The Social Security Administration is about to get a new commissioner, but that’s only the latest of a series of changes at the agency since the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Frank Bisignano, the chief executive officer of fintech company Fiserv FI -3.34%, is on the path to confirmation as the next Social Security Administration commissioner. The Senate Finance Committee advanced the nomination after his hearing at the end of March, and he is now awaiting scheduling of the final vote. If he assumes the role, he’ll be inheriting an agency that has undergone numerous changes in less than 60 days’ time, including those made by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency that it says are focused on ridding Social Security of “fraud, waste and abuse.”

Social Security has been in the spotlight since the beginning of the year. In January, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, which eliminated two provisions that had limited the amount of some beneficiaries’ checks, but the biggest moves this year have happened under the Trump administration. DOGE, led by Elon Musk — who also owns the social-media platform X and is the chief executive of Tesla

— has dissolved two departments within the agency, begun offering staff buyouts and early retirements and gone back and forth on various new processes, including those for identity verification and for applying for Social Security numbers for newborn babies.

Here’s what has happened at the Social Security Administration since the start of the new year. This article will be updated with the latest Social Security news.

Jan. 5: President Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act

Early this year, near the end of his term in office, President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, a law that ended the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset rules, both of which reduced benefits for retirees who received certain public pensions. More than 3 million people, including public-school teachers, firefighters and law-enforcement officers, will see their benefits increase under the change. The law also provided for a year’s worth of retroactive benefits.

Feb. 16: Elon Musk says millions of dead people are still receiving benefits

Musk wrote on X that people in their 100s, 200s and older were receiving benefits. “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” he posted, along with a chart that purported to show the number of people in those age brackets receiving benefits.

After reportedly refusing to hand over sensitive Social Security data to DOGE workers, Michelle King, the previous acting commissioner, stepped down. Leland Dudek, a longtime midlevel Social Security employee, was appointed as acting SSA commissioner until Bisignano is confirmed.

In a statement after taking the role, Dudek said he would be transparent and that the SSA’s priority continued to be paying beneficiaries “the right amount at the right time,” as well as providing critical services. He also said DOGE personnel could not make changes to the agency systems, benefits payments or other information and would not have access to data regarding court-ordered temporary restraining orders. “I am confident that with DOGE’s help and the commitment of our executive team and workforce, that Social Security will continue to deliver for the American people,” he said.

Dudek also addressed Musk’s claims regarding people over the age of 100 receiving benefits. “The reported data are people in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits,” he said, according to an Associated Press report.

Feb. 21: Social Security cuts research cooperative and shifts responsibilities

The agency announced it was terminating the Retirement and Disability Research Consortium cooperative agreement, under which it partnered with researchers who focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in Social Security-related policy. Terminating the agreement will save the agency $15 million in fiscal 2025, it said.

SSA put out a second statement on Feb. 21 saying it was moving tasks that had been under the Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight to other parts of the agency, which it said would “streamline layers of management, increase data sharing with essential Social Security components, and speed the opportunities to identify fraud, waste, and abuse and implement needed solutions.”

Feb. 24: Social Security cuts the Office of Transformation

At the beginning of the week, the SSA said it was shuttering the Office of Transformation, which critics of DOGE noted was the department responsible for improving the program’s administration, including its technology. The department was created under the Biden administration.

Feb. 25: Social Security cuts Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity

A day after it announced the elimination of the Office of Transformation, the SSA said it was closing the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity and that it would reassign the office’s tasks — which included processing Equal Employment Opportunity complaints and “statutorily required functions” — to other areas of the agency.

Feb. 25: Social Security expedites retroactive and adjusted payments to millions of beneficiaries

The SSA said it was already beginning to pay out retroactive benefits and increased monthly benefit checks to individuals who had been affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.

The SSA had previously said it could take a year for people to see these changes, but Dudek said in a statement that timeline would only apply to “complex cases that cannot be processed by automation.”

“The American people deserve to get their due benefits as quickly as possible,” he said.

