My Social Security Benefit application is stuck in the system

[RForee]

The SSA website says applications such as mine should be processed in 30 days, but it has been closer to 60 days and mine should be one of the easier ones to process. The messaging on the SSA website has not changed (it still says 30 days) and I had wanted my benefit payments to begin last month. Calling the national office and the regional offices are exercises in futility; with each call I've made, I've been on hold for an hour in January and over an hour in February but still never talked to anyone!

I understand there are staff cuts underway and even regional office cuts (my application is--or was--being processed in Richmond, California). Do you know what a more realistic processing time is these days? Are they processing ANY applications currently? Is the Administration listening to AARP's lobbyists--or anyone? It feels like the Administration does not care about its senior citizens, despite what is being said by our president.

Thank you for any helpful information you can provide.

[RForee · Accepted solution]

UPDATE: I was able to get my application approved by contacting my Congresswoman's office. They responded immediately. Problem solved!

[SpringIsHereVA]

[Sunday 3/9/25] CONGRATS @RForee !!! Take care, Nicole  👵

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[*** @RForee wrote:

UPDATE: I was able to get my application approved by contacting my Congresswoman's office. They responded immediately. Problem solved! ***]

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[GailL1]

@RForee 

Several questions come to mind that may have a bearing specifically on eligibility and when.

• Age to which you are retiring - 
• your earnings statement looks correct 
• when you submitted your application - online?
• what benefit are you making application
• what month did your want your benefits to begin
• are you still working and the amount you make 

SSA staff process retirement benefits based on the age of the beneficiary and when they want their benefits to begin.  Those at or over Full Retirement age are the easiest and fastest but even there the shear number of these baby boomers makes the process sometimes longer.  

They usually don’t even respond to you directly either in letter form or on your online account until the month that you requested benefits to begin.

If they don’t get it approved and your benefits can be approved for the month you requested, you will get the benefits back to that date.

SSA says you can apply for benefits up to 4-months before the date you want them too start.  But that’s just to get them put in the eligibility sequence order.  

The SSA staffers have to check for

• eligibility and sign up for Medicare Part A
• deemed benefits - all the benefits to which the claimant may be eligible under the category - like Retirement benefits also includes a determination of spousal benefits.
• any restrictions of deemed filing whether stated or eligible
• eligibility for the benefits which one is applying - age, working status, when, etc.

[SpringIsHereVA]

[Friday 3/7/25] @RForee , hopefully by now you have been APPROVED. Someone had posted on THIS SITE that they were APPROVED after "visiting" their LOCAL office to CHECK on their "online" application. Take care, Nicole  👵

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[*** @RForee wrote:

The SSA website says applications such as mine should be processed in 30 days, but it has been closer to 60 days and mine should be one of the easier ones to process. The messaging on the SSA website has not changed (it still says 30 days) and I had wanted my benefit payments to begin last month. Calling the national office and the regional offices are exercises in futility; with each call I've made, I've been on hold for an hour in January and over an hour in February but still never talked to anyone!

I understand there are staff cuts underway and even regional office cuts (my application is--or was--being processed in Richmond, California). Do you know what a more realistic processing time is these days? Are they processing ANY applications currently? Is the Administration listening to AARP's lobbyists--or anyone? It feels like the Administration does not care about its senior citizens, despite what is being said by our president.

Thank you for any helpful information you can provide. ***]

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[d546077v]

My wife applied in oct 24 it still shows started reviewing oct 16 2024 at the Jamaica New York Office.

That is there District Office.  My wife turned 62 Jan 8 2024 we were thinking that she would start getting SS in Feb we were off by 1 month we went to our local SS office in Dec and they told it was at the district office and gave us the phone number.

Jump forward still showing the same so on Feb 13 we got lucky and called the Jamaica office and  talked to a rep and was told she was schedule for payment March 12th as of this morning no deposit no letter nothing. Sad you work all your life to have to put up with all this garbage that's going on.

Ps my SS did hit my bank today so its not a bank issue.

[GailL1]

@d546077v 

If your wife turned 62 on January 8, 2025, the soonest they would have even looked at her benefit would have been Feb. 8 2025 because you have to be 62 for an entire month before you are eligible for benefits.  

Since Social Security Benefits are paid one month in arrears - the soonest she would have gotten a benefit would be March and that would be her Feb. benefit.

Since she was born on the 8th then her benefit date paid would be the 2nd Wed. of the month.  or March 12.  Here is the calendar:

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10031-2025.pdf 

However, they may not have gotten it processed in time and if that is the case and she put down Feb. as her beginning date, she will receive benefits back to that date.  It could be that SSA just missed the cut off deadline to the bank and it will show up in a few days - watch for it to say “pending”.

Banks also have some leeway in when they fund the deposits - sometimes they go in early and if that is the case then your wife’s benefit may not be in this early batch but perhaps later.

What does your wife’s Social Security account say?  sometimes the benefit letter shows up there 1st.