Social Security to End Benefit Claiming by Phone

SSA said that it will permit individuals who do not use online services to start their claim for benefits on the telephone. "However, the claim cannot be completed until the individual’s identity is verified in person," SSA said. "The agency therefore recommends calling to request an in-person appointment to begin and complete the claim in one interaction."

Individuals with and without an appointment will need to prove identity before starting a transaction, SSA said. "Individuals who do not or cannot use the agency’s online 'my Social Security' services to change their direct deposit information, can visit a local office to process the change or can call 1-800-772-1213 to schedule an in-person appointment."

SSA said that it plans to implement the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service’s payment integrity service called Account Verification Service, or AVS, which "provides instant bank verification services to proactively and timely prevent fraud associated with direct deposit change requests."

SSA's two-week transition plan includes training frontline employees and management about the new policy and careful monitoring of policy compliance, the agency said. Frontline employees throughout the country are now required to work in the office five days a week.

A 'Total Surprise'

SSA's "move to force people to visit offices in-person for services that they have sought by phone will result in more headaches and longer wait times to resolve routine customer service needs," said Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer, in an emailed statement.

"Requiring rural Americans to go into an office can mean having to take a day off of work and drive for hours merely to fill out paperwork," LeaMond said. "The Social Security Administration needs to be able to figure out a solution for Americans everywhere to get help in a timely and efficient manner."

The announcement, LeaMond continued, "not only comes as a total surprise but is on an impractical fast-track, with SSA saying the change will become permanent in two weeks. SSA needs to be transparent about its service changes and seek input from the older Americans who will be affected, because any delay in Social Security caused by this change can mean real economic hardship."

LeaMond called on SSA to reverse its decision, "or for Congress to step in and stand up for older Americans everywhere.”

Under orders from the Department of Government Efficiency, "Social Security now plans to require people to come into field offices to verify their identity, while also closing dozens of field offices and pushing out thousands of staff," added Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, in another statement.

"This will make it far harder for the American people to claim their earned benefits," Altman said. "It could even cause major delays, and ultimately collapse the system, by overwhelming the field offices.”

The new policy "requires anyone applying for new benefits by phone to first verify their identity online," added Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "This replaces the policy where claimants were able to complete the benefit application process 100% by phone, which had been in place for decades. The new policy is supposedly intended to prevent ‘fraud,’ without any proof that phone claims were being paid out fraudulently."

The new process "would force seniors and people with disabilities to navigate a needless technical hurdle in applying for their earned benefits," Richtman said.

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