Advice for limiting the impact of high call volumes at SSA
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April 9, 2025

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Avisery Alert:

Tips for Contacting Social Security

Avisery would like to report on some recent changes within the Social Security Administration related to new identity proofing requirements, phone queues, and MySocialSecurity account creation. New identity proofing requirements have caused the MySocialSecurity accounts to become increasingly more valuable to Social Security beneficiaries, as recent changes have exacerbated phone queues and wait times for in-person appointments. 

 

SSA representatives report that most new call volume relates to questions surrounding these changes; benefit counselors can assist to curb the volume of calls by communicating the below information to Social Security beneficiaries.  

Background

 

The Social Security Administration recently announced new identity proofing requirements. Starting April 14th, all individuals applying for Social Security Retirement, Survivors, or Auxiliary benefits, as well as those wishing to change their direct deposit information, must apply either in-person at a local Social Security office or online through MySocialSecurity. Note that as of March 29, 2025, all beneficiaries who had created MySocialSecurity accounts prior to 9/12/2021 must now transition to Login.gov or ID.me at their next login.  

 

Individuals applying for SSDI, SSI, and Medicare will still have the option of applying over telephone if they are unable to apply online. Additionally, SSA is currently developing a process that will allow individuals with terminal cases and prisoner pre-release scenarios to also bypass in-person appointment requirements.

 

Updates from Social Security are posted regularly to their website; interested readers can subscribe to have new changes emailed to them here. 

Contacting SSA over the telephone 

SSA recently launched a new website that reports live data surrounding phone call processing and wait times. This data shows a strong uptick in phone calls since the start of the new year.  

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The site also reports live updates on the current hold time on the national hotline. This is a useful tool that beneficiaries can utilize in advance of making a phone call.  

 

Beneficiaries must call and schedule in-person appointments over the phone through the national hotline or a local field office. Beneficiaries should be made aware that SSA national hotline hold times currently average around 2-3 hours long, although they can be as low as ½ hour in the early morning. SSA staff reports that individuals who call in the afternoon are often unable to get through before the phone lines close for the day; morning phone calls are strongly encouraged.

 

Beneficiaries should also be aware that the local office phone lines may automatically disconnect callers when wait times exceed 15-20 minutes. Many callers have been led to believe that Social Security reps are actively hanging up the calls; please be aware this is a system-wide error with the phone lines that exist outside the phone representative's control.  

 

Confusion surrounding the newly-announced identity proofing requirements have exacerbated the high call volumes that SSA must field, as many of the calls currently coming in relate to these recent policy changes. To help curb call volume,  professionals can communicate these changes to beneficiaries and encourage them to create a MySocialSecurity account.  

Creating a MySocialSecurity account 

Beneficiaries can avoid contacting SSA via telephone by creating a MySocialSecurity account. Note that beneficiaries who had created MySocialSecurity accounts prior to 9/12/2021 must now transition to Login.gov or ID.me at their next login. Instructions to create a MySocialSecurity account are available here. A video tutorial for Login.gov is available here. 

 

 

 

If you have any questions or need help counseling older adults and adults with disabilities on Medicare, Medicaid, or other health benefits programs, please reach out to Avisery at avisery@ageoptions.org or 708-628-3440.  

 

Visit the Avisery Website

About Avisery

Avisery by AgeOptions provides tools and support to professionals serving older adults and people with disabilities, enabling them to help their clients access healthcare coverage that allows them to thrive as they age.

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