“Applying for Social Security is driving me insane,” said Junggonn Kim, a 67-year-old resident of Buena Park, who has been calling the Social Security Administration (SSA) every other day for over a month. Despite the SSA’s website offering interpreter services, simply reaching customer service has become nearly impossible.
Kim explained, “I’ve waited over an hour, only to hear automated responses. When I visited a local office, they wouldn’t let me in without an appointment.”
This reflects a nationwide crisis tied to federal staff reductions. Earlier this year, the Trump administration forced around 3,000 of the SSA’s 57,000 employees into early retirement. An additional 7,000 job cuts were announced, crippling SSA offices nationwide.
Jessica LaPointe, chair of the SSA union, stated, “The reckless downsizing has left local offices unable to handle even basic tasks. Some can’t even print benefit decision letters due to a lack of printer paper.”
Verification Rules Overwhelm Offices, Website Repeatedly Fails
In March, stricter identity verification rules required applicants to verify their identity in person if they couldn’t access their My Social Security online accounts. This change sent an additional 75,000 to 85,000 people to SSA offices each week, overwhelming already strained resources. The surge caused the SSA website to go down for two weeks and repeatedly fail to provide benefit information.
Internal operations suffered as a result. The General Services Administration announced plans to cancel 800 federal property leases in March, including 47 SSA field offices. Although officials claimed no closures were planned, SSA documents submitted to the White House listed “office consolidations” as a target for the following year, signaling even longer wait times ahead.
SSA has already merged its 10 regional headquarters into just four. As a result, complex cases and appeals are reportedly going unprocessed.
Disability Benefits Face Months-Long Delays
For applicants seeking disability benefits, delays of seven to eight months after submission have become common. The SSA’s automated system currently states that new disability applications face an average wait of 200 to 230 days.
According to USA Today, phone wait times increased from 60 minutes under the Biden administration to as long as 90 minutes after the Trump administration took office. Reporters calling the SSA hotline experienced wait times between 90 and 150 minutes, with some calls disconnecting before reaching a representative.
SSA sources blame these extended delays on “staff cuts and policy changes implemented without sufficient preparation.” The loss of experienced personnel has pushed the entire system toward collapse.
Kevin Kang, who assists seniors with Social Security applications, warned, “While these delays are being blamed on the initial impact of staff cuts, if this backlog continues for several more months, the damage could be far worse.”
BY BRIAN CHOI [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
