March 26th, the office of the Social Security Agency in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, the Social Security Administration was supported by an announced plan that it would require in-person visits to the office.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration is further retarding the in-person requirements announced for Americans seeking services at the Social Security Administration, which is due to take effect Monday.
White House spokesman Liz Houston said in a statement to NPR Thursday that telephone services for those seeking services through their agents will continue.
“President Trump has repeatedly committed to protecting social security across the federal government and uprooting waste, fraud and abuse,” she said. “The Social Security Voter Team is now roaming directly to improve their technical capabilities and can now identify fraud in claims filed over the phone.”
First Social Security Staff announcement If people seeking claims or benefits last month fail to use the agency’s online verification system, they will need to head to their local field offices. This policy would have effectively eliminated the widely used telephone services for many beneficiaries.
These changes have raised concerns not only from lawmakers but also from advocates for seniors and people with disabilities. Dozens of Democrats in Congress I sent a letter To agency leaders ask them to rethink the changes, “particularly for those who live far from their offices,” to “create additional barriers” for those seeking services.
The Budget and Policy Priority Center, a Washington-based, left-leaning think tank advocating for “economic justice,” recently published an analysis that found travel requirements equal “45-mile trips for around six million seniors.”
The Social Security Administration overturned these requirements, according to White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak in general about the Trump administration’s position. Because the anti-combustion team “implemented new technical capabilities very quickly.”
In a statement, these technology improvements can flag abnormal behavior in a person’s account, and then flagged individuals must travel in person for verification.
In a statement, Max Lichtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Maintain Social Security and Medicare, called the reversal a “winning for social security beneficiaries across the country.”
“The Trump administration didn’t change policies because of their good heart,” he said. “They responded to public pressure. This is a grassroots and national advocacy victory on behalf of millions of seniors who rely on the Social Security Agency’s telephone services.”
“The Trump administration is busy setting barriers for those who are simply trying to access the profits they have acquired. I’m pleased that this one barrier has fallen.”
The Social Security Administration is currently undergoing major changes, including extensive layoffs, closures of local offices, and a general restructuring of agency-wide duties. These changes are concerned about advocates about access to services that many seniors in the country rely on.
