In efforts to manage call volumes and distribute workloads, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been rolling out two national assistance initiatives. The first involves re-routing calls through the National Workload Management (NWLM/WLM) platform. The second is the national appointment scheduling calendar (NASC/ASC). Between January 2025 and April 2026, SSA lost more than 8,000 employees (a reduction of over 14%), which was the largest staffing reduction in history. With fewer employees to answer phone calls and staff offices, SSA is initiating national services to distribute calls and appointments.
Here’s what beneficiaries need to know:
- Beware that SSA may call you from an area code you might not recognize, which scammers can take advantage of.
- Calls to your local field office may be re-routed to another county or state.
- Always keep a log of the date/time/person spoken to and what was said. This is important because remedies are only available if you have proof that an SSA employee provided misinformation.
- SSA encourages individuals to conduct as much business as possible online through my Social Security accounts.
- SSA states that individuals with disabilities and/or in need of accommodations can still request this through their local field office, by calling the national customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, or by emailing at Section.504.public.inquiry@ssa.gov.
June 25, 2026 – C. Huberty