**GAO-09-24**                      Published: Jan 09, 2009. Publicly Released: Feb 09, 2009.                  

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## Highlights

Millions of people rely on the services of Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices. In fiscal year 2008, SSA's approximately 1,300 field offices provided service to about 44 million customers. People visit field offices to apply for Social Security cards, apply for retirement and disability benefits, establish direct deposit, and a host of other services. Over the last several years, staffing reductions have challenged field offices' ability to manage work while continuing to deliver quality customer service. To better understand the challenges SSA faces in delivering quality customer service, GAO was asked to determine (1) the effect that staffing reductions are having on field office operations and (2) the challenges SSA faces in meeting service delivery needs in the future and the agency's plan for addressing them. In May 2008, GAO reported initial observations on the effects of reduced staff levels. To conduct this work, GAO interviewed SSA headquarters and field officials and analyzed various data on SSA's workloads and customer service.

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## Topics

Government Operations

Baby boomersClaims processingContinuity of operationsCustomer serviceDisability benefitsEligibility determinationsEmployee retentionEmployeesErroneous paymentsFederal social security programsPersonnel recruitingQuality assuranceQuality controlQuality improvementReductions in forceRetirement benefitsRetirement incomeRisk assessmentRisk managementService disruptionSocial security benefitsStandardsStrategic planningSupplemental security incomeTotal quality managementPolicies and procedures