Older Mainers deserve better customer service from the Social Security Administration

By Noël Bonam, AARP Maine state director

Most of us have experienced long hold times or dropped calls when trying to get through to a customer service agent. You may have even received incorrect information the first time you called and had to start the process all over again. Unfortunately, this is what many people who are trying to reach the Social Security Administration experience time and time again.

The guaranteed income provided by Social Security is more crucial than ever as inflation and the high cost of living remain a problem for older Americans. Hundreds of thousands of older Mainers, people with disabilities and their families rely on Social Security. They should also be able to rely on quality customer service to get their questions answered or get information on the status of their disability claim — whether online, in-person or over the phone. 

Last year, almost half of the 151 million calls to the Social Security Administration’s national 1-800 number and field offices went unanswered, including 16.4 million callers who gave up while waiting. So far this year, almost one-third of calls to its field offices across the country have not been answered. For those who have been able to get through, they are waiting an average of 34 minutes for someone to pick up on the other end — more than 10 times longer than a decade ago. Americans who file for disability assistance now wait more than 200 days on average for a decision, and if they are initially denied, they could wait another 460 days for a decision from a judge. More than 10,000 Americans die every year waiting for Social Security to resolve their disability claims. 

And no one wants a repeat of last year, with customers having to wait in long lines outside of Social Security Administration field offices in the heat of the summer and in some cases having to return multiple times to get their needs addressed.

Seniors, people with disabilities and AARP are fed up with the Social Security Administration’s poor service. There is no excuse for failing to provide people with the services they need and answers to questions about the Social Security they have earned and now need to cover basic living expenses and to pay bills. 

Around 1 in 4 Mainers receive Social Security benefits. These payments inject more than $5.7 billion into the state’s economy every year. Forty-four percent of residents 65 and older rely on the program for at least half of their income, and 18 percent rely on the program for at least 90 percent of their income. 

This issue is a priority for our members, one that many have already acted on. Over the past year, AARP members sent Congress more than 200,000 emails urging increased funding for the SSA to improve customer service. Now, AARP is asking Congress to provide at least $15 billion in critically needed funding for long-overdue improvements to their egregious customer service problems, so seniors and people with disabilities can get accurate information when they need it. It’s about time.   

AARP’s Social Security Resource Center has answers to commonly asked questions and our Social Security Calculator can help Mainers estimate how much they can expect to receive in Social Security income.