Feb. 27: Social Security offers workers options to leave

In an effort to restructure the agency, the SSA announced it was offering employees numerous ways to leave, including voluntary separation or early retirement. Workers could also sign up to be reassigned from what the agency deemed non-mission-critical positions to mission-critical ones. The deadline for voluntary reassignment and for voluntary separation, which would pay out up to $25,000 depending on the employee’s General Schedule, or GS, level, was March 14. The deadline for voluntary early retirement, or VERA, is Dec. 31.

The agency also said there could be involuntary reassignments.

Feb. 28: Social Security announces a goal of cutting 7,000 workers — and refutes a rumor

After reports swirled that the SSA planned to cut as much as 50% of its workforce, the agency announced it had a goal of cutting the number of employees from 57,000 to 50,000, a 12% reduction. In its announcement, the agency said the rumor of a 50% reduction was false.

“Social Security anticipates that much of the staff reductions needed to reach the target of 50,000 will come from retirement, VSIP, and resignation,” the SSA said. VSIP stands for voluntary separation incentive payments, which are lump-sum payments offered to workers as an inducement to leave a job. “Additional reductions will come from reduction-in-force (RIF) actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions,” it said.

The SSA also said it was downsizing its regional office structure from 10 regions to four.

“These steps prioritize customer service by streamlining redundant layers of management, reducing non-mission critical work, and potential reassignment of employees to customer service positions,” it said.

March 3: SSA lists measures it says are aimed at cutting costs

As part of the stated mission to identify fraud, waste and abuse, the SSA said it had identified numerous ways to cut costs, including on information technology, contracts and grants, non-public-facing real estate, security guards, printing and postage, and travel. “For too long, SSA has operated on autopilot,” Dudek said.

March 4: Millions of retroactive payments commence for certain beneficiaries

The SSA surprised millions of beneficiaries by starting to pay out retroactive benefits to those affected by the Social Security Fairness Act.

As of March 4, the SSA had paid out more than $7.5 billion in retroactive payments to more than 1.1 million people, with an average retroactive payment of $6,710.

“President Trump made it very clear he wanted the Social Security Fairness Act to be implemented as quickly as possible,” Dudek said in a statement. “We met that challenge head on and are proudly delivering for the American people.”

March 4: President Trump addresses Congress

In his first speech to Congress since his inauguration in January, President Trump repeated the false claim that the SSA was sending payments out to thousands of dead beneficiaries.

“We’re also identifying shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud in the Social Security program for our seniors and that our seniors and people that we love rely on,” Trump said.

The president went on to list the numbers of people in their 100s, 200s and older who he claimed were still receiving checks from the agency. “We have a healthier country than I thought, Bobby,” he said, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

March 5: SSA addresses false claims about dead beneficiaries

A day after the president’s address to Congress, the SSA said the records of people 100 years and older in question were those that did not have a date of death included. “While these people may not be receiving benefits, it is important for the agency to maintain accurate and complete records,” the agency said in a statement.

Read this MarketWatch interview with John Svahn, SSA commissioner during the Reagan administration, who helped reform Social Security in the early 1980s.

March 6: ‘Slam the Scam Day’

In an effort to thwart scams that target beneficiaries, the SSA partnered with its Office of the Inspector General to raise awareness with “Slam the Scam Day.”

Social Security-related scams are a common way of stealing individuals’ identities and their money. In many cases, fraudsters try to coerce individuals to send cash, wire transfers or gift-card payments in exchange for fixing what they claim is a problem with the person’s Social Security account.

“Social Security impersonation scams impact all age groups and remain one of the most common government imposter scams reported to the Federal Trade Commission,” the agency said. “Social Security continues to make concerted efforts to address this issue, through extensive outreach and investigative initiatives.”

Social Security does not contact individuals about suspended numbers or ask for immediate payment, the SSA said. It will also not threaten to arrest an individual, ask for credit-card or debt-card numbers over the phone or request wire transfers, gift cards, gold, cash or cryptocurrencies, it added.

