The Social Security Administration (SSA) has made major enhancements to its “my Social Security” online services, offering new tools and notices for people filing disability claims.
Individuals will now be able to complete and submit disability adjudication forms directly through their my Social Security online accounts, the SSA said in a July 21 statement.
Online submission ensures adjudicators receive the required information quickly and enables claims to be processed more efficiently.
Three forms can be submitted through the accounts—Form HA-4631, Recent Medical Treatment; Form HA-4632, Medication Information; and Form HA-4633, Work Background.
People with pending disability claims, appeals, or recently adjudicated claims can now view their case status online, and the status can be tracked at the hearing and appeal phases of the claims.
The tracker also provides estimated time for claims processing and key milestones reached during the adjudication process.
Applicants can use the my Social Security account to access their proffer letters—notices issued when new evidence is added to a disability claim case after a hearing.
This will allow applicants to review and respond as required before a decision is made.
The updates to disability claims processing come as thousands of such cases remain pending at the agency.
According to a June 9 update from the SSA, there were 862,128 disability claims pending as of May 2026.
While this is down from the 973,969 cases pending from a year ago, the May number is higher than the 831,973 pending claims in January.
The average claim processing time has improved over the year, declining from 226 days in May 2025 to 184 days in May 2026.
In its recent statement, the SSA said it was making available 26 notices for disability claims through my Social Security.
The changes are expected to ensure applicants have faster access to information and that cases are processed more efficiently.
“These digital tools will streamline operations and empower claimants to stay informed and promptly respond to important developments throughout the hearing process, eliminating the need for hearing offices to make outbound calls and instead, focus on reviewing cases in a timely manner,” SSA Chief of Disability Adjudication Jay Ortis said in the statement.
Overall Customer Service
While the SSA seeks to improve its service for disability claim applicants, the agency has faced criticism over its overall customer service performance.
A June 3 post from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) said that staff cuts at the SSA have harmed service delivery.
Between January 2025 and April 2026, SSA staff at field offices across 42 states and the District of Columbia declined by more than 10 percent, CBPP said, citing data from the Office of Personnel Management.
CBPP said that this has affected the SSA’s “ability to deliver” across the country.
The center justified this by stating that the SSA stopped publicly releasing monthly updates for several customer service metrics in summer 2025.
And in May 2026, the agency failed to publish any updates regarding these stats, CBPP said.
According to the agency, the average answer speed when a person calls the national 800 number has been reduced from 34 minutes in fiscal year 2024 to eight minutes in 2026.
Meanwhile, the quantity of 800 number calls handled by agents and self-service increased by almost 13 million during this period.
The agency expects the implementation of advanced technology, flexible workforce, and effective management to allow it to serve roughly 100 million customers at its 800 number and field office phones in 2026.
Moreover, earlier this year, the total number of my Social Security accounts opened by people crossed 100 million.
“We are transforming SSA into a model of excellence, a digital-first agency that meets and exceeds customer expectations for timely, accurate service wherever they want to be met,” SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in a statement.
“In the last year, SSA has achieved historic results. We are delivering on the promise of Social Security for the more than 330 million Americans we serve.”
