"ROUGHLY 70 million Americans are at risk of delays to their Social Security benefits as the financial safety net program revamps its operations. The three changes impacting Social Security field offices in 2026 mean beneficiaries may see a slew of disruptions to their monthly payments as well as customer service levels. The federal agency saw a major shake-up last year, when 7,000 or more SSA employees were laid off as the Trump administration works to streamline services."
"Due to other changes at the agency-level regarding remote work, the percentage of Social Security work hours spent remotely dropped from about 50% in the first half of 2024 to 39% in the second half, and then, following Trump's telework crackdown at the SSA in March 2025, down to just 13% by April 2025. Officials told the GAO that the ability to work remotely was a key recruitment and retention tool,"
Approximately 70 million Americans may face delays to Social Security benefits as field office operations are revamped in 2026. Three operational changes are expected to disrupt monthly payments and customer service levels for beneficiaries. The Social Security Administration cut about 7,000 employees in 2025, which contributed to slower services, increased backlogs, and concerns about payment continuity. Remote work for SSA employees fell sharply from roughly 50% of work hours in early 2024 to 13% by April 2025 after policy changes, and reduced telework has weakened recruitment, retention, and morale.
Read at The US Sun
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]