Those seeking to begin or change direct deposit payment plans with the Social Security Administration will soon see big changes to those processes.
Those changes will take effect in coming weeks as part of a series of moves the SSA says are aimed at reducing fraud and streamlining processes for millions of Americans.
Here’s what to know.
What changes are coming for Social Security recipients?
According to the Social Security Administration, tighter identity-proofing measures will be implemented in coming weeks.
Officials say those changes will require recipients and applicants to either use the agency’s “my Social Security” online platform or to visit agency field offices to verify their identity, with full identity-proofing services no longer available over the phone.
The changes apply to new applicants for Social Security, and for existing recipients who want to change their direct deposit information, according to the SSA.
Finally, direct deposit change requests will be expedited, with requests filed in-person or online being completed within one business day, according to officials. Previously, such changes had been held for up to 30 days, according to officials.
When will the changes go into effect?
According to the Social Security Administration’s website, the requirement for recipients to verify their identity via “my Social Security” or in-person will go into effect on March 31.
What has the reaction been to the changes?
While officials have said that the changes are being implemented to cut down on fraud, some experts say that the changes will make things more difficult on elderly and disabled Social Security recipients, especially those without reliable internet access or a lack of mobility that makes getting to a field office difficult or impossible.
What’s more, some experts say the difficulties that recipients could face with the new changes could undermine support for Social Security, and could hasten efforts to potentially privatize it.
“Republicans can come in – those in particular who for decades have argued it be privatized – and say ‘obviously, the public sector doesn’t work. We have to privatize all the functions of the agency and then privatize the benefits too,” Maria Freese, Social Security expert at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, told Marketwatch.
Connecticut Rep. John Larson, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, echoed those sentiments in a recent statement.
“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, (President Donald) Trump and (Elon) Musk are trying to create chaos and inefficiencies at SSA so they can privatize the system,” he said.
Musk has pushed false theories about Social Security and described it as a “Ponzi scheme.”
Concerns about staffing are also present, as the SSA is planning to reduce its workforce by approximately 7,000 workers, reducing it to 50,000. According to NPR, the SSA is already at a 50-year low for staffing, and advocates are expressing concern that further reducing the agency’s workforce could have detrimental impacts to those who rely on Social Security benefits.
Sen. Bernie Sanders shared his thoughts on President Trump’s Tuesday night address to Congress, asserting that the claim that millions of dead individuals are receiving Social Security benefits is false.
“I am really afraid for my clients and for Social Security and SSI recipients generally, because when frontline staff either don’t have the resources or don’t have the knowledge to solve the case and our clients and other people are in life or death situations, it’s going to be very hard … to get errors and oversights corrected,” Kristen Dama, an attorney at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, told NPR. “And that means that people are going to have devastating financial circumstances.”
The Social Security Administration maintains that the staffing cuts are part of an effort to streamline its operations, and will have positive benefits for Americans.
“These steps prioritize customer service by streamlining redundant layers of management, reducing non-mission critical work, and potential reassignment of employees to customer service positions,” the SSA said in a press release. “Also supporting this priority is looking for efficiencies and other opportunities to reduce costs across all spending categories, including information technology and contractor spending.”
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