Senator Carper Hears from Commissioner O’Malley on Social Security Administration Improvements

Today at the Senate Finance Committee hearing “The President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Social Security Administration Budget,” U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) heard from Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley about the President’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025. The requested funding would support the improvements to the agency’s critical customer service systems.

During the hearing, Senator Carper emphasized the need to improve customer service for Social Security beneficiaries:

“The average hold time for an individual wanting to speak to a staff member at the Social Security Administration is 38 minutes. The average American wait is about 220 days – that’s over 7 months – for an initial decision about their disability status. These numbers are more than disappointing. […] They’re just not acceptable. […] The Social Security Administration programs can’t succeed without first delivering gold standard service to all Americans. [But] I’m encouraged that the agency is prioritizing serving those with greatest needs and ensuring disability applicants with the most severe conditions are given an initial decision within 30 days or less.”

A video of Senator Carper’s questions at today’s hearing can be found here.