SSA
AI ‘is changing the game’ in fraud threats and prevention efforts, SSA OIG official says
Chief Strategy Officer for the SSA Office of the Inspector General Chad Bungard said “the government is looking towards AI to fight fraud, and the criminals are looking towards AI to commit fraud.”
SSA needs to enhance its data verification systems, watchdog finds
Improving matches between agency and external data could reduce improper payments, inaccurate records and manual work for federal employees the agency’s inspector general found.
Social Security expands electronic health record sharing to speed up disability claims adjudication
A health data sharing superhighway “allows SSA to access complete, structured medical records within seconds or minutes for claimants, helping to significantly reduce disability claim processing times,” an agency official told Nextgov/FCW.
Trump admin delays TANF data sharing plan opposed by blue states
Democrat-led states are concerned the administration will share cash assistance recipients’ sensitive information with immigration enforcement and other federal agencies.
Appeals court removes limits on DOGE access to SSA data despite ‘alarming’ revelations
The Friday decision follows a January court filing in which the government conceded that DOGE associates may have improperly accessed sensitive data at the agency.
Social Security delays launch of new nationwide caseload system
The agency is postponing the rollout of new, national systems the same month they were set to be deployed. It was still working out specifics for how it would move claims processing to a national setup.
Trump’s goal to create state-by-state citizenship lists isn’t feasible, experts say
A Tuesday executive order mandating that DHS create state-by-state citizenship lists is Trump’s latest effort to exert some control over state-run elections.
Trump signs executive order setting rules for mail-in voting and eligibility lists
The president has long disputed the mail-in voting process since his 2020 election run. The order is very likely to face legal challenges.
Senate Democrats push Social Security on employee reassignments to phone line
The agency is directing employees who normally process benefits to answer phone lines instead.
IRS CEO largely dodges questions about data sharing at IRS, SSA
Frank Bisignano cited “current litigation” for why he could not provide further details about IRS data sharing with ICE, and he disputed court records detailing how DOGE employees handled data at SSA.
Accessing Social Security disability benefits became harder in 2025, researchers find
Changes like the push to online servicing and introduction of AI on SSA phone lines made it difficult for certain recipients to access the agency.
Exclusive
‘Suicide is only one option': Social Security staff newly assigned to phone duties raise concerns over training
Experts and SSA employees question wisdom of telling callers in crisis that suicide is an option.
Social Security is directing employees who normally process benefits to answer phones instead
After shedding thousands of employees, SSA is reassigning workers amid fears the moves will cause backlogs to grow.
Senators demand details on DOGE’s data access following revelations of improperly shared SSA data
While Sens. Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are asking for more information from SSA, Democrats in the lower chamber want to compel the agency to hand it over using a “resolution of inquiry.”
DOGE officials face Hatch Act referrals for work with org aiming to ‘overturn election results’
DOGE employees also shared Social Security data using the third-party server Cloudflare, and according to new court documents, SSA still doesn’t know what data was shared and if its still on Cloudflare.
Bill to improve government’s anti-fraud checks heads to Trump’s desk
House lawmakers passed a bipartisan proposal on Monday to give the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system permanent access to death records at the Social Security Administration.
SSA phone wait times longer than publicly reported metrics, per OIG report
The agency’s “average speed of answer” metric masks longer call wait times, according to data in a recent OIG report.
Lawmakers seek details behind SSA plan to slash office visits
Nextgov/FCW first reported the agency’s intention to reduce field office visits last week.
Social Security wants about 15 million fewer visits in its field offices
The new goal to cut the number of field office visits comes as the agency’s frontline locations have lost thousands of employees.
Social Security occupational data update appears stalled after agency drops regulatory overhaul
The Social Security Administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to update the occupational data used in disability adjudications. When the agency will actually move to newer data is unclear.
