last week that “the previous fraud strategy had failed and, therefore, the necessary changes to come”.

However, AARP leaders fear that policy changes affect the 73 million beneficiaries of Social Security. The SSA did not immediately respond to the request for comments from Business Insider, but Sweeney said that the SSA had recognized the reception of the letter.

“I think it is disrespectful if you have worked all your life in this country, and you are supposed to obtain this money that you have earned – and you have to jump through all these hoops and all these administrative formalities,” said Sweeney.

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