📋 Bill Would Boost Social Security Customer Service (AARP Article)

@fffred 

It is what it is - very little of this boost is for adding staff - a lot of it is going to fighting fraud pursuits.  IMO, the Administration thought that the administrative dealings could be handled better, faster and with more control by strongly encouraging seniors and those dealing with the SSA to work digitally / electronically rather than with phone calls or an unscheduled visit to a local office.  Nope, they would spend hours waiting on the phone line rather than trying to research anything or they “ask reddit”.

To my bewilderment - it seems, my fellow Social Security beneficiaries, still want a quick answer, without to much effort on their part, to even rather simple questions and even online (their account) activities. 

Government is still government - meaning that even their communications to their constituents is written like a inner office memo rather than a clear explanation of whatever is going on,  

The SSA is still working with an antiquated system of communication but it does seem to be getting a little better with notifications of when things are available on their accounts for review.  We have the choice now of eliminating a lot of paper stuff if one wants - and that’s an improvement,

But for this time in our existence when so much of everything is information bases, with the internet and various search methods on the SSA website - you would think that it would be “clear as mud”.  HA HA  

How can that be, how will that ever be, when there is

(1) so much misinformation already in people’s head

(2) something very simple for most people, has for others, depending on the details of their situation, many differ answers and of course, when people ask the question, they give none of the related details.

(3)  the system itself is still very unclear in explaining the function of the various off shoots of Medicare (Medicare, the program or Medicare, the plan choice), the different Social Security Programs of Retirement (including Spousal benefits), Survivors benefits, and Social Security Disability and then there is Supplemental Security Income.

I was naive enough to think that doing away with paper checks would not cause much of a problem but even there - questions arose, where is my check??!!  And they really did mean paper check.   

So for the time being, things will improve slowly.  Things will get done in the time frame needed - we will continue to fight waste, fraud and abuse - 

Sometimes I wonder how places like National Banks or Credit Unions handle the vastness of their customers in this digital age?  I don’t know, maybe it is still the same way - because we are use to quick fixes, quick answers but isn’t that what technology is for ?  Everything cannot be handled in lighting speed - 

Don’t get me wrong - there are some real doozies of individual problems out there - but most are not this way.  But for those that are, the CS rep has to do some research so patience is the word of the day here.  

The rest are humdrum with answers like these that are repeated over and over and over . . . 

Yes, we have received your Retirement application - it has been put into the system based on the month that you have chosen to get your benefits -

If there is any problems or questions, we will contact you.  Otherwise, we will NOT contact you again until a few weeks before your benefits begin when we will give you all your details on your benefit amount, the date that your benefit is scheduled to be paid.  

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That’s my take . . . . . we need better systems and communication types - written in the simplest terms - but it would also help to have beneficiaries or those that help them to understand the systems and routines a bit better - especially when one goes off the norm, so to speak.