Millions of Americans will soon be expected to visit an office for Social Security Administration, rather than communicating with the agency over the phone as it sets out a stricter identity promotion measures in an attempt to limit fraudulent claims.
As of March 31, recipients must verify their identity using the agency’s “My Social Security” online service, and those who are unable to visit an agency office to complete the verification process, the agency announced on Tuesday.
The service will no longer be available over the phone.
The change applies to new and existing recipients of social security from 31 March.
Proponents of pensioners warn that the change will negatively affect older Americans in rural areas, including those with disabilities, mobility restrictions, those who live far from SSA offices and have limited internet access.
The plan is also coming because the agency plans to close dozens of social security offices in the entire country and have already set out plans to cover thousands of workers.
In addition to changing identity verification, the agency announced that it intends to expedite the processing of the direct deposit change requests of the recipients – both in person and online – to one working day. Previously, online deposit changes were held for 30 days.
“The Social Security Administration loses more than $ 100 million a year to direct deposit fraud,” said Agency’s acting commissioner Leland Dudek said on a call Tuesday night with reporters – his first call with the media. “Social certainty can better protect Americans while speeding up service.”
He said that a problem with the elimination of fraudulent allegations is that “the information we use through knowledge -based verification is already in the public domain.”
“It’s a common sense,” Dudek added.
More than 72.5 million people, including pensioners and children, receive benefits for pension and disability through the Social Security Administration.
Connecticut rep. John Larson, the top democrat on the homes of the home and means the Social Security subcommittee, said in a statement that “by requiring seniors and disabled Americans to enter online or personally at the same field offices, rather than on the phone, Trump and Musk try to create chaos and inefficiency with SSA, so they can privatize the system.”
The Doge website says that leases for 47 field offices for social security across the country, including in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina, have ended or will be. However, Dudek put down the impact of his offices’ closure, saying many are small, remote audience sites that have served few members of the public.
Many Americans were concerned that the closure of the SSA office and massive dismissal of federal workers – part of an effort by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s effectiveness of government to shrink the size of the federal government – will make it even more difficult.
Musk has deprived theories of social security and described the federal benefit programs as fraud, and it calls it a ‘Ponzi scheme’, which indicates that the program will be a primary target in its crusade to reduce government expenses.
Voters flooded city halls across the country to interrogate the Republican lawmakers about the cutting of the Trump administration, including its plans for the age of age.
In addition, a group of trade unions sued last week and asked a federal court to prevent an emergency order to prevent dogs from accessing the sensitive data on social security of millions of Americans.
