The Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, visited an agency field office in Charleston, West Virginia, to observe what the agency described as improvements in customer service driven by new technology and process changes, according to a news release from the agency.
“We serve more than 300 million Americans with Social Security numbers, and when any one of them visits or calls an SSA office, they deserve world-class customer service,” Bisignano said in a statement on Thursday.
“The SSA customer service transformation is exactly what I saw today in West Virginia. Since my confirmation, I have visited field offices each week and the feedback I’ve received directly from employees has been instrumental to the progress Social Security has made to serve more people at faster speeds,” he added.
Newsweek has contacted the SSA for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The SSA framed the visit as evidence that operational changes implemented during Bisignano’s first 100 days produced measurable reductions in phone and field-office wait times, expanded online availability and cut the initial disability claims backlog.
Almost 72 million beneficiaries access benefits and services each month.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
The White House has lauded similar improvements and asserted broader policy gains, including a claim that most beneficiaries would no longer pay taxes on Social Security under recent legislation.
However, the exact wording of the law stipulates a $6,000 tax deduction for individuals aged 65 and older, likely raising the number of seniors who won’t pay taxes on Social Security to 88 percent. Currently, 64 percent of seniors already don’t pay taxes on Social Security benefits.
The SSA said on Thursday that field-office wait times fell about 30 percent, from 30 minutes last year to just over 20 minutes this year, with West Virginia averaging under 20…
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