Mark Cuban warning about a ‘back-door’ threat to your Social Security benefits — here’s what retirees need to know now

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban says Social Security is being weakened in ways that could leave seniors with less without officially reducing their benefits.

He started raising the alarm a year ago, shortly after the Trump administration took office.

“The administration is removing phone support for Social Security recipients,” he warned on BlueSky last March. “[This is] making it more difficult for seniors to get their checks. It’s a back-door way to cut SS benefits. Horrific.” (1)

As The Street notes, his dire warning resonates powerfully a year later as the Social Security Administration (SSA) prepares to launch big changes (2).

On March 7, the SSA will roll out new systems — National Appointment Scheduling and National Workload Management — to route individual beneficiaries’ cases and concerns nationwide instead of through local offices.

Some — like Michael Ryan, founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com — fear this could result in a “shadow” cut to benefits, echoing Mark Cuban in their concern.

Ryan recently told Newsweek that many older Americans could get locked out of the system and processing errors will increase (3).

Here’s what’s going on, and what to do about it.

For many retirees, especially those who aren’t tech-savvy or who live in rural areas, direct access to Social Security employees who can help is critical.

That’s why there was a backlash when the SSA moved to eliminate phone support altogether last year.

The administration dropped that plan, but the broader trend is towards fewer staff, fewer offices and fewer ways for seniors to get help.

A January 2026 report from the Center for American Progress reveals just how deep the cuts go (4):

• Over 6,600 SSA employees — 11% of the workforce — left in 2025

• Staffing fell by at least 10% in 33 states

• Wyoming lost 19% of its staff; Missouri and Wisconsin each lost 14%

• Some rural field offices closed entirely

The result of all these cuts is longer wait times, fewer appointments, and less support for seniors trying to navigate a complex system.

While the demand for help remains high, the number of humans available to provide it is disappearing quickly.

In fact, the SSA plans to cut in-person visits by more than 50%, from 31 million to just 15 million.

Wendell Primus is a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center on Health Policy. He told Morningstar that the SSA’s plan to route cases nationwide can’t compensate for the staffing losses.

“They can’t make up for the loss of 7,000 staff with this method,” he said (5) “Even before all the changes, we needed more staff. We had backlogs. This is boneheaded and stupid.”

Moreover, Social Security state taxation rules vary across the country, so depending on who answers the call, SSA staff may or may not be able to provide complete answers.

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The SSA is moving towards online services as the main door into the system. With fewer SSA staff to help them, older Americans may be wise to start using them.

Retirees who get comfortable using online tools now may avoid delays, missed benefits, and long hold times later.

You can go to ssa.gov to:

• Track your estimated benefits

• Apply for retirement and spousal benefits

• Update direct deposit

• Request replacement documents

• Monitor claim status

• Check your earnings statements regularly

That last item — checking your earnings record — is crucial. Your Social Security benefit is based on your 35 highest-earning years.

If even one year is missing or wrong, your check could be lower than it should be; mistakes can cost real money.

Things to keep your eye out for would be missing years, incorrect income or employer reporting errors.

Fixing mistakes now will be easier than trying to do it after benefits start, especially as phone lines and in-person help become harder to access (6).

Meanwhile, as benefits become harder to access, locking in benefits at a higher guaranteed payment is a powerful move you can make.

If you claim Social Security before your full retirement age (which is typically 66 or 67), your monthly check is permanently reduced. But if you wait, the opposite happens.

For every year you delay past full retirement age, up to age 70, your benefit grows by about 8% per year thanks to delayed retirement credits. That means someone who waits until 70 can receive up to 24% more every month for life compared to claiming at full retirement age (7).

If you have a spouse, claiming benefits independently could be a big mistake.

Married couples can choose between their own work record or up to 50% of their partner’s benefit at full retirement age and the right combination can mean thousands more in lifetime income.

In some cases, it pays for one spouse to start collecting while the other delays, letting delayed retirement credits boost the higher earner’s future checks.

The key is coordination: without a joint strategy, couples risk locking in lower payments for life.

Mark Cuban’s warning for retirees is that while Social Security isn’t being cut on paper; the ‘cuts’ are coming through friction, delays, and reduced access.

But by delaying strategically, coordinating as a couple, checking your earnings, and using digital tools, you can take control of the parts of Social Security that are still in your hands and do your best to make sure that shrinking support doesn’t shrink your retirement.

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BlueSky (1); The Street (2); Newsweek (3); Center for American Progress (4); Morningstar (5); Money.com (6); AARP (7)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.