If this wasn’t pure politics the first sentence would not be relevant.
The text of a e-mail sent to seniors October 31, 2026.
Under President Donald J. Trump, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is transforming into a model of excellence, one that meets and exceeds customer expectations for fast, accurate, and secure service. In 2026, SSA gave Americans back 200 million hours of time they previously would have spent waiting for service, equivalent to putting 100,000 work years back into the economy.
SSA is the nation’s largest and most trusted government service provider, safeguarding information and delivering service to more than 330 million Americans with active Social Security numbers. Over the past year, we have accelerated our digital-first strategy, streamlined our operations, and focused our resources to improve your experience whether you choose to interact with us online, by phone, by video, or in person.
Fiscal year (FY) 2026 produced the best performance in the agency’s 91-year history. We reduced average wait times on our National 800 Number to under six minutes, an 80 percent improvement compared to FY 2024. We cut average field office wait times by more than 30 percent while serving nearly 30 million visitors in our over 1,200 field offices. Americans completed more than 571 million online transactions during the year, and more than 105 million people now have a personal my Social Security account. We also reduced disability processing times and backlogs, helping the most vulnerable receive decisions more quickly.
View 2026 Service Improvements and Results
SSA will continue expanding digital access for customers and improving service across every channel. This administration is focused on delivering a great experience for every American.
Thank you for placing your trust in the Social Security Administration.
Frank J. Bisignano
Commissioner
Social Security Administration
Now under President Donald Trump (the second time around), tell us why the President has not promoted an initiative to fix the financial status of both SS and Medicare trusts. Why hasn’t this been a priority as time runs out? Why has the President merely promised to protect Social Security with no specific action, but has falsely claimed economic growth will fix the funding shortfall?
Criticisms and Ongoing Complaints
The main employee union (AFGE Council 220) and some Democratic lawmakers dispute the rosy picture. They point to:
Significant staffing losses (thousands of employees, including front-line roles) under workforce reduction efforts, leading to low morale, “ghost offices” with very limited capacity, and workers pulled from claims processing/local service to answer the 800 number.
Claims that benefits and workloads are not being handled timely, and that public metrics may not fully capture the real experience (e.g., resolution quality, callbacks, or cases that require multiple contacts).
Persistent issues flagged by the SSA Inspector General, such as mishandling of a large share of sampled overpayment explanation requests (some pending for 900+ days).
AARP and advocates have previously noted public unhappiness with service (long holds or appointment waits in earlier periods).
Trustpilot reviews of SSA remain predominantly negative, citing phone/automated system problems, delays, and inconsistent help.
Recent X posts include both promotional repeats of SSA’s good numbers and individual complaints (particularly about disability hearing waits stretching to 2–2.5 years in some reports from people in the field).
