Social Security Wait Time Jumps To An Hour

"The Social Security Administration says phone wait times for callers with questions or who needed help were 15.9 minutes last year. SSA management says that it is down from 27.9 minutes the year before. They label this as "average time to answer." Those numbers aren't entirely true, according to a new Inspector General Report, that figure is much, much longer."

"According to NetGov/FCW, "The average speed of answer includes people who wait on hold to speak with an agent until they get to that person or, critically, opt to get a callback. The agency counts callers that immediately request a callback as having a wait time of zero, bringing down the average." The real number, according to the Inspector General report on people who wait on the phone for a representative, is 51 minutes."

The Social Security Administration reported an average time to answer of 15.9 minutes last year, down from 27.9 minutes. The Inspector General found that the reported average understates actual waits because callers who immediately request a callback are counted as having zero wait. The Inspector General measured callers who waited to reach a representative at 51 minutes, while those agreeing to callbacks averaged one hour and 51 minutes. Data were collected after pressure from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Significant staff reductions and office closures contributed to longer waits for over 75 million Social Security and SSI recipients.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.