Lawsuit calls on SSA to release records on ‘customer service breakdowns’ 

A nonprofit legal group is calling on the Social Security Administration to release records on recent internal changes and “customer service breakdowns,” alleging it has caused widespread service disruptions for millions of Americans under the Trump administration. 

In a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Maryland on Monday, Democracy Forward said SSA did not respond to multiple records requests for details on the agency’s workforce reductions, cuts to phone services and the elimination of customer service metrics on the agency website that took place this year. 

These changes, according to Democracy Forward, prompted longer wait times, payment delays and “confusion for beneficiaries in vulnerable situations,” the lawsuit stated. The group said it filed various Freedom of Information Act requests over the summer regarding these incidents, but SSA did not hand over determinations or release the records. 

“This refusal keeps the public in the dark about decisions that affect over 74 million Americans who depend on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income, a program that provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources,” the group wrote in a press release. 

The 70-page complaint emphasizes the significant workforce reductions at the agency this year, which the group said led to nearly 2,000 workers leaving field offices through voluntary separation agreements. 

Amid these changes, the agency also expanded the use of its identity-proofing tools to prevent fraud in direct deposit phone transactions. The lawsuit argued these plans sought to “limit certain” phone services, and pointed to a reported internal memo that stated this could result in 75,000 to 85,000 additional visitors and longer wait and processing times. 

The agency’s push to expand online ID verification for phone services has repeatedly sparked backlash over concerns it will overwhelm in-person services already dealing with workforce cuts. SSA told FedScoop in July that while it is encouraging callers to use online ID tools for more routine services, tools like its security authentication pin (SAP) will be “entirely optional.” 

“Around the same time, multiple Senators raised concerns that ‘Social Security wrongly told disabled people and some seniors their benefits [had] ended,’” the suit stated. “In May 2025, internal SSA analysis reportedly assessed that the agency’s new antifraud telephone policies had slowed retirement claims processing by 25 percent and led to a ‘degradation of public service.’”

Democracy Forward further claimed that SSA also amassed a backlog of hundreds of thousands of retirement claims.

As wait and processing times reportedly ticked up, Democracy Forward said the agency also removed various customer service metrics from its website, including the time it takes to answer the phone and process benefit applications. 

The suit detailed a monthslong back-and-forth between Democracy Forward and SSA regarding the group’s FOIA requests. The group said SSA denied part of its fee waiver requests, and did not respond within the legal time limits, forcing them to seek administrative remedies. 

Democracy Forward asked a judge to order the SSA to conduct “adequate searches” for records related to the FOIA requests and to produce the documents by a specific date. 

“When government actions threaten the stability of one of our nation’s most important safety net programs, transparency isn’t optional — it’s essential. We’re taking action to demand accountability and ensure the public knows what’s happening behind closed doors,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward.

SSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.