One of the busiest spots in Chicago's downtown area Saturday wasthe Social Security Administration's Harold Washington ProgramService Center at 600 W. Madison.
A staff of 216 was answering calls to the red-hot toll-freenumber, 1-800-937-2000. Requests poured in from across the nationfor an application form, SSA-7004, to obtain benefit estimates.
Humans, rather than answering machines, began answering 216phone lines Friday night at the center. The agency also put another120 phone lines, also answered by people, into service Friday nightin another city.
That brought to 536 the total number of 24-hour lines in use,including 200 lines put into service initially and answered bymachines. The machine-answered lines are now being used for overflowcalls.
The expanded service is designed to eliminate the logjam thatoccurred when the agency began offering computerized benefitestimates last week.
Many callers received busy signals days to get through. Callersare asked to give their names, addresses and Social Security numbersfor mailing purposes.
Ronald Wloszczynski, deputy Chicago regional commissioner, saidagency staffers Saturday made a number of calls to the toll-freenumber themselves to test it and were able to get through virtuallyevery time.
Wloszczynski said the more efficient phone operation has made itunnecessary to go forward with an earlier plan to place copies of thenew application form in post offices.
Phil Gambino, a Social Security spokesman in Baltimore, alsosaid the agency has decided not to put the forms in post offices.
The "Personalized Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement"details how large a benefit check a worker would get each month uponretirement or if disabled.
The form also can be obtained by calling one of the 25Chicago-area Social Security offices or by writing to ConsumerInformation Center, Dept. 55, Social Security Administration, Pueblo,Colo. 81009.
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