A Diminished Social Security Work Force, and Its Customers, Feel the Strain

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/business/social-security-customer-service.html

https://archive.ph/dh0gj

A Diminished Social Security Work Force, and Its Customers, Feel the Strain
After this year’s staffing cuts, some people wait for hours, others sail through. But overburdened field office workers carry the weight.
By Tara Siegel Bernard
Sept. 24, 2025

When Rebekah Walker noticed she was short on her July rent, it quickly became clear that her monthly disability payment never arrived from Social Security, as it had for the past 16 years.

The agency claimed in an online message that she had been overpaid by $48,609.60 — and she needed to pay it back.

Until she could prove otherwise, she was cut off.

Ms. Walker, who has complex heart abnormalities and one functioning lung, headed to her local Social Security office for answers, waiting about 30 minutes before they turned her away. The earliest appointment slot wasn’t for two weeks.

“At this point, I’m crying and I’m shaking,” said Ms. Walker, 41, who is divorced. “My rent is due that week.”

Her disability checks provide crucial support, covering the $1,500 she pays each month for the home in Memphis she shares with her three teenage children. She is able to hold a part-time job at a law office, but it’s not nearly enough to make ends meet.

Nearly three months later, Ms. Walker has received a couple of letters, but is still unclear on where her case stands.

...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Look at the peasants! Look at them!"