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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: Remote Service Delivery Increased during COVID-19, but More Could Be Done to Assist Vulnerable Populations

GAO-23-104650, November 17, 2022

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make dramatic changes in the way it delivers services and administers its programs. On March 17, 2020, SSA closed all of its offices to the public—providing limited in-person visits for individuals with certain critical needs—to protect the health of its staff and the public. In April 2022, the agency reopened field offices to walk-in visits from the public.

SSA historically has provided in-person services to those who need them or prefer them, including many who opt to file benefit claims during in-person visits. As part of our work, we examined what is known about how SSA’s service delivery changes affected the public, including certain vulnerable populations.

SSA provides financial assistance to eligible individuals through its benefit programs. Among members of the public who file claims for benefits, we analyzed several population characteristics associated with vulnerability, including individuals’ age, geographic area (urban or rural), low-income status, disability status, and limited English proficiency. We also obtained SSA data on claimants’ race and ethnicity but determined they were not reliable enough for us to report. We analyzed monthly data to describe trends in the number of benefit claims filed by each of these groups before and after the pandemic. We used claims for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits as a proxy for low-income status and claims for disability benefits (DI, SSI claims based on disability and blindness) as a proxy for disability status.

How to use the interactive graphic

This interactive display of our analysis shows how claims for SSA programs changed over time for populations whose characteristics are associated with vulnerability. The data depicts monthly claims from March 2019 through December 2021 as a percentage of February 2020 claims (the last full month of SSA’s typical pre-pandemic service delivery). March 2020 represents the transition to remote service delivery, as SSA field offices were open for the first half of the month and closed for the remainder. The four program groupings are (1) all claims filed; (2) all Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) claims filed (which combine OASI and DI claims); (3) all SSI claims filed; and (4) all disability claims filed, which include DI and SSI on the basis of disability and blindness.
  • Click on any of the four tabs to see data over time for each program grouping.
  • Each tab shows three graphs that correspond to the program grouping: one with claims by age group, one by geographic area type, and one by language preference. The SSI tab has an additional graph that breaks down Supplemental Security Income into three subcategories, SSI (old-age), SSI (blindness), and SSI (disability).

All Claims filed

Source: GAO analysis of Social Security Administration data. | GAO-23-104650

Notes:

  • Our analysis includes data for each group from March 2019 until December 2021.

Download data: 

For more information, read our report, GAO-23-104650. 

All OASDI Claims

Source: GAO analysis of Social Security Administration data. | GAO-23-104650

Notes:

  • OASDI claims include all Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance claims.
  • Our analysis includes data for each group from March 2019 until December 2021.

Download data: 

For more information, read our report, GAO-23-104650. 

Supplemental Security Income

Source: GAO analysis of Social Security Administration data. | GAO-23-104650

Notes:

  • Our analysis includes data for each group from March 2019 until December 2021.
  • The final graph shows monthly SSI claims broken down into each category SSIA (aged), SSIB (blindness), and SSID (disability).
  • SSIA is targeted at those 65 and up. SSIB primarily serves the 18-64 age group and also serves some people under 18. SSIB averages less than 500 claims per month. SSID serves those 0-64, though there are a few claims made by those over 65, likely those making retroactive claims.

Download data: 

For more information, read our report, GAO-23-104650. 

Disability Claims


Source: GAO analysis of Social Security Administration data. | GAO-23-104650

Notes:

  • The "Disability Claims" subgroup includes claims for Disability Insurance (DI), SSI-blindness, and SSI-disability.
  • The graph of disability claims by age omits a small number of disability claims by claimants over age 65. Most claims from people over 65 get routed to Social Security programs for the elderly.

Download data: 

For more information, read our report, GAO-23-104650.