The Social Security Administration is ending a decades-long service that allowed people to use for advantages over the phone — a move that, by the agency’s own estimate, would force thousands and thousands of Americans to must apply in person at a field office.
The agency announced Tuesday that, starting March 31, Social Security applicants might want to confirm their identities using online ID-verification software before receiving advantages. And in the event that they can’t access or complete the web verification, they have to travel to the closest field office to use in person. Any changes to a beneficiary’s direct deposit settings would require the identical process.
“This alteration could push Social Security Administration services, already on the brink, to the purpose of crisis,” says Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy on the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said on a press call that the changes are intended to curb fraud and that the agency deals with greater than $100 million in direct deposit scams every year.
Nevertheless, consumer advocates tell Money that the changes may have major consequences for Social Security’s 70 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries, who often take care of limited access to technology and transportation.
“For a lot of older adults and folks with disabilities, this is likely to be overwhelming,” says Shannon Benton, spokesperson for the nonprofit advocacy group The Senior Residents League (TSCL), “especially in the event that they have limited experience with technology or struggle with mobility.”
The policy shift is estimated to cause greater than 4 million elderly or disabled people over the following yr to make in-person appointments with the Social Security Administration, in line with an internal estimate by Doris Diaz, the agency’s acting deputy commissioner for operations.
The Washington Post reported that Diaz said in an internal memorandum that the removal of phone applications would moreover lead to longer wait times, longer processing times and more “challenges for vulnerable populations.”
The change comes as ‘a complete surprise’
In crafting the brand new policy, the Social Security Administration didn’t use the official rulemaking process, which usually takes a yr or longer and incorporates feedback from stakeholders similar to beneficiaries, consumer advocates and other groups.
Partially, that’s why Tuesday’s announcement from the Social Security Administration got here as “a complete surprise” to AARP, the nonprofit organization said in an announcement, adding that the two-week notice is “an impractical fast-track.”
“SSA must be transparent about its service changes and seek input from the older Americans who can be affected,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy officer. “Any delay in Social Security attributable to this transformation can mean real economic hardship.”
Similarly, The Senior Residents League tells Money that it “was stunned by how quickly the brand new Social Security rule is being implemented.”
“We’ve long advocated that any changes to advantages or procedures be implemented slowly and with careful consideration,” Benton with TSCL says. “This alteration is unduly harsh.”
What applicants can expect
Starting March 31, phone applications for Social Security advantages — a process that was put in place to enhance customer support in 1998 — will not be offered.
Applicants after that date must first prove their identities using online verification software through ID.me or Login.gov.
The web process now includes creating an account with certainly one of those two services, verifying your email address, scanning a government-issued ID and taking a selfie photo that’s used to check against your ID.
Web service, a pc and a smartphone are typically needed to finish the steps above. In some cases, a video call with an agent could also be vital if the software isn’t in a position to mechanically validate your facial expression. In lieu of those methods, your identity may be verified at an area post office. (Note: The post office can only assist in organising your verified account — not with applying for Social Security advantages.)
Consumer advocates are anxious that this tech-heavy process will bar many older and disabled Americans from getting the advantages they qualify for.
“For individuals who do not have smartphones, or who’ve cognitive or motor skill problems — which incorporates many seniors and folks with disabilities — using these tools can be not possible,” Romig says.
The choice is applying for advantages in person at certainly one of the Social Security Administration’s field offices. Romig notes that these offices recently stopped accepting walk-ins. So you have to to first call 1-800-772-1213 to establish an in-person appointment.
On Thursday, the estimated hold time to establish an appointment by phone was over 120 minutes, and the “request a call back” feature on the SSA’s website was disabled. Typically, appointments are booked a month or more out, Romig says. Once all documents are properly submitted, the SSA takes about six weeks to process retirement advantages requests and 6 to eight months for disability advantages.
Proposed staff and facility cuts as a part of austerity measures identified by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency are expected to worsen the wait times.
Spending cuts to Social Security include the dismissal of roughly 7,000 agents and the closure of six of the agency’s 10 regional offices. Moreover, the Associated Press identified 47 local field offices which have been chosen to shut down.
Even before those closures, some rural residents don’t have a Social Security office inside a whole lot of miles. An AARP spokesperson told Money that residents in Nevada, particularly, could also be stranded.
On Wednesday, AARP’s Nevada State Director Maria Moore said in an announcement that the policy “to force in-person visits will cause substantial problems.”
“In Nevada,” Moore said, “some residents must travel so far as 300 miles or 4 hours to succeed in the closest SSA office.”
In accordance with the AP’s list, Nevada is among the many states with a field office shutting down later this yr.
More from Money:
Could Trump’s DOGE Cuts Delay Social Security Payments?
Social Security Won’t Send Most SSI Payments in March. Here’s Why
Over 3 Million Social Security Recipients Are About to Get Larger Checks (and Backpay)