Scheduled SS spousal benefit call never happened - normal or should I worry?

This EXACT thing happened to me! Had appointment for disability review, got all the confirmations, then nothing. I waited TWO WEEKS thinking they'd reschedule or something would show up in my account. NOPE. Had to start the whole process over. The SSA is a complete mess right now - massive backlog and understaffed. Your spousal benefits WON'T process automatically - you need that appointment. Call back ASAP!

Oh no, that's what I was afraid of! Did you have to wait another month for an appointment when you called back? I'm worried about missing out on benefits while I wait for them to get their act together.

I'm a former SSA employee and can tell you that unfortunately, this happens more often than it should. The most likely explanations are:1. The claims specialist who was assigned your case was unexpectedly out (illness, emergency)2. There was a scheduling system error3. Your case was reassigned but the new person wasn't properly notifiedThe spousal top-up (technically called a spousal benefit) will NOT process automatically, even though they have record of your marriage. You need to call back right away and explain what happened. Ask specifically for a \

my sister works for ssa and says the same thing, they're super short staffed and the scheduling system crashes like every other day. definitely call back!!

I had appointment for survivors benefits last month and they called 2 days LATE! No explanation, no apology. Just called out of blue and expected me to drop everything. When I said I was at work they acted like I was inconveniencing THEM! 🙄 The whole system is broken.

That's ridiculous! I specifically took time off work and rearranged my schedule for this call. Did they at least process your benefits after the late call?

Yes but took another 6 weeks to see first payment! And they got my payment amount wrong first time around, had to call AGAIN to fix it. Just prepare yourself for a long frustrating process...

Let me offer some practical advice:1. Call the main number (1-800-772-1213) as early as possible in the morning (they open at 8am local time)2. When the automated system asks why you're calling, say \

Thank you for the detailed steps! I'll try calling first thing tomorrow morning. What exactly is a \

Yes, a critical case appointment gets prioritized. It's normally for hardship situations, but missed appointments caused by SSA (not by you) can qualify. Just be polite but firm that this was their error and you shouldn't have to wait in the normal queue again. If the first representative says no, politely ask to speak with a supervisor.

That's really helpful to know. I'll definitely request that specifically. I was planning to just wait for them to call again, but now I see I need to be more proactive.

Have you tried using Claimyr? I was in a similar situation with my disability review - missed call, couldn't get through to reschedule. After trying for DAYS, I found this service claimyr.com that got me through to an actual person at SSA in less than 20 minutes! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Saved me literal hours of waiting and frustration. The rep I reached was able to see my missed appointment in their system and reschedule me for the following week. Worth every penny to not deal with the constant busy signals and disconnects.

is that site legit tho? im always worried about giving my info to random websites

It's definitely legit - they don't actually access your SSA account or anything. They just connect you through to SSA's phone system bypassing the wait. You still talk directly to official SSA representatives. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying for days.

I might try this if I can't get through tomorrow. The regular phone line is so frustrating - I tried calling back today and couldn't even get into the hold queue, just got a message to call back another time. Thanks for the tip!

DONT wait for them to call YOU!! my mom waited 3 weeks thinking theyd reschedule and nothing happened!! you have to be super aggressive with SSA these days or youll fall thru the cracks!!

That seems to be the consensus from everyone here. I was hoping since they have all our info and know we're married (from our Medicare IRMAA), they might just process it. But sounds like I need to call back ASAP.

this happens ALL THE TIME with ssa now. my appointment for retirement got cancelled with no notice then they claimed i missed it!! took 2 months to get new appointment. system is total mess since covid

Just to clarify something important: The fact that you both pay IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) for Medicare is handled by a completely different system than the one that processes spousal benefits. While it does confirm your marriage status, the benefits specialists still need to:1. Calculate your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) based on your own work record2. Calculate the spousal benefit amount (up to 50% of your husband's PIA)3. Compare the two to determine the appropriate top-up amount4. Process the application with the correct start dateNone of this happens automatically, which is why that appointment is crucial. When you call back, specifically mention \

Thank you for explaining that! I assumed since they clearly know we're married from the Medicare side, the benefit would be more automatic. I'll make sure to be very specific when I call back about needing to complete the spousal benefit application process.

my friend works at ssa and says they're working with systems from like the 1980s that crash all the time. plus massive retirement wave and they cant hire enough people. not surprised they missed ur call tbh

Update on your situation: I spoke with my neighbor who's a claims specialist at SSA, and she mentioned their scheduling system had a major issue last week that affected many appointments. She recommends calling the national number and specifically asking for a \

Oh that's interesting - so it might have been a widespread issue rather than just my appointment being overlooked. I appreciate the insider info! I'll ask for a critical case manager specifically.

Did they ever send you a confirmation number for the appointment? I've found that having the confirmation number is CRUCIAL when following up on these things. Makes it harder for them to claim you didn't have an appointment.

Yes! They sent an email with a confirmation code, and I still have the text message and the letter they mailed. I've got all of it ready to reference when I call back.

