Delays in US Social Security Services; Thousands May Face Benefit Delays

Washington D.C.: Employees are warning that normal services at the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) department are currently facing significant delays. This crisis is due to prioritizing the manual processing of approximately 900,000 complex cases.

Routine procedures such as changing addresses or updating bank account information may take longer than usual. SSA employees told 'USA Today' that this could lead to delays in receiving Social Security benefits or even stopped payments for thousands of Americans.

Employees have been directed to prioritize payments under the recently enacted 'Social Security Fairness Act'. Cases that cannot be processed through automation are currently being handled manually. While the White House states that other essential services will not be disrupted, employees are concerned that this additional workload will negatively impact regular operations. This has already led to increased phone wait times and extended delays for in-person appointments.