IF YOU SIGN UP NOW OR LATER, don't think you'll get your social security retirement benefits. You won't get them.

[CousinIT]

Last edited Thu Mar 6, 2025, 03:20 PM - Edit history (1)

Nobody is there to process them. This is BEFORE they fire 50% of the SSA staff.

AFTER they do it, nobody's getting ANYTHING out of that agency.

Elon’s DOGE is wreaking havoc on Social Security, causing significant service delays for seniors across our country.

Americans work hard to contribute to Social Security — making the program inaccessible and inefficient is a backdoor cut to benefits.

— Congressman Gabe Amo (@amo.house.gov) 2025-03-06T15:58:46.947Z

[elocs]

1. The SSA employees who are still there and doing their jobs as best they can are heroes. n/t

[yardwork]

2. Call your senators. Make it their problem.

[CousinIT]

10. I have reamed them TWICE now over it and a third time yesterday over their general capitulation

to the illegal shuttering and gutting of our government agencies, leaving Congress with no power.

I WILL BE REAMING THEM AGAIN.

And again.

And again.

[dutch777]

27. This is the answer for almost anything Trump/GOP screw up...many have an election in 2026. Also boycott...

...anything you don't NEED to buy, don't, and when you do, to the degree possible work with mom and pop's not big corporations. Make noise and put a dent in economic growth is almost only tools we have in the near term to affect change.

[Walleye]

3. Social Security has been working smoothly for decades. Then Elon comes in.

And calls it a Ponzi scheme and proceeds to completely demolish it. Why???

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Because

Elon just won't die already so we don't have to deal with him.

[BonnieJW]

13. You would think he would have contracted an STD

[JustAnotherGen]

17. I wish he would trip

and fall on two scorpions who sting both of his eyeballs.

[TheRickles]

25. No STDs with IVF, which is where most of his kids come from.

[stillcool]

6. redistribution of wealth

for them and theirs. They're so good at it.

[multigraincracker]

16. Hang Musk.

[RhapsodyFav]

35. They want to privatize SS.

Management fees and stock market manipulation. Anything to put more $ in the wealthiest pockets. Also remember when you're worried about how you will pay your bills tomorrow you're less likely to protest because you might lose your job. Also, elderly will die faster.

[Walleye]

39. Sadly, so

[NoMoreRepugs]

40. There are TRILLIONS OF $$$$ there that Wall St wants to "manage."

[Walleye]

41. I know, I've thought of that. These guys get off on handling that much money they don't think regular people should do i

Of course they are exactly wrong

[milestogo]

4. Just stop with the catastrophizing.

[XanaDUer2]

7. Reading stuff like this

Spikes my anxiety

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. Mine too. I haven't been able to sleep. Running on empty.

[obamanut2012]

8. Thank you

This OP is unnecessary and does no good.

[synni]

11. Some of us actually want information

We don't all choose to bury our heads in the sand. If you don't like reading facts, scroll on by.

[LexVegas]

12. ...

[milestogo]

22. There are no facts here.

Just speculation and exaggeration.

[Wiz Imp]

26. The original post was not reporting facts....

The SSA has not cut a significant number of staff (yet). They announced a plan to cut 7000 but that hasn't happened (yet). So there in fact has been no significant change in customer service since the election (yet). Customer service was already below what it should be due to understaffing, but unlike the original post implied, those issues were not caused by DOGE (yet)

Link to tweet

[Kaleva]

30. It's conjecture. Not actual facts

[JCMach1]

18. People might want to stop Panglossing instead

Nothing that has happened so far has been better than I thought it might turn out.

Reality, respectfully.

[LudwigPastorius]

53. "I believe they are driving this agency into a total system collapse in the months ahead, given the...

pace at which they are firing people (and) paying people to leave (with) absolutely no effort at knowledge transference..." - Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley on NPR today

At 4:52 here: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/1236242686/here-now-anytime-03-06-2025

...but, maybe he doesn't know what he's talking about.

[Mike 03]

9. Kick and Rec

[Old Crank]

15. My wife is still waiting.

She filed in November after the election.
We are in Germany and it needs to be coordinated with the German pension system.
Normally takes 30 days, no more than 60. By mid month it will be 120 days.

Nice to have part of your life on hold because who knows what.

[k0rs]

19. I got...

my WEP adjustment today. Thank You SS.

[airplaneman]

36. Cool I'm happy for you. My wife is waiting for hers

[rampartd]

50. did it come with your regular march payment?

i should get one as well.

[k0rs]

52. No

My regular payment is at the end of the month. Waiting now to see if my regular payment reflects the new amount.

[Skittles]

49. actually

they advise filing up to four months in advance

[DownriverDem]

20. Here I thought

it was automatic. If folks don't get their SS a lot of folks with guns will be very unhappy.

[CousinIT]

23. IF you are already signed up, it may be automatic. For those signing up anew now or later...

....they may never see their benefits.

[Bengus81]

21. A deposit should be in my account next Wed at 12:01. Some people receive a pending deposit

days early. I've never received SS payment like that. I'll be glad to update next Wed as to what took place.

