Long waits, waves of calls, web crashes: Social Security is breaking down [View all]

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.

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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

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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