The Veterans Administration (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) would be able to implement a call-back system to help reduce customer call wait times, increase the number of calls being answered, and improve customer satisfaction under a bipartisan bill offered by U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA).
“Veterans, seniors, and all Americans deserve the most convenient service possible when they call a federal agency for assistance,” Rep. Calvert said. “Taxpayers should not be left on hold for endless amounts of time praying that someone answers their call.”
The congressman on Dec. 7 sponsored the Stuck on Hold Act, H.R. 6656, with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) to direct the VA Secretary and the SSA commissioner to implement automated systems with callback functionality for each customer service telephone line for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the SSA, respectively, according to the congressional record bill summary.
Currently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), SSA, and VA each operate their call centers differently, resulting in a wide variety of customer service standards for the American people, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Calvert that notes that the IRS was the first federal agency to move to a call-back system.
If enacted, H.R. 6656 would require the SSA and VA to implement similar call-back functionality used by the IRS, and would require a call-back option if there is a longer than 15-minute wait time, the summary says.
“The Stuck on Hold Act will provide callers with estimated wait times and the option to receive a call back when those wait times are lengthy, a practice that is now fairly standard in the private sector,” said Rep. Calvert.