Bisignano Cuts Social Security Waits Below 7 Minutes, Targets 800 Million Transactions
Updated
Updated · Baltimore Sun · Jul 26
Bisignano Cuts Social Security Waits Below 7 Minutes, Targets 800 Million Transactions
3 articles · Updated · Baltimore Sun · Jul 26
Summary
Phone waits at the Social Security Administration have fallen from nearly 40 minutes in 2024 to under seven minutes this year, Bisignano said, while the agency serves more people.
Only 4% of Social Security transactions now happen in field offices, with 96% handled by phone or online as Bisignano pushes a digital-first overhaul at both Social Security and the IRS.
More than 800 million Social Security transactions are expected this year, while the IRS still processes over 150 million individual tax returns, underscoring the scale of the modernization effort.
Bisignano said the agencies are also reconciling Social Security's Numident database for the first time, after unreconciled records included entries for people listed as 150 or 160 years old.
He said the main unfinished task is execution speed at the IRS and across government systems, arguing outdated policies and slow implementation still limit service improvements.
Can Frank Bisignano’s digital-first overhaul of Social Security and the IRS deliver faster service without leaving seniors, rural users, and disability claimants behind?
How much of Social Security’s sharp wait-time improvement reflects lasting modernization, and what proof will show the gains are real and sustainable?
What happens when a Wall Street-style turnaround meets two of America’s most sensitive public agencies—can speed, accuracy, and trust all improve together?