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Social Security Commissioner Reflects on Tenure Amid Challenges

Martin O’Malley, the Social Security Commissioner, expressed that his nearly year-long tenure at the agency has been one of the most significant honors of his career in government. Appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in December, O’Malley has been leading the charge to address the agency’s customer service challenges, largely attributed to years of budgetary inadequacies.

To tackle these issues, O’Malley introduced SecurityStat, a performance management initiative inspired by his experiences at the state and local levels. He also engaged agency staff by gathering over 16,000 suggestions for improvements through the EngageSSA web portal.

However, following the recent election of Donald Trump, O’Malley announced his intention to step down at the end of November to pursue the role of chair for the Democratic National Committee. His final day as Commissioner is set for Friday.

In an interview with Government Executive, O’Malley expressed deep pride in his team, whose dedication led to tangible improvements in customer service, all while operating with the lowest staffing levels in half a century. Average wait times for the agency’s 1-800 number dramatically decreased from over 40 minutes to just 12.8 minutes. Additionally, there was a notable increase in the timeliness of benefits distribution, with a four-year high in the number of beneficiaries receiving retirement, survivor, or Medicare benefits within two weeks of their applications. Furthermore, the wait for a disability hearing dropped from 368 days to 280 days during his tenure.

“My overall message is clear: anyone who claims that the federal government can’t function effectively is mistaken,” O’Malley stated. “We have demonstrated our capacity to succeed, even under considerable constraints. At a time when trust in public institutions is dwindling, what we achieved will remain one of my life’s greatest honors. I am immensely proud of the employees at Social Security for what they accomplished in such a short timeframe.”

“Anyone who says that the federal government can’t work is wrong.”

O’Malley emphasized that some of the progress made is likely to be sustainable, regardless of future funding or leadership decisions regarding the SecurityStat program. He highlighted the transition to a new service provider for the agency’s 1-800 number, which has significantly enhanced data analytics capabilities, enabling the implementation of features like automatic callbacks and chatbots—practices commonplace in the private sector.

The agency also noted increased public preference for telephonic and video disability hearings, with 90% of new requests being processed via these methods. This shift has facilitated better management of administrative law judges’ workloads across different locations.

This year’s focus on incremental improvements has led to positive results in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Although the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has yet to disclose its complete report for the 2024 survey, O’Malley reported that participation surged by 50%, along with a 3-point rise in the employee engagement index.

Jim Borland, the agency’s assistant deputy commissioner for analytics, review, and oversight, announced his retirement after a 40-year federal career, stating that this final year has been the most enjoyable he has experienced. He remarked, “In my 40 years, this is as close to what good government looks like as I’ve ever seen.” He added that the enhancements made to the 800 number stemmed from taking measured risks and embracing new commercial call center technology, which has significantly impacted operations.

Despite these advancements, O’Malley cautioned that ongoing improvements will necessitate increased support from Congress. The current continuing resolution, funding the agency at 2024 levels, constrains their efforts, particularly as fixed costs continue to rise by approximately $600 million annually due to expenses like salaries and healthcare premiums.

“We’re constantly trying to sprint up a downward escalator,” O’Malley explained. “When Congress only provides a three-month budget at last year’s levels, it effectively places us under a hiring freeze, severely limiting our ability to replace staff as they leave.”

O’Malley noted that lawmakers are beginning to recognize the importance of addressing the Social Security budget. For the first time in over a decade, both the House and Senate committees held hearings discussing the agency’s funding requirements. Nonetheless, Alabama Republican Robert Aderholt, chair of the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, has contended that the agency overuses overtime and telework.

“We have actually utilized less overtime than ever before,” O’Malley countered. “Overtime is employed similar to how police departments use it—to respond to spikes in workload, because we believe it’s unacceptable for individuals to face delays in receiving their benefits. The productivity gains and customer service improvements we’ve observed contradict any notion of inefficiency due to telework; the primary issue affecting our performance is staffing levels, now at a 50-year low.”

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