But...I can't believe that71 million checks per month are all individually handled or need to be hand verified. When people die then the form is sent to the SSA automatically and is processed.

[CousinIT]

24. I am referring to those who are signing up now or who will sign up later. Those already in the system..

...will be fine. For a while.

What of someone who signed up today? Or in 2028?

[Bengus81]

28. Thanks...glad to hear that. We're NOT going to let the destruction of SS happen............

We're going to fight for Medicare and the ACA and get Medicaid back to full strength.

[slightlv]

31. That pending deposit blows me away.

I think I've figured it out... instead of depositing the money into my account as soon as it comes down the tubes, the bank holds on to it until the official deposit date, that way they make interest off that money. My puny amount doesn't mean much, but add all the retirees in this Army retirement city and it adds up quick.

I've wondered how places like Chime and others could pay you your check days early... but this "pending" deposit answers all the questions for me.

Used to be, I'd relax a little when I saw the Pending in my bank list... now days, not so much. Its like will it really be deposited, or is someone going to claw it back or steal it? (sigh)

[Bengus81]

33. Exactly what they do and on many other things too.

Buy $20 bucks of food at Mickey D's and my account will show the debit as "pending" for a day or two. Pretty simple to see that it's GONE from my checking account but they won't pay Mikey D's for two days. Just another way they make money.

But....I've never had a pending on my SS deposit. It's not there on late Tue but it is on early Wed.

[MichMan]

51. No, pending means the bank get advance notification it is coming, but haven't yet received it

[Nikossitti]

29. Not what I'm hearing

I’m a retired teacher. Every day I’m hearing from friends who are seeing their WEP/GPO adjustment and lump sum payment hit their accounts. I applied two weeks ago and called my local office. They called back in 50 minutes (didn’t want the wait time). They were efficient and helpful. Told me my spousal benefit should take about 30 days to arrive. I know they’re cutting, but they are certainly not at a standstill at this point.

[CousinIT]

32. They may be at a standstill in the future if they cut staff by 50%. It's just not tenable and...

..according to the former SSA Commissioner, the system will collapse, which I believe is the whole intent.

Even just cutting 7000 employees will slow things down. There's no way it can't when they're understaffed already.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

34. Really, am I the only person left who honestly

does not believe Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid are going to suddenly disappear.

All those 19 year old supposed tech gurus who are busily trying to remove those, I'm guessing they pretty much all have grandmothers who are on these plans. The kids may be quite surprised at their grandmothers' vocabulary when they let the young'uns know what they think. Not to mention, how thrilled the kids will be to have grandma move in with them.

[Tadams01KC]

37. Wife is waiting

My wife filed Jan 24 for SS benefits. The bar graph shows progress at 2/3. And a note that says typical wait time is 30 days. So she is at approx 40 days. Not panicking yet but concerned.

[ucralum]

48. I'm in the same boat...

I filed for spousal benefits and more importantly for me, Medicare enrollment, on January 9. Has shown 2/3 progress for most of that time. I will lose medical coverage from my former employer on April 1. I’m trying not to panic, but that becomes more difficult with each passing day.

[MineralMan]

38. There are things that need to be watched carefully, but

your attempts to turn everything into some sort of catastrophe are not helping anyone.

In fact, they're causing problems. I wish you'd stop turning every day's news into clickbait that inspires fear and anxiety.

I think I see at least three of your alarmist posts in General Discussions first page today.

It's not helpful.

[lark]

43. Some of us are very scared, I think understanding is needed.

Reading every thread is not requqired, I will often skip taking look if I think it's too negative or too unrealistic.

[lark]

42. I am so fucking thankful that hubs retired last year and is getting his payments now.

If he had waited until this August when he turns 75, who knows what might have happened? Only thing is we are now 100% dependent on social security so will be doubly fucked if (when???) this gets messed up on purpose so the rich can steal all the $$$.

[totodeinhere]

44. So far my SS checks have arrived on time. My next one is scheduled to arrive on

March 12. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will come on time.

[CousinIT]

45. It will probably be fine. My concern is for those who have recently signed up or haven't signed up yet.

Those already in the system are probably fine for now.

When the former SSA Commissioner says the system will collapse if 7,000 people or more (50%) of SSA employees are fired, though, I get really worried about everything.

At some point, it's just not doable.

[Martin68]

46. This is a defeatist and unrealistic view of what will happen to Social Security. This kind of hyperbole is not helpful.

It seems to based on Jeff Stein's post on increased wait times and longer processing times. In all probability, if Trump allows any long term harm to Social Security, it will be the death knell for his administration. Republicans who support Trump because they are vulnerable in their own communities will see this a a greater threat to their re-election than MAGA disapproval. Obviously people like Musk want to get rid of Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, but they really have no idea how many Americans in red states depend on these programs for survival. But Republican representatives know.

[CousinIT]

47. "you're overreacting"

Got it. That's what everyone said when SHitler was elected for a 2nd term. And now? Well....

And you're assuming we will continue to have free, fair and valid elections.

I'm not convinced.

[Meowmee]

54. Isn't there a court battle over this one also?

If so I hope it will help. I was thinking of signing up early but I wonder now what to do.