A proposed new policy from the Social Security Administration could require 3.4 million additional individuals to visit local offices to update their addresses and handle other standard requests, during a period when the agency’s workforce has been reduced and appointment wait times at these locations have increased significantly.
According to a regulatory filing, the SSA seeks to increase the use of multi-step verification to create a personal identification number (PIN) so that beneficiaries can update their address, check the status of their claims, request benefit-verification letters, or ask for tax forms over the phone. If a beneficiary is unable to complete the PIN process, they would need to make the changes online or visit a field office.
According to the SSA’s own estimate in the filing, this would result in 3.4 million additional visits to field offices annually. The modification is scheduled to begin on August 18, provided it is approved by the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget, as stated in the regulatory document.
“This will impose a substantial new challenge, especially for individuals residing in rural regions or those facing transportation or mobility issues,” Kathleen Romig, the director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), wrote inblog postThe administration of Trump is implementing these changes quickly with minimal public announcement or input.
An additional number of beneficiaries will be heading to field offices, in addition to the 1.9 million individuals who must visit field offices to update their direct-deposit banking details.
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A recent CBPP studydiscovered that almost a quarter of senior citizens reside more than an hour’s drive away from their closest field office. AARP mentioned that certain recipients in Alaska might have to fly to get to their nearest SSA office.
The SSA did not promptly provide a statement in response to inquiries.
When requesting to enhance the PIN procedure, the SSA mentioned fraud as the justification for the multi-step verification process. It did not include any statistics regarding instances of fraud in the regulatory submission.
“AARP backs initiatives aimed at enhancing fraud prevention and identity confirmation. Nevertheless, we worry that the SSA’s new Security Authentication PIN (SAP) system, especially its extension to more phone services, might introduce new challenges for elderly individuals who depend on phone access to handle their Social Security benefits,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s executive vice president and chief advocacy officer, in a statement.
The SSA, in its proposal, mentioned that recipients could implement the changes through the internet, although this would bring about additional difficulties, according to AARP.
Our experience indicates that the ability to verify identity online will present difficulties for theone in four senior citizens who say they have never used the internet”Setting up an online ‘My Social Security’ account can be a challenging task for individuals who are not familiar with digital platforms or lack consistent internet connectivity,” LeaMond stated.
The possible alteration arises as the SSA hasreduced 7,000 positions, equivalent to 12% of its employees, shut down local offices, and experienced website issues along with artificial intelligence phone problems.
The modification in SSA’s policy could overwhelm field offices during a period when the agency has transferred roughly 1,000 field office staff to handle the SSA’s national 800 number, as reported.media reports.
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