EXCLUSIVE: OIG report shows major turnaround in Social Security Administration's phone service under Trump
EXCLUSIVE: The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) internal watchdog has confirmed that the agency’s publicly reported phone service data was accurate and that performance improved during fiscal year 2025, according to...
By Fox News · Fox News
EXCLUSIVE: The Social Security Administration ’s (SSA) internal watchdog has confirmed that the agency’s publicly reported phone service data was accurate and that performance improved during fiscal year 2025, according to a new audit completed after Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass., questioned whether the figures could be trusted. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reviewed the SSA’s national 800-number telephone metrics and found that the data the agency released to the public was correct, and that overall service improved during fiscal year 2025, according to a draft audit report provided to agency leadership ahead of public release. The report did not issue any recommendations to the agency. The review was initiated after Warren expressed concerns in June about long wait times and the reliability of SSA’s phone performance data. She formally requested an audit on July 24, prompting SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano , who serves under President Donald Trump , to agree to an independent review by the watchdog. The audit found that SSA served 68 million callers during fiscal year 2025, either through live agents or automated systems, a 65% increase from the prior year. Average wait times fluctuated early in the year but improved steadily, according to the audit, ending the fiscal year at roughly seven minutes in September after peaking at about 30 minutes in January. TRUMP SAYS ELIZABETH WARREN HAS 'GOT TO TAKE A DRUG TEST' The metric cited by the agency, known as Average Speed of Answer, measures only the time callers actively wait on hold before speaking to an employee and does not include time spent waiting for callbacks. "Last year, people waited 40 minutes on the phone, and now they’re in single digits. We’re doing twice as many calls," Bisignano said. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Bisignano said the audit confirmed what agency leadership had been reporting publicly about improvements in service levels . "Senator Warren was complete…