Long waits, waves of calls, web crashes: Social Security is breaking down

[progree]

Source: Washington Post (no PW on this msn-hosted article)

2h The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts because the servers were overloaded. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones at the front desk as receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. But the agency no longer has a system to monitor customers' experience with these services, because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.

And the phones keep ringing. And ringing.

--snip--

Financial services executive Frank Bisignano is scheduled to face lawmakers Tuesday during a Senate confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's pick to become the permanent commissioner. For now, the agency is run by a caretaker leader in his sixth week on the job who has raced to push out more than 12 percent of the staff of 57,000. He has conceded that the agency's phone service "sucks" and acknowledged that Musk's U.S. DOGE Service is really in charge, pushing a single-minded mission to find benefits fraud despite vast evidence that the problem is overstated.

--snip--

The employees, with no new training yet on the impending changes, have few answers. "I hope we're going to be here," the employee tells caller after caller. "But I can't guarantee anything."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/long-waits-waves-of-calls-web-crashes-social-security-is-breaking-down/ar-AA1BBnUP

---

Scammers are already taking advantage of the chaotic moment, according to internal emails obtained by The Post. . . .

Meanwhile, a DOGE-imposed spending freeze has left many field offices without paper, pens and the phone headsets staff need to do their jobs communicating with callers . . .

. . . in one office mandated return-to-office edict has left 1,200 staffers competing for about 300 parking spots each day . . . staff wake up as early as 4:30 AM to snag a parking spot . . .

The article also covers all the recent policy changes requiring in-person visits . . .

It's a long article. Utter chaos.

I just found this posting in the Economy Group
Social Security Chief Says White House Ordered 'Rapid' Phone Service Cutbacks, HuffPost, 3/25/25
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1116100025

[kerouac2]

1. Where is the outrage. Where is the concern from mericans

Sheeple. We are a nation of ignorant sheeple when it matters most

[Bengus81]

2. I saw tens of thousands of them at Bernie rallies,I see them at town halls

No...where the FUCK is Congress? Start calling those Republicans night and day and tie up their phones.

[kerouac2]

10. Those are Americans at Bernie rallies, not Mericans.

The bubble Mericans live in and media they follow allows them to ignore their lying eyes and stifle their outrage even as it affects them, their family and their community.

Dude I went to school with decades ago, in a federal govt job that could be axed, posts stuff from 'law enforcement today' constantly. It's a fake news site for rw nut jobs. He's a Merican.

[erronis]

18. We call them "merkins" - sometimes better known as "pubic wigs"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin

Also see President Merkin Muffley - Dr. Strangelove.

[Magoo48]

11. Love the Bernie tour and the tens of thousand's attending. Unfortunately, we need millions.

Congress is showing us who they are. They won’t save us. It’s massive grassroots actions or …

[Hornedfrog2000]

6. Its hard to complain

When the media ignores the truth.

[barbtries]

16. well here I am.

I have protested 4 times since inauguration. I have made countless calls to my lawmakers. I have advocated daily for a general strike.
https://generalstrikeus.com/

I have been moved to tears seeing the crowds at Bernie's and AOC's rallies. I have seen town halls overflowing with angry loving people.

your comment is hurtful and dismissive of MILLIONS of us who have been paying attention and working for change.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

32. Thank you! Some of my family & friends have

been doing similar work, but maybe not as much as you. However if everyone who wants to save this country would be doing neatly as much, we could be having a major impact.

The only way to find out is a massive engagement by all hoping to save us from the fascists.

5calls.org
Resist.bot
50501
Indivisible
Etc.

[Buddyzbuddy]

3. So, their plan is working?

[progree]

4. The last 2 paragraphs of the article alludes to that

The service issues keep bubbling up to members of Congress. Hundreds of Maryland residents turned out for a town hall meeting last week hosted by Baltimore County Council member Pat Young about a mile from Social Security headquarters.

Asked by one retiree in the audience to provide “a little bit of hope” that his Social Security benefits would not be cut, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland) conceded, “The truth of the matter is that we don’t know what they intend.”

(emphasis added)

[Lonestarblue]

5. Yes. Break government so you can spend twice as much money outsourcing function to private equity.

[pfitz59]

7. This is the game plan

From a 1% administrative overhead to 25% or more. Plus transferring the fund from T-Bills to the stock market. And when it's privatized Executive pay is not constrained by federal limits.

[twodogsbarking]

8. They didn't overpay me a million dollars. Honest.

[doc03]

9. It is all those people that are receiving fraudulent benefits that are gumming up

the works. Remember if you don't get your money don't say anything it will come eventually.

