The Social Security Administration (SSA) is being bombarded by frequent changes and fluctuating policies. Although it may be difficult to track the proposed and enacted changes from day to day, it is important to ensure that the public’s ability to engage with SSA is not severed and benefits are not impacted. As published earlier, any barrier to accessing benefits is a cut – both to Social Security and to Medicare. Medicare beneficiaries rely on SSA for many functions, including Medicare enrollment and managing premium payments.
Common themes of the SSA changes include what functions can and cannot be performed online, by telephone, and in person, as well as whether websites, telephone systems, and local offices are functioning and accessible.
For example, starting April 14, 2025, an “anti-fraud” check will be performed on all claims filed over the telephone. If a claim is flagged as a “fraud risk,” the individual will be required to confirm their identity in person at a local SSA field office. The previous policy would have required all individuals filing for retirement, family, or survivor benefits without an online mySocialSecurity account to verify their identity at a local SSA field office. Eliminating the phone filing option would have made it impossible for many individuals to claim benefits, including those without online access or for whom mobility, transportation, or distance to an office is a hardship.
At the same time, SSA has been experiencing website outages, error messages, issues with the telephone system, improper access to Social Security Numbers, (proposed) office closures, and staffing cuts.
In response to what they are calling “incessant havoc” on SSA from the Administration, over 20 Senators sent a formal letter to Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek demanding, among other things, that SSA restore access and functionality to the mySocialSecurity portal, explain how SSA plans to maintain secure benefit systems amid reduced staff, and answer for DOGE’s involvement in terminations and internal restructuring. Current SSA staff agree, stating the cuts and policy changes have caused “complete, utter chaos.”
Another consequence of the confusion surrounding SSA policy changes is that it is easier for scammers to prey on older adults and individuals with disabilities. According to Jim Dau, state director of AARP Virginia, “[t]his is the perfect kind of recipe for financial predators to step in and escalate Social Security scams.” Scammers leverage confusion to deceive individuals by impersonating agency officials and demanding urgent payments and proof of personally identifying information.
Therefore, it remains critically important that elected officials hear real stories from the public regarding the inability to communicate with SSA (through the website, phone, or in-person offices) and any denial or delay in benefits. To find and contact your elected official, click here.
April 17, 2025 – C. Huberty