In 2025 the Social Security Administration went through many disruptions. It lost 7,000 staff members, 26 field offices, changed focus to digital services, and was managed by three acting commissioners. Currently its confirmed commissioner, Frank Bisignano, also heads the IRS − a questionable decision in and of itself.
At the end of 2025, the Washington Post reported there were 6 million pending cases backlogged nationwide in processing centers, which handle back-end and administrative financial tasks. That number has been contested by the SSA, which says there are “only” 1.9 million pending field office claims.
Our firm, which has handled Social Security Disability and Social Security Income claims for 40 years, finds SSA unpredictable right now. Response rates vary according to field office. One might take three to six months to process an initial application, another four to eight months.
The latest at SSA is to “go national” instead of serving customers in the state and region in which they work.
Wendell Primus, visiting fellow at the Center on Health Policy at the Brookings Institution, says, “Even before all the changes, we needed more staff. We had backlogs. This is boneheaded and stupid.”
Training for handling a national caseload will be challenging, according to Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who notes, “Switching to a national caseload is a big departure from how SSA has done business.”
“Boneheaded and stupid” may seem harsh, but if changes implemented so far have not proven effective, why should this work? Americans struggle to get appointments at field offices. Older adults and those with disabilities who can’t access the Internet cannot complete simple tasks such as changing banking information. Although on-hold wait times decreased due to a call-back system, callers wait an hour or more for a return phone call. It is particularly challenging for the disabled.
So far, none of the changes have improved customer service for disabled Americans who struggle to pay rent and put food on the table while they wait for their SSD or SSI claim to be processed. American workers deserve better.
Jeffrey M. Freedman is managing attorney at Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC.