A closed entry at the headquarters of the Social Security Administration is empty in Woodlawn, Maryland, March 20.
Wesley Lapointe / The Washington Post via Getty Images
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Wesley Lapointe / The Washington Post via Getty Images
Americans looking for retirement or survivor of the benefits of the Social Security Administration will no longer be able to apply by phone from Monday.
Instead, they will have to look for online services or travel in person at a local office in the social security ground, including a new analysis of the center on the left on the budget and political priorities, or CBPP, found a “45 -thousand trip for some 6 million elderly people”.
The group wrote this change “will close an important mode of service for millions of people” which are eligible for services.
“More than 4 out of 10 retirees request their social security benefits by telephone, as are most spouses who are eligible for advantages,” wrote researchers. “The same goes for the substantial majority of the bereaved family members who are eligible for benefits following the death of a worker.”
This new policy, which also applies to anyone making changes to their direct deposit account, was announced for the first time last month – then was partially re -applied a week later because of their disability groups and other stakeholders.
The agency officials said that these new measures “will protect social security files and benefits against fraudulent activity” more by creating “stronger identity verification procedures”.
In an NPR statement, a SSA spokesperson said that “the phone remains a viable option for the public” when these new policies come into force. Currently, medical, disability and additional income requests are exempt from new changes.
“From April 14, social security will make an anti-fraud check on all complaints filed by telephone and flag complaints that have risk indicators of fraud,” they wrote. “We will continue to carry out 100% identity for all complaints in person. 4.5 million telephone complaints per year and 70K could be reported.”
However, defenders of the elderly and disabled people argued that these changes were showing obstacles to services for many people that the agency is required to serve. This policy was also included in a legal challenge to the rights groups of disabled people against the agency which was deposited last week.
Social Security Administration manages a series of programs for the elderly and people with disabilities. In addition to retirement services – which constitute the largest share of services – the agency also organizes programs that offer benefits and disability and additional income for the very poor. According to the latest monthly data, more than 50 million Americans received retirement services from the SSa in February and thousands of Americans qualify every day for the advantages.
Kathleen Romig, the director of the social security policy and the disability of the CBPP, told NPR that these new verification requirements in person will be “really heavy” for the many Americans who are eligible for these advantages, in particular those who live in more rural regions of the country.
On the one hand, she said, it is already “a long process” to obtain an appointment for the services in person.
“There is no way to make an appointment online,” said Romig. “So you have to call number 800 of the agency. At the moment, the wait for a social security reminder is two and a half hours. And it is if you go to an agent. Most people do not.”
She also said that once someone will go and have made an appointment, he generally waits for “more than 28 days for the next meeting” which is available.
And for many disabled seniors and Americans, said Romig, an appointment in person is not physically feasible.
“Not everyone drives, especially the elderly or people with disabilities,” she said. “And not everyone is able to leave the house. Think of people confined to the house or hospitalized. So, it is incredibly heavy for the older and disabled people that the SSA serves.”
Romig said that this new policy disproportionately affects each bereaved person who requests the performance of a Social Security survivor, because it does not have the possibility of applying online.
“It is the social security version of life insurance, a widow or a widower or a surviving child of a deceased worker,” she said. “These are the monthly advantages that Social Security calls surviving insurance. Thus, all these people must go in person to request services because there is no online option for this.”
And even when the beneficiaries are able to apply online, there are still obstacles, according to the CBPP report.
“Many elderly and disabled people lack internet services, computers or smartphones, or technological flavor to navigate a multi-stage online verification process in several stages,” wrote researchers. “Even if the SSA encourages people to do online business, the government’s ministry of efficiency (DOGE) is making changes to online identity authentication that trigger system failures and access problems.”
Romig has said that current sections on agency personnel also like waiting times for people in person will continue to grow.
