Social Security Administration

Very easy. In and out within 30 minutes at 2PM on a monday. I had heard horror stories about the name change process and as far as the social security side went this was pleasant. Download the form and fill out before hand and be sure to have all your documents.

This review is based on the fact that I’ve never been to many other government offices in the city of Chicago. But since so many other people have had such a positive experience here, I decided to go.
Parking is free along the street near the building. Anything west of Morgan is free — Woot!
When you arrive, you have to check yourself in the machine past the doors in front of you. When I tried to check myself in, it asked me for my office ID. If this happens to you, flag down a staff person because the machine is not working. Which is what happened to me. An administrator had to reboot the entire computer. Once that happened, checking myself in was just fine. Grabbed my receipt with my number.
To the right of the check-​in machine are pamphlets to renew your social security card (which was what I was there for). You can grab one of these and fill it out while you wait.
I probably waited somewhere between 10 – 20 minutes. Once they called me, I gave them my drivers license and the completed pamphlet. And in less than 5 minutes, she gave me a printed paper that was my receipt, telling me they would mail my social security card to the address I wrote on the pamphlet. Takes 2 weeks. And Boom. I was done.
In and out in about 30 minutes on a Friday afternoon around 2PM.
Tip: Check their open hours — the hours they are open are shorter the closer you get to the weekend.

If you need to change your last name after getting married or request a new social security card, this is the place to go! Everyone there was very helpful and made sure I was checked in and had all of the appropriate paper work. I was given a number and was called within 15 minutes. Very painless and quick. There’s also a small free parking lot!

I’ve been dreading the process of changing my name after getting married but after finding out about this location, it’s been a breeze. From the time I did the self check-​in to the time my number was I called it was 10 minutes. Great friendly service was not what I expected from a social security office. The teller was helpful after finding out my name was misspelled on my original social security card. Great start to my long day of name changing! Thank you!

I’m inclined to think this office makes it as smooth and easy as it gets. I parked in a free lot; the security guard at the front asked what I needed and gave me my number in line; and then I waited for about 20 minutes, which is shorter than I was expecting. The two employees I encountered were incredibly polite and pleasant.
One tip: get there earlier than 9am. The office says it opens at 9am, but I got there at 8:50 and they were already open and lots of people were inside.

Because I’m a busy person who doesn’t have time to wait in line for government bureaucracy, I sent my application for a new Social Security card and my passport to this facility. Then they lost my passport. So I had to come in, in person to get my new card. I went to a different facility (closer to my office) and had to wait over an hour there to get my new card. Then I had to go to a passport office, wait there and pay $ 135 for a new passport (oh, and I had to pay to get new passport photos, too).
All in all, this Social Security location cost me HOURS of waiting and worry, plus some of my hard-​earned cash.

A social security office that would make FDR himself proud with free parking, reasonably friendly staff, and fairly efficient service. Not sure how long it took this SSA office to get up to speed but gives me hope that it may also be possible for
… some day.

I couldn’t find my Social Security card, and I needed a new card in order to start a new job. I went to the SSA website, filled out the application for a replacement card, and brought a hard copy with me as well as my passport. I had put off coming to the SSA office as long as I could because I expected it to be worse than getting a new drivers license or going to Comcast. Finally, I ran out of time and had to face the task I had avoided…
There’s abundant free parking in the lot adjacent to the building (I had circled the block, unsuccessfully looking for a meter, before realizing that the lot was for SSA visitors). There was a security guard outside who greeted people and held the door open — I was starting to think I was in some sort of Twilight Zone episode. When I walked in, there was a computer terminal for checking people in. I filled out my information and got a ticket with a number on it — like at the deli. My number was called a minute or two later. The SSA employee who I spoke with wasn’t very chatty, but he worked fast! I explained why I was there and handed him my application and ID, he typed a bunch of stuff on my computer, and promised that I would have a new card in the mail within about a week — and, sure enough, the new card arrived about a week later!
I think I was in and out of the SSA in about 10 minutes. I was happy that the application on the website was actually what I needed when I got to the office. The whole process was so quick and straightforward, and the staff was surprisingly nice. I wish more government offices (and businesses, for that matter) operated like the West Loop SSA!

Here’s what makes a difference with the SSA: come prepared.
This was my second visit to replace a stolen social security card; the first time I was denied, because my ID was also stolen and I didn’t have the requisite supporting documentation to substitute; just my birth certificate and tax forms. They were polite and offered a lot of suggestions, but in the end it was my own fault for not preparing well enough.
The second time I went back with an arsenal of supporting documentation, from medical records to college transcripts to an old university ID. I printed my application online the day before, filled out all the requisite information, and showed up with everything neatly organized in a folder. The man who helped me was courteous, utterly efficient, and entirely relieved that I came ready and could be handled quickly.
A lot of people cite horrible experiences with government offices, but I can tell you this: you can make your experience much easier if you take the time to prepare beforehand. These people have a formula to follow to do their jobs, and are not allowed to deviate. If you follow the formula and follow instructions, you’ll be in and out with no hassle, and the employees will be grateful to you. Everything you need is on the SSA website – the forms, acceptable documentation, etc. The regulations suck sometimes, but the office employees didn’t make them… though they have to follow them if they want to keep their jobs. Regulations may remove the human element, but even if you have a special situation there are always options. They’ll tell you what to do and find a way to help you, even if you have to come back another day with the documents they need.
On the second visit the wait time was longer than the time it took to process my application; I watched tons of other people go up ahead of me, all unprepared, all turned away after lengthy discussions. But for me it was in, out, totally painless, on my way. Just waiting for my card to arrive in the mail, and I’m good to go.

Am I actually giving a Social Security office 5 stars? Indeed. I work a couple of blocks from this office and had to go to change my last name and get a new card. Their office opens at 9am and I walked in their doors at 9:03 expecting a long line of people. There were about 7 of us total. I walked out of there at 9:06 with receipt in hand. Yep, THREE MINUTES. Government that works — hell yes.