1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I'm writing today to express my support for the Social Security Administration. While I'm sure efficiencies can be found (like updating their software and computing systems) I have found that the people working there are invaluable. I applied for Social Security at the end of 2023, expecting it might take 2 to 4 weeks for my application to be processed. After 3 months of waiting, I decided to make a call to my local office in Mount Vernon, WA. My expectations were low that I would even get a human on the phone. Much to my surprise, the Manager of the Mount Vernon office answered my call. I explained that my application seemed to be "stuck" in the system, and I hadn't received any updates or requests for more information. She was very friendly and quickly looked me up in the system, where she found my application. She said she would look into why it wasn't moving forward, and would return my call within the week.  Again, I had low expectations, but darned if she didn't call me back a few days later and let me know that she had been able to move my application forward, and that I could expect my first deposit within a month, and also a deposit for the months I'd been waiting. I received both payments promptly. It would have been a hardship if I had had to visit the Mount Vernon office, as I live on Orcas Island. Not only would it mean a full day away from home with the ferry trip, but it would have cost me over $100 with ferry fare and gas. I recently had a friend (also in Washington) mention that after several months she hadn't heard anything about her application. I told her my story, and she called as well, and got the situation resolved quite quickly. It's the people who make the Social Security System work! They are not the problem.