“The lack of transparency is not serving the agency well, particularly as agency leadership claims that SSA is “working better and faster than ever” seem readily undercut by press reports on customer service and processing strains at the agency. For example, phone wait times are much longer than publicly advertised; lengthy waits for appointments particularly harm widows and children who have lost parents; local offices often struggle to operate with shrinking staffs; and record-high processing backlogs create longer waits for needed help.”
| Overall SSA Staffing Losses | Loss of Select Customer Service Positions1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| PENNSYLVANIA | -587 | -16% | -357 | -14% |