Social Security Commissioner Visits Brooklyn Field Office, Highlights Benefits for Seniors Ahead of Tax Day

Social Security Commissioner Visits Brooklyn Field Office, Highlights Benefits for Seniors Ahead of Tax Day

Brooklyn, NY - Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano today visited a Social Security field office in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn joined by Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11). They met with local staff and highlighted historic tax relief measures benefitting seniors and working families across the borough.

Before touring the field office, Commissioner Bisignano and Congresswoman Malliotakis held a press conference to discuss the historic tax relief enacted through President Trump's Working Families Tax Cuts Act last year, including the enhanced tax deduction for older Americans, ensuring that most retirees are keeping more of their hard-earned benefits.

"We are transforming Social Security into a digital-first agency, but digital-first doesn't mean digital-only. Community-based field offices will always be available to serve the over 330 million Americans with Social Security numbers," said Commissioner Bisignano. "Our job is to meet Americans where they are, whether that's on the phone, online, or right here in Bensonhurst. I'd like to thank Congresswoman Malliotakis for joining me today to witness the progress our dedicated public servants have made in improving service for the communities we serve."

"We are glad to welcome Chief Executive Officer of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Frank Bisignano to the Social Security Office in Bensonhurst, and appreciate the work Social Security offices have done to improve customer service and expand access to appointments," said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis.

Since Commissioner Bisignano's confirmation, SSA's focus on technology and streamlined processes has significantly improved customer service at field offices, on the phone, and online:

• At field offices, SSA has decreased the average wait time for visitors by 30 percent, while still serving approximately 30 million field office visitors per year. Visitors with appointments are waiting just six minutes on average. Incoming calls to field offices have also benefited from the introduction of updated phone technology, enabling 30 percent of calls to be handled through convenient self-service options.
• On the National 800 Number, SSA has reduced the Average Speed of Answer to seven minutes in March 2026, down 83 percent from a high of 42 minutes in FY 2024.
• Online, SSA eliminated 29 hours of weekly downtime for my Social Securityand made it functional 24/7 surpassed. The growth in new account holders, surpassing 100 million my Social Securityaccounts created in February, combined with customers' evolving preference to do business online, led to 287 million completed transactions already in FY 2026, a 43 percent increase from the same period in FY 2024.
• In Disability Adjudication, SSA has decreased the number of initial disability claims pending by over 30% from the all-time high of 1.27 million pending claims in 2024, while reducing the average case processing time for disability claims by 40%.

For more information about Social Security's services, visit https://www.ssa.gov.

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