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Following a raft of backlash over a proposal to require in-person identity verification for recipients of Social Security benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced this week that it’s walking back some plans that proved controversial with older Americans and advocacy groups.
The agency previously announced that any beneficiaries who could not complete their identity verification process via an online portal would need to travel to an SSA office and do so in person. But after some vocal opposition, including from groups like AARP, the administration will now permit these processes to be conducted over the phone.
“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” Lee Dudek, the SSA’s acting commissioner, said in a statement.
“In addition to extending the policy’s effective date by two weeks to ensure our employees have the training they need to help customers, Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity.”
Other SSA applicants will still be required to provide in-person verification, but the effective date for the policy has been extended from March 31 to April 14.
“This is a good first step by the Social Security Administration to respond to the concerns of AARP, our members, and older Americans everywhere about plans to discontinue phone service for critical Social Security customer service needs,” said Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer at AARP.
The end of phone service and the imposition of a requirement for in-person office visits would “have a very serious impact on older Americans everywhere,” she added. “Our members nationwide have told us this change would require hundreds of miles and hours of travel merely to fill out paperwork.”
But LeaMond added that a mere delay of the change is insufficient to address the concerns of AARP and its members.
“SSA should take a deliberate approach to its proposed changes to customer service that seeks public input, follows a clear communication plan and allows a reasonable timeframe for compliance,” she said.
Part of the issue stems from reported cuts planned by the agency to the number of Social Security field offices across the country. Many older Americans rely exclusively on Social Security benefits as their sole source of income, and many seniors on fixed incomes are facing shortfalls in retirement savings.
