300 Lines Added to Answer Calls for Social Security Check Estimates

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Administration has added more than 300 phone lines with people instead of a computer answering them to handle the thousands of calls daily from workers seeking personalized estimates of their future benefit checks.

“Obviously, many, many Americans were getting busy signals,” Phil Gambino, a spokesman for the agency, said Wednesday. “Now people are getting through on the first ring.”

Social Security Commissioner Dorcas R. Hardy on Aug. 4 unveiled the “personal earnings and benefit estimate statements” and invited workers to apply for them.

The agency established a toll-free number--1-800-937-2000--that Social Security participants can call to request the form, SSA-7004, for the information.

Fewer Calls Were Handled

The toll-free number originally had 200 phone lines hooked up to a computer designed to handle 10,000 calls an hour, 24 hours a day. But, because people were confused by the computer or the computer did not understand the addresses being given and asked for repeats, it was handling about 2,500 calls an hour.

Hardy said that because of the demand the agency added 216 lines that are answered by its employees and contracted for 120 more lines through a private service company, all on the same 800 number.