Perfect! That'll make it much easier to get this fixed. Good luck!

Wow! I took my grandmother to the SSA so she could finally file, and receive SS Spousal benefits, which my grandparents have never receiv any SS benefits bc my GF was part of the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), after working 30 years for the SSA, but jow my GM was excited she could even get some retroactive benefits due to the Social Security Fairness Act law that passed in 2025, repealing the WEP and GPO dowanfall bc like my GM, workers (spouse) were told there was not enough points to receive any spousal benefits. Okay, now I am back on track...However, after making a trip to the SSA office with my 93-year-old GM, only to be told we had to make an appointment, for such benefits, and appointment can only be made by contacting local SSA office that we were leaving. Two days later, we scheduled a video-call appointment for 3 weeks later, and we would receive a confirmation letter via USPS, an email with video pin to get into Teams appointment, and we would receive a call at 1:40 pm from SSA in case we had trouble getting logged onto Teams...not one of the three things promised happened and neither has the the either of the other two promises from SSA, with benefits to happen and retroactive benefits to be funded immediately. My grandmother does not believe she will live to even receive a penny, let alone enjoy the peace-of-mind, as her days get harder. I called on 3 different days of last week, with no return call yet. I am going to call first thing tomorrow morning, bc she cannot complete an online application without an agent, not sure why, but I have faith they do everything for good reason. Thank you for allowing me to vent. Kindly, Mia

This is incredibly frustrating but unfortunately very common right now. I'm dealing with a similar issue with my disability review - had a scheduled phone appointment that never happened, and like you I had all the confirmations. From what I've learned lurking in SSA groups, their phone system is completely overwhelmed and appointments are getting dropped left and right. The key things everyone seems to agree on: 1. Don't wait for them to reschedule - they won't 2. Call the 1-800 number first thing in the morning (8am sharp) 3. Have all your confirmation numbers ready 4. Be prepared to explain this was THEIR error, not yours The spousal benefit definitely won't process automatically even though they know you're married from Medicare. You need that appointment to complete the application process. I'd also suggest checking if your local SSA office takes walk-ins for urgent issues. Some people have had better luck going in person when phone appointments get missed. Good luck - this whole system is such a mess right now!

This is so frustrating but unfortunately very typical of SSA right now. I'm a retired benefits counselor and I've been helping friends and family navigate these exact issues since the pandemic really messed up their systems. A few things to keep in mind when you call back: 1. The appointment confirmations you received are actually really valuable - they prove SSA scheduled you, so this was definitely their error, not yours 2. When you call, don't just ask to reschedule - specifically say "I had a confirmed appointment that SSA failed to conduct" and ask for it to be marked as a critical case 3. Try calling at exactly 8:00 AM your local time - the phone queues fill up fast 4. If you get disconnected or can't get through, try calling different SSA offices in your state - sometimes their local lines are less busy The spousal benefit absolutely will NOT process automatically. Even though Medicare knows you're married for IRMAA purposes, the retirement benefits division operates separately and they need to manually calculate your spousal top-up amount. Don't feel bad about being persistent - you're entitled to these benefits and it's their job to process your application properly. The squeaky wheel really does get the grease with SSA these days. Good luck!

I'm so sorry this happened to you! I went through something very similar last year when applying for my own retirement benefits. Had a scheduled appointment, got all the confirmations, and then... nothing. Complete radio silence from SSA. What I learned from that frustrating experience is that you absolutely cannot wait for them to reach out to you. The system is so backlogged and understaffed that missed appointments just get lost in the shuffle unless YOU follow up aggressively. Here's what worked for me: - Called the 1-800 number at exactly 8:00 AM (set an alarm!) - Had all my confirmation numbers ready to read off - Specifically said "SSA failed to conduct my scheduled appointment" rather than just asking to reschedule - Asked for a supervisor when the first rep tried to put me at the back of the regular queue The whole process took about 6 weeks longer than it should have, but I did eventually get everything sorted out. The key is being persistent and not letting them treat this like it was your fault for "missing" the appointment. Your spousal benefits definitely won't process without that appointment - they need to do the calculations and paperwork even though they already know you're married from Medicare. Don't let anyone tell you it might happen automatically, because it won't. Good luck tomorrow morning! Let us know how it goes.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Had a scheduled phone appointment for my retirement benefits application last Friday - got the text confirmation, email, AND a mailed letter. They even called Thursday night with an automated reminder. Friday comes and... nothing. No call, no explanation, no follow-up. It's been 5 days now and I've tried calling back twice but keep getting the "all circuits are busy" message. This thread is really helpful because I was starting to wonder if I somehow missed the call or if my phone was acting up. Clearly this is a widespread problem with their system. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like I need to stop waiting around and be much more aggressive about following up. I'm going to try calling first thing Monday morning at 8 AM sharp with all my confirmation numbers ready. It's really frustrating that we have to chase them down when THEY missed the appointment they scheduled. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - at least now I know this isn't just happening to me!