AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the Department of Government Efficiency— or DOGE— continues to make cuts across many federal agencies, some people worry the moves could cause some issues for services. DOGE is currently eyeing the Social Security Administration (SSA), where it has identified more than $ 800 million in cost savings for fiscal year 2025. Areas DOGE has identified to cut back on include payroll, information technology, contracts and grants, space savings and other savings through new, common-sense approaches to printing, travel and purchase card policies. In payroll, the agency froze SSA and Disability Determination Services hiring and reduced overtime, which it estimates will be about $550 million in savings. They identified an ITS budget reduction of $150 million by cancelling non-essential contracts and identifying reductions in other ITS contracts. The agency is also looking to make cuts to its staff, moving from about 57,000 employees to 50,000. What to know about Social Security office closures driven by Musk’s DOGE "I am very worried, especially as a new social security retiree, wondering what is going to happen," said Carla, who stopped by the Austin SSA office in south Austin after she said she waited hours on the phone to talk to someone. "And they tell you your call will be answered in 120 minutes and nobody answered," Carla said. After a long wait they decided to drive down just to talk to someone and get the information and paperwork they needed. Stuart Greenfield, a professor of economics at Austin Community College, said these waits could get longer and cause delays for important information. "It will require more people waiting long hours on the phone to get explanations of their benefits, how to apply, how to appeal," Greenfield said. "If you make things more difficult, you would expect fewer people will process successful applications." Now as a recent retiree, Carla said she's watching what unfolds closely. "Imagine the volume of work and there is no people," she said. KXAN reached out to the SSA, a spokesperson referred us to a press release quoting the acting commissioner who said— "We have spent billions annually doing the same things the same way, leading to bureaucratic stagnation, inefficiency, and a lack of meaningful service improvements. It is time to change just that." It's still unclear if any local offices have seen cuts. KXAN reached out to Congressman Lloyd Doggett's office that told us no employees in Austin were fired. However, Doggett's office did say it has not been able to get that confirmed. ...read more read less