Since the beginning of the 2025 year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has publicly announced its commitment to better serving the American people. This commitment involves the agency’s goals of reducing wait times and providing faster customer service. Between communicating transparency efforts, enforcing the use of online services and integrating artificial intelligence to support the National 800 number, SSA has claimed many of their efforts have been successful.

Addressing transparency efforts has been an ongoing theme throughout the agency’s press releases published this year. In these announcements, SSA would consistently refer to their performance figures, citing how frequently updating the data and making this information publicly available would enhance their efforts in transparency. Regarding the status of their performance figures, the agency is currently publishing condensed information, and has discontinued the publication of many important metrics, now focusing on the production of online service data. Ultimately, many would consider the concealment of metrics previously made public to be regressing in transparency and will continue to await the return of those imperative metrics. More about this customer service change can be found here.

Nonetheless, SSA has continued to release performance figures regarding the hearing level of the disability determination process, and although the information is condensed, it remains valuable to disability representatives. Data presented reflects average processing time at the hearing level, as well as the types of service channels hearings are being conducted. The Olinsky Law Group team has been monitoring SSA’s reported performance figures throughout the year, specifically these performance figures at the hearing level. The most recent update was reported on November 13, 2025, and upon reviewing the data, the team noticed an interesting change.

For the 2025 year, the agency reported a goal of lowering the average processing time of hearings to an average of 270 days, and as of September, SSA had not yet achieved this goal, as the average processing time of hearings remained at 278 days. However, their reported figures from October reflect a 260-day processing time average, 10 days less than their reported goal number. Therefore, in the wake of the government shutdown, the agency has reported an 18 day decrease in processing time since September, while also achieving their goal.

Amid the government shutdown, disability representatives are likely anticipating delays to occur throughout the disability determination process, even greater than the current delays. Even though the 260-day average shows potential positive movement for the time being, it will be interesting to review if this average remains for the rest of the year. Additionally, even though their reported data reflects a decrease in wait time for the hearing level, other steps in the determination process may be impacted by the government shutdown and see more delays, while the agency is likely to continue and conceal those metrics from the public.

During the government shutdown, the agency has kept up with releasing its customer service efforts publicly, and what they view as improvements. In fact, besides the COLA increase announcement, most of SSA’s press releases revolved around the Commissioner’s visits to field offices to address how customer service has continued to improve.

Taking the government shutdown into consideration, disability representatives are aware of the potential increase in delays and ongoing difficulties with an already complex system. In addition to addressing the shutdown altogether, it will be revealing to see if the agency addresses how they’ve viewed their customer service efforts during the government shutdown, and how they will speak to potential future delays even with the shutdown coming to an end.

As the 2026 year approaches, disability representatives will also await SSA’s communication of how their performance figures have unfolded throughout the year and how they view their overall performance. Heading into the new year, time will also show if the agency brings back the publication of performance figures at all stages of the disability determination process, giving disability representatives and the public an opportunity to view SSA’s performance, anticipated wait times, and more.