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Older Coloradans and people with disabilities face near-impossible challenges when trying to access their Social Security benefits, according to a new report.

Researchers said it is the result of the Department of Government Efficiency's attempts to eliminate fraud and waste in federal agencies. Staffing cuts, pushing services online, reducing access to human assistance and office closures have led to increased errors and delays at every step.

Katie Savin, assistant professor of social work at California State University-Sacramento and the report's co-author, said the changes may sound technical but the consequences are dire.

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"Our respondents told us that, as a result of some of these delays, their clients lost access to housing, were evicted," Savin reported. "Some clients even died as a result of missing necessary medical care."

In the first year of the new Trump administration, the Social Security Administration shed 7,500 employees, including 3,000 customer service positions. One specialist who helps people apply for benefits told the nonprofit Truthout they now wait for over an hour on hold before an agent picks up, and even then, the call frequently drops after a couple of minutes. The administration argued in addition to cutting fraud and waste, the cuts have also reduced the backlog of disability claims.

However, researchers noted the administration is also denying more disability applications at the initial stage. Savin stressed changes made under DOGE are disproportionately affecting the people Social Security was designed to support.

"People in rural communities with limited internet access, older people who had less familiarity with navigating internet systems, really had a lot more challenges accessing their benefits when systems were moved online," Savin observed.

Researchers interviewed 52 specialists, many of whom have been working with the administration for decades, helping more than 8,000 Americans access benefits. Savin pointed out six specialists from separate organizations described trying to connect with Social Security after DOGE as screaming into a black hole.

"This is truly an unprecedented time in Social Security, when some of our most experienced advocates found themselves unable to help their clients access benefits that they were entitled to," Savin added.