The Social Security Administration is ending a decades-long service that allowed people to apply for benefits over the phone — a move that, by the agency’s own estimate, would force millions of Americans to have to apply in person at a field office.
The agency announced Tuesday that, starting March 31, Social Security applicants will need to verify their identities using online ID-verification software before receiving benefits. And if they can’t access or complete the online verification, they must travel to the nearest field office to apply in person. Any changes to a beneficiary’s direct deposit settings will require the same process.
“This change could push Social Security Administration services, already at the brink, to the point of crisis,” says Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at 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 more than $100 million in direct deposit scams each year.
However, consumer advocates tell Money that the changes will have major consequences for Social Security’s 70 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries, who often deal with limited access to technology and transportation.
“For many older adults and people with disabilities, this might be overwhelming,” says Shannon Benton, spokesperson for the nonprofit advocacy group The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), “especially if they have limited experience with technology or struggle with mobility.”
The policy shift is estimated to cause more than 4 million elderly or disabled people over the next year to make in-person appointments with the Social Security Administration, according to 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 additionally result in longer wait times, longer processing times and more “challenges for vulnerable populations.”
The change comes as ‘a total surprise’
In crafting the new policy, the Social Security Administration did not use the official rulemaking process, which typically takes a year or longer and incorporates feedback from stakeholders such as beneficiaries, consumer advocates and other groups.
In part, that’s why Tuesday’s announcement from the Social Security Administration came as “a total surprise” to AARP, the nonprofit organization said in a statement, adding that the two-week notice is “an impractical fast-track.”
“SSA needs to be transparent about its service changes and seek input from the older Americans who will be affected,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy officer. “Any delay in Social Security caused by this change can mean real economic hardship.”
Similarly, The Senior Citizens League tells Money that it “was taken aback by how quickly the new Social Security rule is being implemented.”
“We have long advocated that any changes to benefits or procedures be implemented slowly and with careful consideration,” Benton with TSCL says. “This change is unduly harsh.”
What applicants can expect
Starting March 31, phone applications for Social Security benefits — a process that was put in place to improve customer service in 1998 — will no longer be offered.
Applicants after that date must first prove their identities using online verification software through ID.me or Login.gov.
The online process now includes creating an account with one of those two services, verifying your email address, scanning a government-issued ID and taking a selfie photo that is used to compare against your ID.
Internet service, a computer and a smartphone are typically needed to complete the steps above. In some cases, a video call with an agent may be necessary if the software isn’t able to automatically validate your facial features. In lieu of those methods, your identity may also be verified at a local post office. (Note: The post office can only assist in setting up your verified account — not with applying for Social Security benefits.)
Consumer advocates are worried that this tech-heavy process will bar many older and disabled Americans from getting the benefits they qualify for.
“For people who don’t have smartphones, or who have cognitive or motor skill problems — which includes many seniors and people with disabilities — using these tools will be impossible,” Romig says.
The alternative is applying for benefits in person at one of the Social Security Administration’s field offices. Romig notes that these offices recently stopped accepting walk-ins. So you will need to first call 1-800-772-1213 to set up an in-person appointment.
On Thursday, the estimated hold time to set up 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 benefits requests and six to eight months for disability benefits.
Proposed staff and facility cuts as 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. Additionally, the Associated Press identified 47 local field offices that have been selected to shut down.
Even before those closures, some rural residents don’t have a Social Security office within hundreds of miles. An AARP spokesperson told Money that residents in Nevada, in particular, may be stranded.
On Wednesday, AARP’s Nevada State Director Maria Moore said in a statement that the policy “to force in-person visits will cause substantial problems.”
“In Nevada,” Moore said, “some residents must travel as far as 300 miles or four hours to reach the nearest SSA office.”
According to the AP’s list, Nevada is among the states with a field office shutting down later this year.
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