Social Security requiring in-office visits for millions of recipients, applicants
'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,' according to their website.
'The agency therefore recommends calling to request an in-person appointment to begin and complete the claim in one interaction,' it added.
Changes are set to go into full effect on March 31, impacting more than 72 million Americans who rely on the platform amid a slew of planned office closures across the country.
The Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) website says it plans to shut down at least 47 Social Security field offices in places with large rural communities, including Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and Florida.
Many in those areas relied on the Affordable Connectivity Program for increased access to the internet through discounted services bills. However, the program shut down in June 2024 due to a lack of funding from Congress.
AFT sues Education Department over removal of IDR student loan applications
Now Social Security beneficiaries will be required to travel to alter their social security benefits and account services.
DOGE said the changes will help prevent Social Security direct deposit fraud associated with 'fraudsters' calling SSA on the phone and changing the direct deposit bank account.
The SSA added that it plans to implement the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Fiscal Service's payment integrity service called Account Verification Service, which provides instant bank verification services to prevent fraud associated with direct deposit change requests.
It will also expedite processing for all direct deposit change requests to one business day. In the past, online direct deposit changes were held for 30 days.
'For far too long, the agency has used antiquated methods for proving identity. Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service,' Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in a Monday statement.
The agency website said SSA will continue to monitor and, if necessary, make adjustments, to ensure it pays the 'right person the right amount at the right time' while safeguarding the benefits and programs it administers.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The Hill
9 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump stuns Wall Street, Washington with controversial BLS nominee
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Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Social Security Just Received Its First Data Point to Determine the 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). Here's Where Things Stand Now.
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CNBC
3 hours ago
- CNBC
$20K pay cuts, lower titles, odd jobs: Workers are making big trade-offs to find meaningful work in today's job market
Seri Thompson has been on the job market for eight months. In that time, she's applied to over 180 jobs. Some of them are related to her new communications degree, like for social media or marketing jobs. Lately she's also applied to jobs unrelated to her field, like assistant or retail positions. In the meantime, she has a part-time internship with a local San Diego bakery and keeps a steady rotation of babysitting, pet-sitting, house-sitting and other odd jobs to pay her bills. Thompson, 22, graduated from college in December 2024 and is pragmatic about her job search, but still finds it frustratingly slow. "The perfect job doesn't exist," she tells CNBC Make It. She says her parents taught her to recognize that "once you get that first job, it's just a stepping stone for the rest of your career." "But it's hard being invested in something that you're not super interested in, or settling, for a job to pay your bills," she says. 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Bruce Bennett has applied to "well over 100" jobs and says the process has taken a mental toll. "I've gotten to the point where I don't even really read the job description," says Bennett, 62, an HR professional in San Francisco. "I only look for certain keywords, like, what is the job title? What is the [HR] platform that they're using?" He often sees online listings with over 100 applicants, at one point seeing a company post that they'd received over 1,000 submissions to one opening. "It's a crap shoot," Bennett says. "I know 99% of the time I'm going to get rejected." Bennett was laid off from his last job in October 2024 following a company selloff. The current job market feels similar to, if not worse, than the 2000s-era dot com bubble burst, he says. Bennett says he's never been the type of professional to take any job for the sake of more money or a flashier title. But he does want to work for a company that he feels makes a positive impact, and one that has a diverse executive team. It's challenging to hold onto those values in the current climate, though. "If I find something, great," he says. "If I don't, I'm basically looking into forced retirement." Bennett feels his age plays a role in moving through interviews, typically when the hiring team asks questions to gauge so-called culture fit, he says, or sees that his resume is two pages long (though he has experience he no longer includes to keep it shorter). Bennett believes having options in today's job market, let alone finding meaningful work, is a luxury. "I don't think you necessarily have a choice on being that picky," he says, noting that finding a well-aligned job often comes down to your network and what jobs are available. These days, he's found an outlet that brings him both joy and a little extra income: About nine years ago, Bennett began volunteering as a walking tour guide around San Francisco; more recently, he launched his own paid tour offerings. His husband's job supports their main living expenses, but Bennett's new venture helps "bring in some money and at least put[s] food on our table." "It's not a lot of money," he adds, "but it's something that at least makes me happy, helping my own mental state, and helps people around the city. I think that's far greater than anything I've ever done." Some workers are realizing that to hang onto what they value most in their jobs, they'll have to make concessions. Jill Di Benedetto, 42, is an art director in Miami. She's been on the job market for five months after her last contract ended, and another two she had lined up both cut their budgets and eliminated jobs before she started. 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It's a personal journey." Even in a tough market, some workers are opting to take their careers into their own hands and make big changes, knowing that the process could take some time. Kaleah Mcilwain, 28, is a digital editor in Philadelphia. She quit her last job in media eight months ago in search of something more aligned with the kind of impact she wants to make in her audience development work. It's her third time on the job market since graduating from college, and the most competition she's ever experienced. In a sea of qualified applicants, she's learned that "if you do not meet the requirements 100%, unfortunately, this is just not the job market to be applying to jobs where you're reaching," she says. She also thinks meaningful work is a luxury. She's seen peers take pay cuts or shift careers in order to pay the bills. But it's a luxury she's positioned herself to continue striving for. "I was fully aware that I may not find a job in three months, or however long, and I am very solidified around these are the things I want, so I'm not budging on them. And that is a luxury I can have, because I did choose to leave my own job." Mcilwain says she lives with a roommate and spent time building up her savings in order to quit without a job lined up. So far, Mcilwain says she's applied to three or four dozen roles and has been supplementing her income with freelance work. "I am committed to it just taking however long it takes at the moment," she says. Mcilwain says she's steadfast in her goals. "I've had to ask myself the question, 'Will I change my career paths?' And the answer is, 'No, I won't.' I'm going to just wait until I find the job that I want."
