The House of Representatives approved legislation last week to bolster customer service efforts at the Social Security Administration (SSA), advancing a broader funding package aimed at avoiding a government shutdown at the end of this month.
Lawmakers paired the funding increase with oversight requirements, instructing the SSA to avoid closing field offices or cut direct service, and to submit monthly reports on appointment wait times.
“AARP has been leading the charge to ensure that SSA has the resources it needs to provide good customer service to the tens of millions of older Americans who rely on it,” said Jenn Jones, vice president of financial security and livable communities at AARP. “We appreciate Congress working to provide additional funding and the direction to ensure those funds are used to hire front line staff, lower wait and appointment times, and help ensure field offices remain open.”
Provisions would give the agency an additional $50 million for customer service through the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which ends Sept. 30, AARP reported.
The Social Security provisions are part of a larger spending package to fund several federal agencies whose budgets expire Jan. 30.
Broader bill, modest increase
Overall, the SSA’s budget would rise to $14.84 billion, an increase of about 3.8% from its current level of $14.3 billion.
Only a small share, less than 1%, would go directly to customer service, Kathleen Romig of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) told AARP.
“That’s not really good news for an agency that, for a long time now, has been underfunded,” said Romig, who directs Social Security and disability policy at the nonprofit group.
CBPP estimates that inflation-adjusted spending on customer service fell 21.2% from 2010 to 2025 even as the number of beneficiaries climbed 26%.
The bill also includes $500 million to strengthen SSA efforts to reduce waste and fraud, largely for reviewing the continued eligibility of disability beneficiaries.
Staffing pressures highlighted
In an accompanying statement, lawmakers raised concerns about staffing cuts at field offices, processing centers and the SSA’s national customer service helpline.
The agency lost more than 6,000 employees in 2025, according to Office of Personnel Management data. About 1,000 field office workers were reassigned to help answer calls.
Agency data shows that average call wait times fell to 12 minutes in December 2025, down 23 minutes a year earlier — although that figure excludes callers who request callbacks. The SSA does not publish callback wait times, but its inspector general reported they exceeded 60 minutes as of September 2025.
A Strategic Organizing Center analysis found that SSA’s field office workforce shrank by about 9% nationwide last year.
While the legislation does not dictate how the added customer service funds must be spent, lawmakers said it “provides resources for SSA to increase the number of staff on the front lines.”
Concerns over access
The SSA operates more than 1,200 field offices that handle claims assistance, benefit questions and personal information updates.
Agency leaders have not announced closures, but have reportedly set a goal of cutting in-person visits roughly in half in fiscal year 2026 as part of a push for more online services, AARP said.
“Many people want and need to access help in person,” Romig said. “It’s especially important to seniors and people with disabilities who may not have the technological tools or the facility with online tools to access their service that way.”
Since January 2025, most in-person services require scheduled appointments.
As of August 2025, more than half of customers seeking retirement or survivor benefits waited more than four weeks for a phone or office appointment, according to SSA data shared with Congress.
“If all available appointment slots are full, people are sometimes told to call back when more appointments will be available,” said Stacy Cloyd, a staff attorney at Legal Aid DC.
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