March 7: SSA rescinds its rule regarding newborns’ Social Security numbers in Maine

After widespread backlash, the SSA reversed a decision it had implemented that would have forced parents of newborn babies in Maine to visit an office in person to apply for the baby’s Social Security number. Typically, parents can register for a Social Security number at the hospital or place of birth under the agency’s Enumeration at Birth program.

Dudek had directed the SSA to end the Enumeration at Birth program as well as the Electronic Death Registry, which shares recorded deaths with the agency, he said.

“In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent,” Dudek said. “For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated.”

The timing made the SSA’s initial decision to cancel those programs all the more controversial, as it came just weeks after Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and President Trump publicly sparred over the issue of transgender athletes, the Associated Press reported.

March 7: SSA rescinds Biden-era overpayment-recovery rules

The Social Security Administration’s overpayments issue is not new — for years, the agency has mistakenly sent some beneficiaries too much money, which it then claws back. A Biden-era rule set the default recovery rate, or the amount clawed back, at 10% of beneficiaries’ monthly checks until the overpayment was recovered. The previous rate had been 100% of a check. On March 7, the SSA announced it was reinstating the 100% recovery rate.

The agency said it would start mailing notices about the new rule on March 27, and that it would only apply to new overpayments. The 100% rate will automatically apply to affected individuals after that date, although beneficiaries can contact the SSA to request a lower rate or appeal the decision or amount, the agency said in its announcement.

The withholding rate for Supplemental Security Income overpayments will remain 10%, the agency said.

March 12: SSA ‘corrects the record’ about telephone services

After media reported that the SSA was eliminating telephone services, the agency put out a statement that it was eliminating “the risk of fraud associated with changing bank account information by telephone.”

About 40% of Social Security direct-deposit fraud is tied to someone calling into the agency to change bank information, which can be done after the SSA asks identifying questions, the SSA said. In its announcement, the SSA said individuals who want to change their bank-account information with the agency will either have to use two-factor authentication through their online “my Social Security” account or visit an SSA office to prove their identity.

March 13: The agency implements a new AI program

The Social Security Administration said it would save $5 million and help 500,000 beneficiaries a year by implementing a generative artificial-intelligence program called Hearing Recording and Transcriptions, or HeaRT. The program replaces hardware in its hearing offices and will record and create transcripts for cases, whether a hearing is done in person, on the phone or via video. “This leads to fewer hearing delays or cancellations due to equipment failure or technical issues, resulting in more timely hearings for the public,” the agency said. The nationwide rollout was set for March 17.

March 16: SSA follow ups on incorrect death records

More than 3 million deaths are reported to the SSA each year, and its records are “highly accurate,” the agency said in a new statement. “Of these millions of death reports received each year, less than one-third of 1 percent are erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected,” it said.

The SSA went on to explain how deaths are reported — via funeral homes, federal agencies, financial institutions and family members — and explained what to do if someone is mistakenly listed as dead by the agency.

The announcement came a day after the Seattle Times profiled a man the agency had deemed to be dead. “You wake up one day and discover you’re dead,” Ned Johnson told the paper. The SSA had sent a letter to Johnson’s wife saying it had received notification of her husband’s death and was requesting his benefits be returned — which it had already deducted from his bank account. At the time the column was published, his December and January benefits had been taken back, and his February and March benefits had not yet been paid.

“Instances when a person is erroneously reported as deceased to Social Security can be [devastating] to the individual, spouse, and dependent children,” the SSA said in its March 16 press release. “Benefits are stopped in the short term which can cause financial hardship until fixed and benefits restored, and the process to prove an erroneous death will always seem too long and challenging.”

March 18: SSA says it is strengthening identity-verification requirements

In a continued effort to combat theft, the agency said it was enhancing its security measures around identity verification by requiring customers to use their “my Social Security” online accounts or go to an office in person when making direct-deposit changes or benefit claims.

The agency said it would expedite the processing for direct-deposit changes almost immediately — to one business day for requests made online or in person, down from what it claimed was previously as long as 30 days for online changes.

The SSA said it would make the transition over a two-week period but added that individuals who could not use the website could start the process via phone. They would still have to finish their identity verification in person, it said.

