Bisignano testifies phone wait times improved dramatically: 89% reduction to under 5 minutes, answers 90% of calls: SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano told Congress agency achieved "lowest level in a decade" for average speed of answer — May 2026 average under 5 minutes, down from all-time high of 42 minutes in FY 2024 (89% reduction) — claims 75% improvement in average wait times — says agency will have 800 million customer interactions this year while serving 300+ million Americans and issuing benefits to 71 million.

Lawmakers questioning metrics: callback waits actually near 2 hours, different from reported 5-minute average: Rep. Judy Chu challenged whether data includes callers selecting callback option, citing OIG data showing nearly 2-hour waits for callbacks — Bisignano admitted callbacks counted as zero-minute waits as "industry standard" but disputed OIG findings, claiming average callback under 30 minutes — Rep. Gwen Moore noted constituents still experience long waits, quality varied due to agency staff shuffling.

Improvements claimed despite 8,000+ worker losses between January 2025-April 2026: SSA lost more than 8,000 employees (14% workforce) in period Bisignano claimed improvements, raising questions about sustainability — agency attributed gains to new telecommunications platform and staff realignments, served 68 million callers in FY2025 (65% increase) — Bisignano says agency "has more metrics than ever before on the web" but withheld some public reporting previously.

Scammers pay to appear at top of Medicare search results to steal personal and financial information: Businesses and scammers can pay for prominent placement in online search results — some sites legitimate, others designed to con users into revealing sensitive details — consumer investigator warns "answering questions involving finances or medical details on a scammer's website could really cost you."

Identify paid ads and check website address to avoid traps: Look for "ad" or "sponsored" labels next to search results — labels show someone paid for placement but doesn't guarantee trustworthiness or usefulness — check website ending: ".gov" indicates U.S. government (safer), while ".com," ".org," or other extensions can be created by anyone, including scammers.

Scroll past paid ads to find results ranked by relevance rather than payment: Most helpful information often appears lower in search results after paid placements — scrolling down helps identify sites ranked by relevance rather than who paid for visibility — extra caution needed when searching financial or medical information online, especially given rise of Medicare grocery card and flex card social media scams.

SSDI earned benefit for ages 18-64 with qualifying work history and permanent disability: Must earn Social Security work credits through employment and payroll taxes — for 2026, earn $1,890 for one credit, maximum 4 credits per year — generally need 40 total credits with 20 earned in last 10 years before disability begins — check credits online via my Social Security account under "Eligibility and Earnings" or on Social Security Statement (mailed 3 months before birthday for age 60+).

SSA strict disability definition: must prevent work and adjusting to new work, likely last 1+ year or result in death: Only for total, lasting disabilities (no partial or short-term) — SSDI beneficiaries "more than three times as likely to die in a year as other people the same age" — 2023 largest diagnoses (34%) from musculoskeletal/connective tissue conditions — SSA maintains extensive list of qualifying conditions and evaluates unlisted conditions by same severity standards.

Average $1,634/month for workers with disabilities (Feb 2026) — about 8 million beneficiaries, plus surviving spouses/children also eligible: Beyond SSDI, may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP food assistance, help with prescriptions/utilities/healthcare — $58 billion in benefits goes unclaimed annually; use free BenefitsCheckUp® tool to find additional programs — apply online, phone 1-800-772-1213 (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm), or local Social Security office.