Anybody having to deal with Social Security?

[Galileo]

Hi folks, 

Totally non-Oliver and not even travel or trailer related - but wanted to ask if anybody had any tips for getting the Social Security Administration to actually do their job. 

About two years ago Debra contacted a former employer’s pension administrator to claim the pension she had coming for 20 years service. They told her they had no record of her even working there, and would need to obtain a detailed report from SSI to prove she worked there. OK - a bit wired, but not the first time we’ve had something odd happen. (My theory: Debra’s last name starts with two “A”s, so my data processing background tells me that first record in a database often gets pulled in as a column label and lost.) 

Anyway - download, print, fill out the form from SSI online, send it in with the required fee, and wait - up to 120 days. 

120 days - and then some - come and go and no report in the mailbox. Several calls and holding for hours online and the final answer is “we can find your request and we’ll have someone look into it and get back to you.” 

(Guess what happened…)

Several more weeks/months later we have to contact them again - still no record of the request - they DO show the payments received though. 

Fast-forward to a year later after several more phone calls. They send a packet out that says they couldn’t complete the request because they couldn’t find the signed form - so she has to start all over- but - they do send a voucher of sorts showing payment. 

So - she re- mikes the whole thing with the voucher and a new, signed request form - and we wait. 

No reply 150 days later. So the phone calls begin. Again. 

Last week - the person on the phone says “We have no record of your request… we’ll escalate this to a priority level” (which they did twice with the first one.)

So - here we are with a pension we can get because SSI can’t fulfill a fairly routine report of the records the pension custodian needs to do their job. Debra wasn’t even going to pursue it, but I worked for the same company and am receiving a pension. (Different last name.) so I KNOW there’s $$$ on the table. 

Any suggestions besides tearing hair out?!

[Galileo]

AI keeps telling us that the local SSA office CAN print out the report we need IF we can convince them to. But these days you need to make an appointment online and “I’ve tried mailing this and it keeps getting lost” isn’t a choice if the appointment system. 

AI also says if all else fails “Call your Congressman” yeah - if you haven’t had enough of inefficient bureaucracy yet. 

[Steph and Dud B]

According to AI, for whatever that's worth: "The Social Security Administration (SSA) has experienced the largest workforce reduction in its history, cutting more than 8,000 agency jobs—shrinking staff to its lowest level since 1967. These reductions and regional office closures are causing severe customer service delays, extended call wait times, and backlogs for vital disability and retirement benefits."

I'm supposed to get my very first SS payment soon. Fingers crossed. Good luck.

[FloraFauna]

5 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

very first SS payment soon.

I started mine in early 2026 preemptively because it all seems like a train wreck around the next bend.  Waiting until 70 for max benefit seemed too risky so thought i should just start pulling my money out now.  My benefit fell into place with only online input in late 2025.  The spousal benefit took an additional two phones calls and there too, SSA didnt have the work record.  But in the end that straightened out and the money is flowing.  It helped to keep records of the agent you are talking to, get their phone number and work with the same person everytime!!!  It might also help to work thru your local office.

[routlaw]

I agree working with the local office has been far better for us dealing with my wife's alzheimer's sister. It was very easy to get a call through, leave a message and they return the call. Apparently, or at least in this neck of the woods SSA office no longer takes in person visits any longer and haven't for quite a few years. It's also true their workforce has been substantially reduced. 

I would also recommend going back to the source of your wife's work place which is where this problems originates not the SSA per se. It's ludicrous they do not have a record of her working there for 20 years. Get a lawyer then I'll bet they will come up with her work records in short order.

Sorry you're having to go through this, what PITA. 

[FloraFauna]

10 minutes ago, routlaw said:

going back to the source of your wife's work place

In our case my wife's first employer no longer exists so that made things a bit more difficult.  

[routlaw]

Wow! And I thought being self employed had its issues. Can't imagine how you would deal with that scenario.

[Galileo]

14 hours ago, FloraFauna said:

I started mine in early 2026 preemptively because it all seems like a train wreck around the next bend.  Waiting until 70 for max benefit seemed too risky so thought i should just start pulling my money out now.  My benefit fell into place with only online input in late 2025.  The spousal benefit took an additional two phones calls and there too, SSA didnt have the work record.  But in the end that straightened out and the money is flowing.  It helped to keep records of the agent you are talking to, get their phone number and work with the same person everytime!!!  It might also help to work thru your local office.

The “local office” (40 miles away) isn’t even available to make appointments at any longer. 
 

Our signing up was a breeze - all online before the big reduction in force. No issues there at all. 

Things you can do online are also quite simple. 

What we’re asking further is also really quite simple - it SHOULD be something you can do online. 

When Deb called to inquire 120+ days later about her form - the person at the other end of the line said: “we have a huge mailroom…”

We’re probably gonna have to go through our Congressman’s office. Supposedly they can make SSA do its job.

Biggest issue is that 2 years of retroactive pension payments are likely gone forever. Though, you can be sure that once we establish that she did indeed work there (at this Fortune 509 company) that they were negligent losing her records and owe us 2 years of pension payments. 

[Galileo]

14 hours ago, FloraFauna said:

In our case my wife's first employer no longer exists so that made things a bit more difficult.  

Pretty similar deal. The company doesn’t administer the pension program. So we’d be in an endless finger-pointing debate between the workplace and the pension administrator.