Inside SSA’s Digital First Strategy to Modernize Services

The Social Security Administration is overhauling how it delivers services, using automation to expand access, cut wait times and reduce improper payments. The changes are part of Commissioner Frank Bisignano’s “Digital First” initiative to modernize operations and improve how citizens interact with the agency, officials told GovCIO Media & Research.

Improved Website Access

After his confirmation in May 2025, Bisignano found that the SSA’s my Social Security portal was offline for scheduled maintenance 29 hours every week, limiting citizens’ access to benefit information.

SSA’s leadership moved to provide 24/7 access, allowing users to view and manage their accounts during previously scheduled downtime. The change enabled millions of customers to access services more consistently, Bisignano told the Social Security Advisory Board in January.

The improvements drove growth in February, pushing total accounts past 100 million. Bisignano said that increase, combined with a growing preference for digital services, resulted in 287 million transactions so far in fiscal year 2026.

“This represents a 43% increase compared to the same period in FY 2024 and a 16% increase compared to the same period in FY 2025,” he said.

Shorter Wait Times

The Digital First initiative also focuses on reducing call wait times through automation. In February 2026, the average wait time for SSA’s national 800 number dropped to 8 minutes, a 69% decrease from 26 minutes in February 2025, Bisignano said.

To achieve this, SSA deployed a new telecommunications platform to handle higher call volumes and expand self-service options.

“We implemented a new telecommunications platform that has significantly expanded our ability to handle high call volumes and increase self-service automated options,” Social Security Press Officer Barton Mackey told GovCIO Media and Research.

SSA improved training and refined responses to frequently asked questions using real-time data. The agency now resolves nearly 75% of common inquiries through automation, allowing agents to focus on more complex issues, according to Mackey.

Modernizing Payments

SSA also accelerated benefit delivery by automating most payments under the Social Security Fairness Act. The agency issued more than 3.1 million payments totaling over $17 billion five months ahead of schedule. SSA product teams, structured with a lead engineer, business lead and product manager, drove the effort.

“Our modern product management approach has allowed for rapid development and implementation of software to modernize how we serve claimants and beneficiaries,” Mackey said.

These teams also support faster customer service and quicker determinations for disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants. Although SSI payments account for a smaller percentage of SSA benefits, Mackey noted that it often takes more work to ensure accuracy.

In September 2025, Bisignano established the SSI Improvement Team to strengthen processing and compliance. The team reviewed more than 170 recommendations and identified policy changes now being implemented.

SSA fully implemented the Payroll Information Exchange in September 2025, enabling monthly payroll data verification and reducing reporting burdens for recipients. The agency also expanded its use of Access to Financial Institution data to better identify assets that could affect SSI eligibility.

In his briefing to the board, Bisignano noted excess resources are a leading cause of improper payments. Identifying them early, allows SSA “to make accurate payments, avoid large overpayments, and get benefits to those who need them.”

Additionally, SSA added more than 12.4 million individuals aged 120 and older to the Death Master File to reduce improper payments. The agency also partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to update records for 275,000 individuals who no longer hold legal status in the United States, helping prevent ineligible payments, Mackey said.