Inside the Social Security backlog: How Americans must wait 38 minutes to speak to advisors as one man reveals agonizing NINE MONTH wait to finalize late uncle's estate

Americans calling their Social Security office are being left on hold for nearly 38 minutes amid 'egregious delays' at the government body. 

Wait times on the telephone - SEVEN times longer than 15 years ago - are just the start of the misery Americans face. Those applying for disability benefits, for example, must then wait an average of seven months to get approved.

It comes after a Social Security Administration (SSA) whistleblower in Sioux City, Iowa, revealed staff were ignoring 'simple requests' from benefits recipients who were forced to wait 'weeks to months' for answers. 

DailyMail.com has spoken to one man who has been waiting nine months to wrap up his dead uncle's estate but has been repeatedly told to 'sit tight' by SSA workers.

Dion Algeri's uncle Tony Algeri, from White Plains, New York, passed away on February 4 last year, aged 89. 

Americans calling their Social Security office are being left on hold for nearly 38 minutes amid concerns of 'egregious delays' at the government body

Dion Algeri's uncle Tony Algeri, from White Plains, New York, passed away on February 4 last year, aged 89. The two are pictured together 

As one of Tony's closest relatives, Dion has been charged with wrapping up his estate. He was informed Tony, a hairdresser, was entitled to one more Social Security cheque worth $2,300. 

Dion was instructed to fill out some remaining paperwork - which he sent on July 9th.

Since then, the 51-year-old, who owns a web design company, has attempted to chase on officials on the phone on three occasions. 

He told DailyMail.com: 'I have sold my uncle's apartment in the time it's taken to get a response from Social Security. Nothing at all has changed since I filed the paperwork on July 9th.

'It's frustrating being told to sit tight in a backlog. On one occasion, I was speaking to a girl who seemed totally oblivious about what was going on.

'I was put on hold many, many times.' 

The most recently available data published by the Social Security Administration shows that Americans are waiting for 37 minutes and 45 seconds to get through to a worker on average so far this year.

It means wait times have climbed even higher from last year's average of around 35 minutes and 50 seconds. 

In 2008, this figure was just 5 minutes and 23 seconds. By 2018, it had grown to 23 minutes and 43 seconds. 

Meanwhile those applying for disability benefits are waiting 229 days on average so far this year up from an average of 217 days in 2023. It equates to over seven months.

The SSA pays $1.4 trillion in benefits to more than 71 million people every year.

Its headquarters has the most unused office space of any Biden agency at just 7 percent according to a recent report - meaning 90 percent is unoccupied daily wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. 

As one of Tony's closest relatives, Dion has been charged with wrapping up his estate. Pictured: Tony, a hairdresser

TheSSA pays $1.4 trillion in benefits to more than 71 million people every year

Its National 800 Number Network provides toll-free telephone service to the US, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, the American Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The number provides an agent service five days a week from 7am to 7pm. 24-hour automated services are also available 365 per days a year.

Last year, analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, raised the alarm over a customer service crisis facing the SSA. Many of the issues caused by stringent administrative budget cuts over the past ten years. 

The Biden administration had requested a $1.3 billion increase in the SSA's customer service budget for 2024. 

But the new figures show customer service is only worsening at the institution.

On Twitter dozens of Americans are complaining of shambolic customer service. 

A user called Don Benson tagged the official Social Security account and wrote: 'Livid that I’m told over the phone I can’t make an appointment to change designated payees, then after waiting in line at my local office I’m told it has to be done only with an appointment, which is two months later. 

'Oh, and then the rude clerk who waited on me.'

Meanwhile Hollis said: 'I was literally on hold for 59 minutes and got disconnected as soon as Erica picked up and identified herself. 

Biden's Chief of Staff Jeff Zients also ordered Cabinet heads to ensure that their workforce returns to the office this year

The SSA headquarters in Washington, D.C., had the most unused office space of any Biden agency at just 7 percent according to a recent report - meaning 90 percent is unoccupied daily wasting billions of taxpayer dollars

'I called back & new wait time is 1hr 36min. I don’t have time for this after waiting an hour already! Ridiculous!'

Last week, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that local SSA staff are ignoring 'simple requests' for months on end. 

A whistleblower wrote in a disclosure obtained first by this publication that their department faxed 12 intakes to the SSA office but had 'not received any calls on them' as of March 7. 

Some of the intakes date back to December 2023, according to the whistleblower, allowing several months to go unanswered.

'I'm at a loss of what to do to get things moving in the right direction,' they wrote in an email to the SSA office's assistant district manager.

Top Iowa Republicans Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Randy Feenstra have written to Social Security Inspector General Gail Ennis over the concerns.

An SSA spokesman told DailyMail.com the agency has introduced a new performance management tool that reviews its progress on call wait times every two weeks and has already improved performance.

However, he added: 'To fully return to acceptable wait times, Congress must approve the President's Budget so the agency can hire more teleservice center employees to answer calls. Unfortunately, our current funding, which is essentially level and is less than the President’s Budget, is forcing the agency to curtail hiring and staffing efforts that would help cut wait times.