The Social Security Administration announced Tuesday that it is looking into the root cause of website outages that have impacted the “my Social Security” portal, where recipients access their benefits.
Notably, Supplemental Security Income recipients, including disabled seniors and low-income adults and children, have reported receiving a notice stating that they were “not receiving benefits.” The agency stated that the notice was a mistake.
Approximately 7.4 million seniors, adults, and children receive SSI benefits, according to an internal 2023 report. It’s unclear how many people got the wrong message on their portal.
In a statement, the agency acknowledged “a couple of recent incidents” affecting Social Security and said they are being investigated.
The agency stated that the Social Security Administration’s website remained operational during the brief disruptions, which lasted about 20 minutes each, though some people may have had difficulty signing in to their “my Social Security” account.
The website has crashed several times in the last few weeks. They come as the Social Security Administration, led by acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, conducts a major operational overhaul in an effort to combat alleged fraud, which President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency claim is widespread.
The changes include massive layoffs and staff reductions, new restrictions on recipients’ phone line access, and the closure of offices across the country.
They have sparked outrage among lawmakers, advocacy groups, and program participants, who claim the Trump administration is erecting unnecessary barriers in front of an already vulnerable population.
Most recently, the agency reversed course on a plan that would require all new and existing beneficiaries to visit a Social Security field office to verify their identity.
The Social Security Administration announced in March that people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income who are unable to use the agency’s online portal can complete their claims over the phone rather than in person.
Other SSA applicants will still need to verify their identities at a field office. The new changes will take effect on April 14.
A lawsuit challenging DOGE access is also pending in federal court. On March 20, Maryland federal judge Ellen Lipton Hollander issued an order barring DOGE access to Social Security’s data troves, stating that the DOGE team “is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion.”
Approximately 72.5 million people, including retirees and children, receive social security benefits.
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