[Bengus81]

22. Yeah dammit...Eloon is cutting of my grandfather who would be 127 in 2025

I'm not sure where the payments went when he died in 1977, my dad never mentioned receiving them. Hmmmm

[Auggie]

12. I didn't have any issues a few weeks ago

I guess I got my updates done before shit hit the fan.

[mcar]

13. "See, Social Security is dysfunctional. We have no choice but to privatize it."

they'll say. And many of the rubes will buy it.

[Bengus81]

23. Basically what Bush Jr and his criminals in Congress were saying. Looks like Enron would have got it

So...SS would have been gone long,long ago.

[Abstractartist]

14. If SS falls

If S.S. Falls, so do the ones who called for its fall. As of 1/25, 73 million are on some aspect of social security, do you really think you want to piss of just 1 % of that number….

[DENVERPOPS]

24. It is past time

for a FAFO moment.........

Maybe a peaceful Bernie type crowd at every SS office across the country? Maybe at every Republican Senator and House members home office????????????????

Of course ANY demonstration or protest is going to give the RepubliCONS the chance to enact the Insurrection Act to mobilize the U.S. Military and establish Martial Law across the U.S. Where has that been seen before?????

They see people complaining, and congratulate themselves on their actions working. And egg Trump/Musk/Putin on to do even more......
They know they have the full power of the Military, the House/Senate, and best of all the US Supreme Court to back them up.....

[Bengus81]

25. I'm one of the 73M and I'm royally pissed off NOW. So are Republicans at town halls

no matter how FOX and other flaming RW shit shows try to blow it all off as Dems playing Republicans.

[dalton99a]

15. Kick

[ChazInAz]

17. My own experience.

In this year, alone, my automatic Social Security deposit date has changed three times. At no time with any notice, wreaking havoc on my budget. At the moment, it looks like I'll get nothing this month, the date actually being shifted to the first Wednesday of April.
Bills are overdue, I'm already getting shutoff notices, and there's a nine-hour wait if I try to phone SS to find out what's happening.
I am displeased.

[calimary]

21. And what's most painfully ironic about all this is - Social Security was suppose to help us through old age.

These REPUBLICAN bastards have deliberately, AND willfully, FUCKED with that, too.

I guess that’s what you do when you’re a Republican. You fuck people up, over, under, around, and through.

[IronLionZion]

19. This is deliberate. The GOP solution will be tax cuts, privatize it, and cut more funding and fire more workers.

Remember Lutnick says if you call, then you're fraud. If you're missing a payment, too bad. Only frauds will call about it.

[calimary]

26. Just boil it down to: "Only for the Rich".

And all the rest of you can just go beat off. As my mom might have said, “just the hoi-polloi.”

[kimbutgar]

20. I applied for social security on January 15

They said I would hear back in 30 days. Checked several times since then no change. I also need Medicare because my husband is retiring and I get my healthcare from his company now I’ll have no medical when he retires. I hope I can stay healthy!

[Bengus81]

28. You should be auto-enrolled on your 65 birthday with Medicare and ACA dropped if your on that

I know I was several years ago. I had to call to start SS but Medicare was an auto enroll. If I remember I got mail from them stating my starting date.

[underpants]

27. That's supposed to be where the US Digital service helps out

But DOGE took the place of the US Digital Service.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

29. Government doesn't work. Elect us and we'll prove it - The GOP

[RazorbackExpat]

34. It's been that way since Ronald Fuckin Reagan

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

30. This chaos and dysfunction at SS is Trump's goal. Project 2025 planned this chaos.

THIS is EXACTLY what Project 2025 stated.

The BILLIONAIRES in control now actually planned in detail in advance how to SCREW millions and millions of Americans out of their paid-in SS monies .

When you are sick, and maybe unwell, you can’t make it a SS offices, because of the new Trump demanded requirement for a in-person visit at Social Security Administration offices..

Yet….
SS Offices that are being closed nationwide by Trump !
SS Offices that have their staff slashed up to 50% by Trump
SS Offices that can’t even buy office supplies b/c
Trump-DOGE slashed or froze any purchases by SS.

[Elessar Zappa]

31. Gee, what a surprise!

You fire people and cut funding, you can’t expect good service. Fuck Trump/Musk!

[New Breed Leader]

33. If Bisignano gets confirmed for SSA commissioner, we are fucked

there's no two ways about it.

[elocs]

35. I got onto my personal SSA website twice yesterday, it says my next check will be deposited

on April 3rd. My March check was deposited on Thursday, February 27th even though March 3rd was on a Monday so go figure. But this worrying every month if my check will arrive sucks.
I read the constant threads here at DU about how somebody didn't get their checks on time, but if and when that happens as a result of what DOGE has done there should be hundreds and hundreds of people here posting that they didn't get their SS checks.
But my faith and trust in Social Security has already been broken and that probably much of the point--to leave people in doubt even when their check does arrive.