Social Security Change Could Disrupt Service For Millions Of Americans

The basis for a major upcoming Social Security Administration (SSA) change goes back to the February 2025 announcement of significant layoffs for SSA employees. At the time, layoff predictions were estimated at 7,000 (or more) out of a total of 60,000 people. This raised concerns about how SSA staff would effectively serve the almost 75 million recipients of Social Security. Now, the SSA is implementing a workflow overhaul that involves implementing two systems: the National Workload Management (NWLM) system and the National Appointment Scheduling Calendar (NASC).Both are due to be rolled out by the SSA on March 7, 2026, and both have the potential to disrupt services for beneficiaries. 

The NWLM system is meant to streamline SSA operations by grouping cases nationally. However, this means that SSA employees will now have to address claims from states with different laws than the areas they're accustomed to. For example, someone used to handling benefits in the Midwest might not know how to manage state stimulus payments for Alaskans. Similarly, Supplement Security Income (SSI) can require different income levels, depending on the state, in order to qualify.

In addition to NWLM, the NASC will replace how initial claims for benefits are scheduled, and also serve as the official SSA office calendars. Once someone has an appointment, SSA will assign the claim to a representative based on their skills and knowledge. While both are said to be more efficient, time will tell if any of these Social Security 'improvements' actually help retirees or not.

SSA employees have already expressed concerns that these new systems will simply add more confusion to their already strained workloads. This, in turn, could potentially disrupt the processing of benefits or even trigger an enhanced risk of overpayment. While that might sound like a good thing, ultimately when the SSA overpays you it just leads to more paperwork — not to mention even more of an SSA employees' time.

To make matters worse, in order to try and lighten the load on local offices, the SSA is encouraging people to first see if they can resolve issues online. However, retirees will likely have mixed reactions to that advice. A Center for Retirement Research at Boston College survey from 2021 found that, although 60% of people intended to file for their Social Security benefits claim online, only 43% did so without getting some form of in-person or phone assistance. Although people getting help cited an appreciation for in-person assistance, some recipients won't necessarily have the choice depending on their geographic location. As of January 2026, SSA offices in Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming were not offering in-person visits — instead communicating only through telephone calls. Those living in more rural areas, are especially impacted when SSA offices close, merge, or reduce service options.