March 19: SSA says it is cutting more costs

The agency said it was reducing operating costs and enhancing the Electronic Consent Based Social Security Number Verification, or eCBSV, service. It said it would also continue to include stakeholders in developing and implementing the service, saying it would hold regular meetings and requests for feedback.

Is privatization on the table? Some critics of DOGE-related changes at the Social Security Administration say the agency is on the path to giving away its jobs and moving to a privatized system.

March 20: Some 3 million people won’t get Social Security cards

The SSA’s Enumeration Beyond Entry program was “temporarily” frozen for noncitizens granted work authorization and newly naturalized U.S. citizens, the newsletter Popular Information reported. The freeze — which was indefinite, the newsletter said — would halt the processing of Social Security cards for those people, potentially affecting millions of workers.

In 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which worked with the SSA on this program, approved documents for more than 3 million people.

At the time of the report, the SSA said in an emailed statement to MarketWatch that it was “monitoring it closely” and would “provide an update as appropriate.”

March 20: DOGE hit with a temporary restraining order on SSA data

A Maryland federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to halt the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to Social Security data. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander also said in her order that DOGE staffers must delete any SSA data they had already collected.

“The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion,” she wrote. “It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack.”

March 20: Howard Lutnick says only “fraudsters” would be upset about a missed check

President Trump has often said beneficiaries’ Social Security checks will not be affected by the recent changes, a statement that has been echoed by other officials, including Dudek and Bisignano. But during a YouTube interview with the “All-In” podcast, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick brought up a hypothetical situation in which checks weren’t sent to beneficiaries.

“Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month,” Lutnick said during the discussion. “My mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t. She’d think something got messed up and she’ll get it next month.”

“A fraudster,” however, would be upset by the missing check, he said. “Anybody who’s been in the payment system and the process system knows the easiest way to find the fraudster is to stop payments and listen,” he said. “Yeah. ’Cause whoever screams is the one stealing.”

March 20: SSA begins Treasury collections paused during pandemic

In the midst of all of the changes under way, the SSA added another twist: resuming debt collections that had been paused during the pandemic.

The agency said it was reinstating the Treasury Offset Program, or TOP, which is “designed to collect delinquent debts owed to federal and state agencies by intercepting Federal and state payments.” It said the “immediate resumption” would be for debts accrued prior to March 2020.

TOP is not a new program — the SSA was referring debts to the program since 1992 — but it was suspended in 2020 in response to the pandemic. Prior to that, the agency had collected almost $2 billion. “The program is essential for maintaining the integrity of the OASDI and SSI programs,” the SSA said.

March 21: Dudek threatens to shut SSA temporarily — then takes it back

In response to a judge’s order that the SSA stop sharing individuals’ data with DOGE workers, Dudek told news organizations he might shut down the agency.

“Really, I want to turn it off and let the courts figure out how they want to run a federal agency,” Dudek said in a news report.

Later that day, Dudek walked back his comment, saying the agency would not close. “President Trump supports keeping Social Security offices open and getting the right check to the right person at the right time,” Dudek said in a statement at the time. “SSA employees and their work will continue under the [temporary restraining order].”

March 24: SSA says it wants to be more transparent

The Social Security Administration said it would increase “transparency and accountability,” such as by sharing weekly operational report meetings online and providing a summary list of agency actions.

Other ways the SSA says it is being more transparent include its online performance page, which tracks data such as wait times for calls to its 800 number; a workforce-update page, where it says it will give information on the number of employees who are leaving the agency through its buyout and early retirement initiatives; and an FAQ page on identity verification.

March 25: Bisignano has his confirmation hearing

Frank Bisignano, Trump’s nominee for SSA commissioner, had his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, where senators questioned him about whether he would follow the law, about how he would make sure beneficiaries get their payments on time, about his background in the technology industry and about whether he would close field offices in their states. Bisignano, who is currently chief executive officer of fintech company Fiserv until June 30 or the time of his confirmation, whichever comes first, said his priority would be to pay beneficiaries on time and correctly.

