But the SSA now considers the entire taxpaying public its customers, too, and is reaching out to them in the form of earnings information and benefit estimates sent each year to workers age 25 and older. In truth, retirement is the least of SSA's concerns. Disability, however, is another beast, one that the GAO makes clear is hurting the agency. Although most payments go to retirees, a disproportionate amount of administration is spent on disability. Situations are harder to evaluate, medical conditions change and sometimes beneficiaries are dishonest.
Claims can spend many months backlogged, tied up in paperwork or under appeal.
The agency is working on software that will streamline the process of determining who qualifies for how much disability and making sure that every single check SSA writes is the right amount for the right person. Comparing its databases helps SSA find beneficiaries who can be taken off the rosters. Dyer says 18 to 20 new contacts are added each year to the 5,000 For Your Eyes Only Social Security learns from its mistakes Read More independent organizations already involved in the program. Private companies focus on selling, marketing, improving the customer interface and collecting the bills. You don't classically think of that as customer service, but we think of it as broader service to taxpayers.