About a fifth of filers said they were unaware of online options. Image: Alex Millauer/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffWhile the Social Security Administration has been beefing up its online services as one way to better handle its growing workload within a limited workforce, the personal touch remains important to the public, a report has said.
The Center for Retirement Research said that in a survey it conducted, about three-fourths of those who have filed, or who intent to file, for benefits still want personal interactions by phone or face to face before doing so. A similar share has, or intends to, have personal interactions during the process, while about a quarter said they have, or expect to, do so after filing.
The most common reasons are questions about benefit eligibility and amounts and about the application process, while about a fifth said they were unaware of online options and about a tenth cited issues with “data error.”
The report said the SSA likely could reduce some of the demand for in-person services by improving its online information about benefits eligibility and amounts and how the application process works, and by addressing “obstacles to using online services.”
However, it added that such changes would not eliminate the need for in-person services. The most common reasons for wanting such services include “an aversion to online services, such as unfamiliarity with the internet, a distrust of online tools, or a preference for in-person interactions,” it said.
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