Social Security Rolls Out 'Massive' Technology Change

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Retirees will soon need to adapt to a major change in how they contact representatives for their Social Security benefits.

The Social Security Administration is rolling out a new AI-powered telecommunications system nationwide, meaning callers will increasingly interact with a phone bot when inquiring about benefits.

Officials say the technology is designed to ease long wait times, which have climbed from an average of one hour to one hour and 26 minutes over the past year, according to SSA data.

SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano told CBS News that he believes the overhaul will significantly improve the agency’s ability to serve the public.

“We're bringing a massive technology effort to transform the servicing agenda,” Bisignano said. “We're gonna bring AI into the phone system... I intend it to be completed this year.”

READ MORE: Social Security Administration Quietly Rolls Out 2 Major Policy Changes Affecting Millions

According to the White House, Social Security has already begun implementing the system at all of its field offices after launching it on its National 800 Number.

So far, more than 350 offices across the Southeast and Northeast regions have transitioned to the new platform. The agency says it will complete the rollout to all field offices and card centers by the end of summer 2025.

According to the Trump administration, early results show improved answer rates and shorter response times at participating offices.

Approximately 30 percent of incoming calls are now handled by an AI bot, the White House said.

The SSA receives an average of 390,825 calls per day, according to data from the agency.

"I say, we're gonna meet our beneficiaries where they want to be," Bisgnano told CBS. "You want to come into a field office? We we'll always be there. You want to meet us on the web? We will be there. And you want to meet us on the phone, we'll be there."

This development comes months after the White House walked back a controversial requirement that would have forced some 6 million seniors to verify their identities in person — a move that drew widespread backlash.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, that mandate would have required seniors to travel an average of 45 miles to reach an SSA field office.

While the White House ultimately reversed the policy, direct deposit transactions are no longer permitted over the phone. Beneficiaries must now verify their identities through multifactor online authentication or make an in-person visit.

And at the end of March, the Trump administration reinstated a policy that allows the SSA to recover 100 percent of a beneficiary’s monthly payments if they were overpaid.

This move reversed a more lenient policy that had capped repayment collections at 10 percent of a recipient’s benefit for overpayments issued before March 27.

Then, on April 25, the SSA issued an emergency notice announcing that the recovery cap would be adjusted again—this time to 50 percent of a beneficiary’s monthly benefit. The change applies only to overpayments identified on or after that date and does not apply retroactively.

While overpayments are relatively rare, losing half of a monthly check can be financially devastating. The SSA advises beneficiaries to contact the agency and begin repayment as soon as they become aware of an overpayment to avoid automatic withholdings.