Social Security Helpline Wait Times Reach Record Low Under Commissioner Bisignano The Social Security Administration (SSA) reported a significant reduction in wait times for its toll-free helpline, with Commissioner Frank Bisignano attributing the improvement to operational changes under his leadership. During a House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security hearing on June 10, 2026, Bisignano highlighted that the agency has achieved its lowest average "speed of answer" in a decade, reducing wait times from an all-time high of 42 minutes in fiscal year 2024 to under five minutes in May 2026. This marks an 89% decrease in average wait times and a 75% improvement from previous benchmarks. Bisignano emphasized that the agency now answers 90% of calls to its 800 number, a critical metric for the SSA, which serves over 300 million Americans. The agency’s performance has also led to more than 800 million customer interactions in 2026, a record for the organization. The improvements were achieved through a combination of technological upgrades, staff realignments, and the implementation of a new telecommunications platform, according to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The OIG report, released in December 2025 in response to an audit request from Senator Elizabeth Warren, confirmed that the SSA’s phone service performance improved by 65% compared to the previous fiscal year. The report noted that the agency served 68 million callers in fiscal year 2025, either directly or through automation. However, the report also highlighted concerns about the accuracy of metrics, particularly for callers who opted for callbacks.#social_security_administration #center_on_budget_and_policy_priorities #frank_bisignano #house_ways_and_means_subcommittee #department_of_government_efficiency
