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!