As readers of NORA will know, delays from the Social Security Administration (SSA) have been an issue for years.
Managing the needs of a program this large is understandably difficult. The wait times seniors and others have faced in recent years have been well documented.
Now some worry that a new string of delays and difficulties is on the way. This could be due to the implementation of a recent Social Security policy, which we have covered in detail previously.
Could SSA Delays Result from the Social Security Fairness Act?
The Social Security Fairness Act was a landmark victory for fairness in retirement. This legislation repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.
In doing so, this policy effectively made retirement much fairer for public sector retirees. Those who had previously had part of their Social Security taken due to receiving a pension were happy to know they’d be getting back what they had paid in, and this includes retroactive payments.
The SSA has been directed to focus on these cases and get all 900,000 of the more complex ones handled manually. Though they’re aiming for July 1 as a completion date, many worry about whether this new change will impact support for other needs.
The SSA helps people apply for retirement benefits, disability, Medicaid, and more. They’re also contacted by those who need to change their personal contact information, billing data, and other information. While the Fairness Act is very much deserved and a priority, there is serious concern about SSA support in the meantime.
This is on top of the recently documented difficulties the agency has had. Problems include incorrect information on websites, website downtime, and multi-day wait times on the phone.
What are your thoughts on this? Will more SSA delays be on the way?
If you support protecting Social Security benefits for all retirees, sign our petition. The 2026 COLA is only a few months away, and we’re urging Congress to raise benefits and compensate all retirees for years skipped.
