(AmericanProsperity.com) – In a stunning development, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will require millions of beneficiaries and applicants to comply with a new requirement.
Starting March 31, 2025, Social Security recipients and applicants must travel to field offices for identity verification.
The SSA announced that Americans will no longer be allowed to verify their identity over the phone.
Instead, they must authenticate online or make in-person visits to Social Security field offices for benefit claims and direct deposit changes.
“SSA will permit individuals who do not or cannot use the agency’s online my Social Security 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,” the agency stated.
This change will affect millions of recipients and applicants, especially those in rural areas and those with mobility issues or limited internet access.
The new requirements come at a particularly challenging time. Under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the SSA plans to close 47 field offices and lay off thousands of workers.
The SSA argues the changes will help combat fraud. Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek stated the agency loses over $100 million annually to direct deposit fraud.
“For far too long, the agency has used antiquated methods for proving identity. Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service,” he added.
“Americans deserve to have their Social Security records protected with the utmost integrity and vigilance,” Dudek continued.
In the meantime, President Donald Trump said, “I’m not going to touch Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Now, we’re going to get fraud out of there.”
However, critics argue that the timing could not be worse for vulnerable Americans.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided discounted internet services to those who needed it most, ended in June 2024 due to a lack of funding.
US Representative John Larson (D-CT) has criticized the changes, claiming:
“By requiring seniors and disabled Americans to enroll online or in person at the same field offices they are trying to close, rather than over the phone, Trump and Musk are trying to create chaos and inefficiencies at SSA so they can privatize the system.”
Americans have a right to be concerned about other policy changes being implemented.
The SSA is reverting to withholding 100% of benefits for overpayments, a harsh policy from the Obama administration.
With over 72.5 million people receiving benefits through the SSA, these changes will have far-reaching consequences.
The SSA further adds that “the information that we use through knowledge-based authentication is already in the public domain.”
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