Topline
The Social Security Administration said in a Wednesday statement it was backing down from a plan that would have eliminated the ability for new applicants to prove their identity over the phone, announcing the adjustment after its initial proposal received backlash for its potential impact on elderly and disabled members.
The changes were announced Wednesday. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty ImagesKey Facts
The administration said people applying for disability, Medicare, or supplemental security income can skip an office visit and complete claims over the phone if they cannot use their online Social Security accounts.
Members who cannot apply online for benefits will only have to verify their identities at physical offices if they are applying for retirement, survivors, or auxiliary benefits.
The changes, initially set to take effect at the end of March, will become effective April 14.
The backtracking comes after advocates such as AARP criticized the initial changes to ID requirements, calling them an “impractical fast-track” and saying older Americans and Americans in rural areas would be most impacted by having to travel hundreds of miles for ID verification.
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Crucial Quote
AARP said in a statement Wednesday the changes were a “good first step” and the Social Security Administration 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.”
Key Background
Adjustments to the Social Security Administration’s ID verification process come as a part of a larger, sweeping government changes from the Trump administration, in particular thanks to its cost-cutting chief, tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has baselessly claimed there is widespread fraud in the agency. The Social Security Administration said last month it would lay off about 7,000 employees and recently required employees to return to working in-person five days a week. The layoffs were announced in conjunction with an executive order calling for slashes to the federal workforce. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency canceled IT contracts at the Social Security Administration recently, according to ProPublica, which cited five unnamed employees who said the agency has since suffered from tech systems crashing “nearly every day.”
Further Reading
Here’s What We Know About Trump And Musk’s Social Security Plans—As Agency Reportedly Mulls Cutting Phone Services (Forbes)
Read the full article here
