In our March 28 blog post, we informed you that the Social Security Administration was ending phone support for people applying for retirement benefits, survivor benefits or auxiliary benefits. Effective April 14, claimants who could not apply online through the agency’s portal would have to travel to a Social Security field office. Announcement of the policy change was met with a massive backlash from the public and Social Security advocates, who argued the new rule would be an undue hardship for many claimants. As the implementation date grew near, the agency reversed course and scrapped the policy.
Here is where we stand now: Effective April 14, telephone service remains available for the above-mentioned claimants. Calls are now receiving an additional layer of screening, which the agency says will guard against fraud. If any irregularities are detected during the phone call, the claim is flagged. Once flagged, the claimant must prove his/her identity by applying online or traveling to a field office. Currently, about 70,000 claims are flagged annually.
The Social Security Administration explains the new procedure as follows: Beginning on April 14, Social Security will perform an anti-fraud check on all claims filed over the telephone and flag claims that have fraud risk indicators…Individuals that are flagged would be required to perform in-person ID proofing for the claim to be further processed. Individuals who are not flagged will be able to complete their claim without any in-person requirements.
While applauding the continuation of phone service, critics say severe staffing shortages are still creating problems for beneficiaries. There are protracted wait times on the telephone, and it can take weeks to get an in-person appointment (walk-ins no longer permitted). Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, issued this statement: “We are glad this one barrier has fallen. While they are at it, SSA and their DOGE overlords should reverse other harmful policies they have enacted under the phony cover of hunting for ‘waste and fraud,’ including radically reducing the agency’s workforce that serves the public, making plans to close field offices, and re-instituting default withholding of up to 100% of people’s benefit checks in the case of accidental overpayments (usually caused by SSA itself). Those would be important next steps in mitigating the damage they have already done.”
The agency says it is addressing these problems by beefing up staffing, and spent $16.5 million last month to improve phone technology.
Two additional important notes for our readers:
- Phone service is not available if you want to change your direct deposit information. For this service, you must go through the agency’s online portal or make an appointment with a field office.
- Social Security will cease issuing paper checks by September 30, 2025. Benefits will be paid only by direct deposit, pre-paid cards or other digital payment options. The agency says this step is necessary to cut costs and prevent fraud. Currently about half a million Americans still receive paper checks. Learn more about signing up for direct deposit here.
