Social Security’s been in the news a lot lately. Changes definitely are afoot in the program, and more are likely to come. But there have been many rumors and allegations that aren’t accurate.
Early this year the Department of Government Efficiency announced that 10 Social Security offices would be closed and some employees would be laid off.
Former Commissioner Martin O’Malley responded by stating that there would be a “total system collapse” and the Trump administration was “taking a wrecking ball to Social Security.” He also forecast that there would be interruptions in benefit payments.
These were O’Malley’s opinions and forecasts, not facts. It’s worth mentioning that O’Malley is a former governor of Maryland, ran for President in 2015-2016 and ran to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee after the 2024 election. In other words, he’s a partisan politician who probably still has national aspirations.
Matters also weren’t helped when then-Acting Social Security Commissioner, Leland Dudek, initially said there would be significant layoffs and office closures. He quickly retracted the comments.
Dudek also stated that a court decision would require him to close the entire agency. The court had to issue a letter stating the interpretation was incorrect.
The Social Security Administration issued a notice that there have been no permanent closings of local field offices and none are planned. At times, some local offices close temporarily because of weather or facilities issues, but they reopen after the issues are resolved.
A hearing office (where beneficiaries appeal SSA decisions) in White Plains, N.Y. was closed. SSA also closed several small hearing rooms which had no employees assigned to them and weren’t used.
There have been staff reductions. In addition, more people are contacting SSA because of all the rumors and reports. SSA says call volume is up about 19%. That’s led to significant waiting times on the main SSA telephone number and difficulty obtaining appointments at local offices.
Because of the staffing and telephone issues, when possible take any action regarding Social Security online. There are some actions that can’t be taken online, such as applying for survivor’s benefits or changing personal information. For these actions, it’s best to contact the local office directly instead of going through the main SSA number.
DOGE required SSA to change how a person’s identity is verified in certain situations, such as when a person applies for benefits or changes direct-deposit information.
In those cases, a photo ID now is required, but a visit to an SSA office isn’t. An alternative is to upload a photo of the ID through login.gov or a “my Social Security” account on the Social Security website.
An unfortunate consequence of all the rumors and news is that many people are applying for Social Security benefits earlier than previously planned, according to The Wall Street Journal.
I continue to recommend not to accelerate benefit claims because of the stories that have come out this year or estimates of the demise of the Social Security trust fund.
I think it’s unlikely benefits will be reduced for anyone at or near retirement age. But even if benefits are reduced, it’s better to have them cut from the higher level than at the lower level paid to those who claim early.
In other Social Security news, SSN announced that this summer people with online Social Security accounts will have digital access to their Social Security numbers.
This effectively is a digital Social Security card that can be used when people need to look up or prove their Social Security numbers. Those who have lost their cards won’t have to apply for and wait to receive a physical card.
The digital access to a Social Security card also means people won’t have to carry physical cards and risk theft of the cards and their numbers.
Read the full article here