The Social Security Administration (SSA) commissioner, Frank Bisignano, visited the Wichita, Kansas, field office last week and shared plans to phase out paper checks while expanding online accounts.

Why It Matters

The SSA supports about 72 million beneficiaries and manages services linked to over 330 million Social Security numbers.

Shifts in how the agency delivers benefits directly impact millions of Americans who depend on monthly retirement, disability, and survivors payments.

What To Know

Bisignano plans to restructure operations as part of President Donald Trump’s broader modernization initiative.

“I’m interested in improving the experience for people who work in the office, also giving them the best tools and the easiest way to interact with the public,” Bisignano told The Wichita Eagle.

“I think it’s how do we raise employee satisfaction? How do we raise client satisfaction? And, most of all, as I’ve said multiple times…we’re going to meet people where they want to be met.”

He visited the Wichita field office while facing pressure from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and the SSA’s acting inspector general, both of whom are scrutinizing the agency’s reported improvements in wait times and customer service.

“The senator [Warren] was quite surprised at the turnaround in performance—so surprised that she asked for an audit of it. And we all know what the results of the audit are going to be: A-plus,” Bisignano said.

“It was up at 40 minutes a year ago and it’s single digits now. That’s technology and that’s good leadership and that’s management and support from Congress.”

Changes at Social Security

The agency announced it will stop issuing paper checks for federal payments on September 30 under an executive order to modernize payments. Remaining check recipients must enroll in direct deposit or use the Direct Express prepaid debit card unless they secure an approved waiver.

Bisignano said the agency manages about 75 million online accounts and aims to grow that number to 200 million by as early as 2026. He emphasized that field offices will stay open to meet in-person needs.

Still, some worry fraud will surge with the sharp increase in online accounts for seniors.

“I truly believe fraud will increase dramatically,” Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. “I am already seeing a steady increase in attempts on the Boomers [born between 1946 and 1964], and this will just make it that much easier. Many are not comfortable providing these details through websites, but by forcing this adoption mistakes and fraud will undoubtedly occur.”

The agency also announced a restructuring of senior leadership and a reorganization into Field Operations, Processing Center, and Digital Service areas to better align management with front-line services. Several new officials were named to senior roles as part of the administration’s overhaul.

Last week, the agency appointed Chad Poist as chief of staff and chief risk officer, Karen Glenn as chief actuary, Nicholas Perrine as chief communications officer, Jay Ortis as acting chief of disability adjudication, and Andy Sriubas as chief of field operations.

Beneficiaries remain uneasy about the future of Social Security payments as the Social Security Trustees project the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Fund reserves will deplete between 2033 and 2035 without legislative changes.

At that point, recipients who have paid into the system would receive only about 20 percent of their promised benefits.

What People Are Saying

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “There are few surprises in this most recent round of comments on the future of Social Security. All of the recent developments have encouraged recipients to shift more to online access for benefit information, questions and feedback, and setting up direct deposit for receiving future payments. Less need for in-person services could obviously equate to more administrative savings over time.”

In a letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote, “The SSA is failing to provide policymakers and the public with accurate information about the extent of the problem, using convoluted calculations to obfuscate the real data, or withholding information entirely.”

A spokesperson for the SSA previously told Newsweek: “Despite unfounded claims, SSA’s dedicated workforce is delivering a significantly improved customer experience… Commissioner Bisignano has pledged to have the right level of staffing to deliver best-in-class customer service.

“The impact of Commissioner Bisignano’s strategic transformation of SSA is clear: the average speed of answer for the National 800 Number has dropped from 30 minutes last year to single digits; average field office wait times have decreased by 30 percent; the SSA website now enables Americans with 24/7 access and management of their benefits after the elimination of 29 hours of previously scheduled weekly downtime; and 3.1 million Social Security Fairness Act payments totaling $17 billion were sent five months early.”

What Happens Next

The agency is working to finish the transition away from paper checks by the September 30 deadline and continues outreach to enroll beneficiaries in direct deposit or Direct Express.

“Concerns continue to persist on the switch, as some have questioned the touted lessening of customer service wait times and how all these changes will affect seniors whose digital literacy is lacking,” Beene said. “Few fail to understand the push to more online usage, but the worry comes in how the transition will be received by current beneficiaries.”