As 10,000 baby boomers retire every day, the average time a caller waits on the phone before connecting with a Social Security staffer has swollen in the past decade from less than 5 minutes to over half an hour. That wait is only expected to worsen given that the agency’s staff and budget have declined by more than 15% in the same period.
To help address these problems, the Social Security Administration (SSA) redesigned its website with improved self-service features that the agency hopes will allow more people to sidestep phone calls and office visits so representatives can concentrate on those who need in-person assistance the most.
We conducted a test drive of the new website to provide more insight into how it works and report on what’s better and what could use some tweaking.
Key Takeaways
- The redesigned Social Security Administration website rolled out on Dec. 6, 2022, and represents an extensive rework of the agency’s online presence.
- The site is designed to be user-friendly and direct visitors to the types of tasks they most need to complete.
- The organization is simple, with just two major information blocks covering preparing and applying for benefits and managing your account once it’s created.
- Clicking a link on the home page leads to specific information about a task and additional links to complete the task.
- Social Security hopes most people will find the information they need on the website, freeing representatives to focus phone and in-person…
