Annual Statistical Supplement, 2019

Program Provisions and SSA Administrative Data

SSA Administrative Data

Service Delivery

Table 2.F7 Accuracy of selected agency determinations, and 800 telephone number call volume and wait times, fiscal years 2011–2018
Item 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
  Accuracy rates a (percent)
OASI payments  
Payment review/stewardship results  
Excess payments 99.9 99.9 99.8 99.5 99.6 99.8 99.7 99.9
Underpayments 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9 99.9
SSI payments  
Payment review/stewardship results  
Excess payments 92.7 93.7 92.4 93.0 93.9 92.4 92.7 91.8
Underpayments 97.6 98.2 98.3 98.5 98.6 98.8 98.9 98.5
DI benefits b  
Initial claims 95.5 96.3 96.0 95.8 95.5 95.8 94.8 94.7
Allowances 98.5 98.2 97.6 97.8 97.3 97.1 97.0 96.8
Denials 94.0 95.4 95.2 94.9 94.5 95.1 93.7 93.6
Reconsideration of denials 95.3 95.1 95.3 94.7 94.5 94.1 93.6 92.8
Reversals 97.9 98.4 97.3 97.0 97.3 96.0 96.2 95.6
Affirmations 94.9 94.6 95.0 94.4 94.1 93.9 93.3 92.4
  National 800 number network (1-800-772-1213)
Network calls received (millions) 76.8 79.0 84.7 81.0 72.2 77.4 75.6 82.5
Average wait for live agent service (minutes) 3.0 4.9 10.3 22.1 10.3 13.6 13.4 23.7
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Budget, Finance, Quality, and Management, Office of Quality Review (OQR).
NOTES: OQR conducts stewardship reviews on sample cases in current-payment status.
OASI = Old-Age and Survivors Insurance; SSI = Supplemental Security Income; DI = Disability Insurance.
a. For OASI and SSI payments, accuracy rates reflect the dollar value of properly determined payments as a percentage of total outlays. For DI benefits, accuracy rates reflect the percentage of determinations that did not require corrections.
b. Represents cases free of decisional and documentation errors.
CONTACT: Carolina Cruz (410) 966-9448, Elizabeth Tate (410) 966-1491, Roy Harper (410) 966-5997, or statistics@ssa.gov.