Getting an appointment at Champaign’s social security district office continues to take 30 days or more, but some recipients report that once they are at the office their needs are processed quickly.

Yet the wait can be frustrating and difficult.

Kiesha Jones, a Champaign resident, said she waited an hour and a half for her initial appointment at Champaign’s Social Security Office.

“They were like, we’re only taking appointments, you’ve got to call this number. I called the number and I couldn’t get through,” she said. “Once I got through, they made an appointment about 37 days out.”

Jones was trying to get her paraplegic son’s social security benefits started. She said the agency counts her income against her son’s benefits. However, Jones said she cannot use his benefits for herself or household items.

“It’s just a tricky situation dealing with this office,” she said. “A lot goes on here, but you really can’t get anything done.”

Despite her experience, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration said in a December email to CU-CitizenAccess that most claim appointments for disability benefits are scheduled within a month.

“The Champaign, Illinois office currently schedules the vast majority of T2 disability, SSI Blind and Disabled, and aged claim appointments within 30 days of request,” the spokesperson said.

About 30,000 Champaign County residents receive social security benefits, totaling more than $50 million in December 2024, according to a report from the administration.

In February, the administration announced plans to cut staffing from 57,000 to 50,000.

Other recipients report longer than 30 day wait, but fast service once at appointment

Several other recipients said they waited over a month for their appointments this fall. But once they were in the office, many said their appointments took 10 to 15 minutes.

Joseph Bucks, a resident in Gibson City, said he “got in, got out.”

He did not make an appointment online. Instead, he came to the office and made an appointment for the next day.

Bucks drives about 30 to 40 minutes to reach the Social Security office, but said the driving did not bother him.

Siqi Zhu, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, went to the office for his social security number.

“It’s very quick. It took me around 10 minutes to finish the process,” Zhu said. “But it is very hard to make the appointment.”

Zhu waited about 30 days for his appointment.

“[The process was] very smooth, as long as you have all the documents that are required,” he said.

Cindy Zhang, a business student at the university, also went to the office for her social security number. She waited over a month for her appointment and said the appointment was efficient compared to the last time she came.

“There was stuff I needed to print out and then come back for,” Zhang said. “This time, I had everything, so it went really smoothly.”

Taebanphakul Supmongkol Cui, a business student at the university, did not have the necessary documents to obtain his social security number.

“They cannot accept a copy for the I-20. They said they need the original one,” he said. “But the problem is, my parents cannot sign this [document] in-person. I need to send it back to my country.”

For every other government process, they accepted copies, Taebanphakul said. However, the I-20 is issued and signed electronically.

“We don’t even have the original one,” he said. “They said we can make a request with [the university’s] ISSS office. I never knew they could issue me [this document].”

But he said the wait time for his appointment was short.

“I got in for five minutes, and then they talked to me for three minutes and refused me. That’s all,” he said. “I mean, the process is efficient, but not the post process.”

He signed up for his next appointment on the ground outside of the office. The next opening was on Dec. 7, 45 days later.

“I don’t understand why they have such a long long gap for the next appointment period,” Taebanphakul said. “They’re open every day, right?”

L’oreal Lockett, a Champaign resident, came to replace her card.

Lockett did not have an appointment, so she waited about 10 minutes until an employee turned her away, she said.

“I think you should be able to do the replacement stuff here instead of making an appointment,” she said. “That’s the only thing [I would change].”

CU-CitizenAccess previously reported the Champaign office had 11 employees in August 2024, which dropped to nine employees in March 2025.

National performance improving for program, administration data shows

In the past few months, data from the administration shows people have had more success reaching customer service representatives by calling the national 800-number network since the national disruptions earlier this year.

In March, about 30% of calls were redirected to a busy message, the data shows. The rate of busy messages dropped to about 0.5% in August.

“Maintaining adequate staffing and the ability to replace losses is the largest factor affecting National 800 Number performance,” the administration’s website says.

In July, the administration temporarily reassigned about 4% of its field office employees, NPR reported. These employees covered the national 800 number, which the administration said reduced caller wait times by 66%.

From 2024 to 2025, the average wait time for a person without any appointment lowered from 31 minutes to 28 minutes, according to the administration’s performance page. For people with an appointment, the wait time dropped from seven minutes to six minutes.

“While callers are receiving faster service, at the same time, processing time for retirement and survivors claims is improving,” the administration’s website says.

According to the spokesperson, the administration’s commissioner, Frank Bisignano, said he wants to modernize the administration’s technology to improve its services.

“And he has pledged to have the optimal level of staffing to administer the services SSA provides,” the spokesperson said.