The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released its highly anticipated audit of SSA’s telephone service metrics and confirmed that telephone service really did improve in 2025.
During a July meeting with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Commissioner Bisignano briefed the Senator on the significant customer service improvements being made at the agency. When Senator Warren expressed disbelief about the data provided by the Commissioner and career SSA staff, unwilling to recognize the notable progress happening at the agency, Commissioner Bisignano and the Senator agreed to an independent review of the agency’s performance data on the National 800 Number. The OIG audit determined that not only are SSA’s published performance metrics accurate, but the agency clearly improved its telephone service in FY 2025, reducing the average wait time from 30 minutes in January 2025 to 7 minutes in September 2025, while serving 65 percent more callers than in the previous year. It also concluded that the agency’s use of technology, self-service options, and process engineering were integral contributing factors.
Read the full OIG report.