Social Security Chief Confirms Organizational, Leadership Changes

The SSA has initiated multiple changes since the Trump administration took office earlier this year.

Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on Feb. 11, 2005. William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

The Social Security Administration (SSA) on Wednesday announced a new leadership team and agency organizational changes that it says will make it more efficient.

The SSA said that it is “consolidating all Security functions into a single, integrated organization, which will be responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight of information security, physical and protective security, as well as personnel security and suitability programs.”

“The functions previously under Operations will be realigned into three distinct areas: Field Operations, Processing Center, and Digital Service,” the SSA’s statement said.

The agency also said that Chad Poist, who became a senior-level SSA official in 2023, was named as the agency’s chief of staff and chief risk officer, according to the SSA. Other changes include Karen Glenn as the agency’s chief actuary, Nicholas Perrine as chief communications officer, Andy Sriubas as chief of field operations, and Jay Ortis as acting chief of disability adjudication, according to the SSA.

Of the changes, SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in a statement that he believes “their expertise and dedication position the agency to deliver a pristine control environment, optimal efficiency, and world-class service to the American people.”

Since the Trump administration took over earlier this year, the SSA has initiated multiple changes to its services.

That includes a move that phases out paper checks issued by Social Security and other federal agencies, starting on Sept. 30. A spokesperson for the SSA in July told The Epoch Times that some Social Security recipients will still be able to receive paper checks.

“We will continue to drive down paper check volume, which is less than 1 percent of total, by proactively communicating with beneficiaries about the advantages of enrolling in electronic payments and the process for doing so,” the spokesperson said at the time. “Where a beneficiary has no other means to receive payment, we will continue to issue paper checks.”

Meanwhile, the agency on Aug. 1 said that a policy that would have mandated some seniors and other recipients to visit local SSA field offices is now optional. A Security Authentication PIN for account-holders was also rolled out last month, which the agency says is “designed to make the identity verification process faster and more secure when calling the National 800 Number to handle your Social Security business.”

The announcement from the agency comes as a senior citizens group recently predicted that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income payments will increase by 2.7 percent for 2026, coming after a 2.5 percent increase for 2025.

The COLA factors in consumer product index reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the months of July, August, and September. The SSA is scheduled to announce next year’s COLA next month.

In July 2025, the average Social Security monthly payment sent to retired workers stood at 2,006.69, representing an increase of $1.64 over the June average of $2,005.05, according to data from the SSA. The benefit has increased by $27.92 since January 2025, the data show. The average payment reached $2,000 for retirees for the first time in May of this year.

Roughly 72.5 million people receive either Social Security or Supplemental Security Income payments each month, the SSA says on its website.