Want an insider’s view of Social Security offices these days? MarketWatch reporter Beth Pinsker chatted with beneficiaries during a visit to one New York location, and also spoke with a veteran staffer overwhelmed with the job lately.

March 26: The SSA partly reverses its identity-verification rules

In response to pushback over its latest identity-verification rules, the SSA said requirements to come to an office in person would not apply to people applying for disability insurance, Medicare or Supplemental Social Insurance benefits.

“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” Dudek said in a statement.

The SSA also said it was postponing the effective date of the policy by two weeks, to April 14, and that it would not enforce online or in-person identity verification in “dire-need situations,” such as for people with terminal illnesses or for people set to be released from prison (benefits are suspended for people who are incarcerated for more than 30 days). “SSA is currently developing a process that will require documentation and management approval to bypass the policy in such dire-need cases,” it said in its announcement.

March 27: SSA reminds healthcare providers about help it can provide

The SSA announced a “renewed emphasis” on the opportunity for healthcare providers to participate in its Health Information Technology program, through which it obtains medical records directly from providers. Electronic data exchanges help claimants obtain a determination of disability more quickly, which also means they can receive benefits faster, the agency said.

“I’ve directed the reinvigoration of the Health IT initiative, as it benefits everyone involved — SSA, our customers, health care providers, and American taxpayers,” Dudek said. “We are committed to more effectively and efficiently obtaining medical records through this program. I thank those healthcare providers that exchange information with us through Health IT and encourage other providers to partner with us.”

March 27: SSA corrects the record on office closures

The SSA said that news reports that it is permanently closing more than one field office “are false” and that it has only announced the permanent closure of one hearing office, in White Plains, N.Y. The SSA said that it occasionally closes offices temporarily because of weather, damage or other issues, but that those locations reopen.

DOGE, however, has listed numerous Social Security locations that will be closed, but has not clarified what those spaces are. The SSA said many locations it has sent to the General Services Administration for closure are small hearing rooms with no assigned workers, and said it “no longer needs these underutilized rooms.”

Frank Bisignano mentioned technology and artificial intelligence a few times during his confirmation hearing. Here’s how the Social Security Administration already uses AI, and what more could, should — and shouldn’t — be done.

April 1: Democratic senators set up Social Security ‘war room’

Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon set up a “war room” in an effort to fight changes at the SSA. The senators said they would also hold town halls, visit field offices and share beneficiaries’ stories.

“Social Security is under attack. Social Security is under siege. The chainsaw is pointed at [people’s] earned Social Security benefits. We believe Republicans have manufactured a crisis at Social Security,” Wyden said during a news conference.

April 2: Bisignano vote advances to the Senate floor

The Senate Finance Committee voted to advance Bisignano’s confirmation as SSA commissioner to the Senate floor. The vote of 14-13 along party lines was advanced despite a request from one senator to pause until an investigation could take place in regard to a whistleblower’s claims that Bisignano became involved in SSA affairs before assuming his new role.

April 8: SSA addresses website outage on X

In a post on X, the social-media site formerly known as Twitter and now owned by Musk, the SSA that the crash of its website was the result of “atypical high volume” on an old system. “It’s a 1979 platform,” the agency said in its post.

The agency said the outage “had nothing to do” with the Department of Government Efficiency in response to criticism that DOGE’s involvement is causing the issues. Some critics say the problems are because the SSA has been dramatically reducing its workforce while also pushing beneficiaries to change the way they obtain certain services, such as verifying their identity for benefit claims or making changes to direct-deposit information.

April 8: SSA unveils new anti-fraud check for telephone services

The agency also posted on X that on April 14 it will begin conducting an anti-fraud check “on all claims filed over the telephone and flag claims that have fraud risk indicators.” Those whose claims are flagged will have to provide proof of identity in person for their claim to be processed, the SSA said, while those who are not flagged can conduct their business without any in-person requirement.

The SSA did not respond to a request for comment on how this new system fits into its previous decision that most identity-verification services for benefit claims and direct-deposit changes would need to be done either online or in person. It did say on X, however, that “telephone remains a viable option to the public.”