A major theme of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) communications in 2025 has revolved around their customer service efforts. As the year unwrapped, disability claimants and representatives witnessed SSA take steps in an attempt to enhance customer service and, thereafter, publicly communicate these efforts in a positive light. Some of these objectives and communications included stressing online usage, modifying which performance figures the agency made public and implementing artificial intelligence to speed up the National 800 number answer times.

Throughout the year, SSA strongly emphasized its determination to improve customer service, most often highlighting their efforts with a positive approach, especially when presenting their performance figure reports. The Olinsky Law Group team has analyzed these figures during 2025, and over the course of the year, noticed the significant changes in which metrics were published, as the agency began withholding important data and in exchange, publishing data about online usage. The team’s most recent analysis can be found here.

As the fourth quarter began, and throughout the extent of the government’s shutdown, SSA remained committed to highlighting their customer service efforts, releasing statements about the Commissioner’s visits to field offices and updating the same performance figures the agency had steadily reported on. With the fourth quarter progressing and the end of the year in sight, the Olinsky Law Group team shared how it would be interesting to await how SSA communicates how they’ve viewed their overall performance in 2025. The latest communication from SSA involves a new update regarding the highly anticipated report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), alluding to the agency declaring their overall customer service efforts to be successful in 2025.

Amid the agency’s consistent reporting on customer service improvements earlier this year, it was agreed that OIG would verify SSA’s performance data to confirm whether the figures were factual, specifically reports regarding the National 800 number. The request for review came about given the agency frequently highlighted their improvements, discussing how customer service, and as result, the agency in its entirety was progressing. As such, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), found the report to be necessary in order to affirm SSA’s numerous claims of improvement.

In their most recent communications, SSA announced the OIG audit has been completed, supporting their published figures regarding the National 800 number and essentially deeming the report a success for the agency. As expected, SSA is using this opportunity to not only verify these National 800 number performance figures, however, showcase their customer service progress, building on a year of dedication to communicating this matter in a positive light. Upon OIG affirming SSA’s National 800 number performance data, SSA is undoubtedly using the opportunity to defend their customer service efforts, however, are strategically making this announcement just ahead of the new year, enabling the agency to recap 2025 in a favorable manner.

Although the audit only confirmed data regarding the National 800 number, it was foreseeable that the agency would use the opportunity to additionally highlight their overall performance figure metrics and summarize its customer service efforts altogether. To the Olinsky Law Group team, it is no surprise that the agency carried out 2025 continuing to highlight their customer efforts positively. As the Olinsky Law Group team’s previous analyses share, disability representatives will continue to await whether SSA brings back several other pivotal performance metrics previously made public even with the agency deeming customer service efforts a success, in addition to reviewing the essential data once the 2025 waterfall chart is released.