The Social Security Administration walked back a new controversial policy that was set to take effect in April. On Wednesday, the agency announced a new rule requiring some current and new beneficiaries to prove their identity in person would not apply to specific groups of people. However, advocates say major changes to the agency still present barriers to millions of people trying to access benefits.
“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” Lee Dudek, acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, said in a statement.
The policy, originally set to begin on March 31, required anyone seeking benefits or updating their direct deposit information to access the internet or a field office to verify their identity. Advocates immediately criticized the change, pointing out how it would negatively impact millions of people, particularly those with disabilities and those who can't access a social security field office in person.
RELATED STORY | Social Security's new policy on identity verification delayed amid criticism
The updated policy, which is not set to begin April 14, won't apply to Americans seeking disability, supplemental income or Medicare. They will still be able to verify their identity over the phone if they can’t access their account online. But the no-phone verification process will still apply to people seeking retirement, survivor or auxiliary benefits.
“In addition to extending the policy’s effective date by two weeks to ensure our employees have the training they need to help customers, Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity," Dudek said.
Disability advocates say this reversal doesn’t undo major changes destabilizing the agency, such as cutting thousands of workers and closing 47 field offices. Darcy Milburn, who is the director of social security and healthcare policy at The Arc, said stricter identity checks add to an already growing list of hurdles beneficiaries have to clear.
"They're cutting as much as 12% of staff. They've reduced the regional offices by 60%. They are rolling back really pro-beneficiary policies,” Milburn told Scripps News. “The combination of all of these things at the same time means that people can expect it to become much more difficult for them to get help if they either need to access new benefits or if they run into a problem with their benefits.”
Stephen Grammer, a disability advocate who was born with cerebral palsy, told Scripps News the new policies will make it harder for people with disabilities and their families to access benefits they need for housing, food and clothes.
“SSI is very important. It allows me to pay my rent, my bills,” Grammer said. “SSI helps me to have a life like yours.”
RELATED STORY | Truth Be Told: Trump vows not to cut Social Security, Medicare
"Around half of older adults, that's adults over 65, rely on Social Security for the majority of their income right now and for people with disabilities, it can be even more extreme,” Milburn said.
Dr. Sharon McLennon Wier, executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled of New York, said the new policies will create additional hardship for anyone who can’t make a face-to-face appointment.
“Seventy-million people receive Social Security right now. And most of those people are seniors who really don't use the computer to that extent. They like the call option,” Wier said.
“Some of these individuals have permanent disability,” she added. “However, in April, for some reason, they have to prove that they're disabled again so they can get their check. That doesn't make any sense.”
The new identity check comes amid misleading claims of widespread fraud and the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce. In defense of the policy change, Dudek, who has worked with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, said the agency is losing more than $100 million a year in direct deposit fraud. But experts say that amounts to less than one percent, or 0.00625%, of all the money paid out each year.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed not to cut Social Security, and his administration says incoming changes are intended to find fraud.
“With a resounding mandate from the American people, President Trump is moving quickly to fulfill his promise of making the federal government more efficient. He has promised to protect Social Security, and every recipient will continue to receive their benefits,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Scripps News in an emailed statement Thursday.
Disability advocates told Scripps News these changes are happening too fast and seemingly without a cost-benefit analysis.
Milburn said the rapid changes “has the potential to be a recipe for disaster for the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
Dudek told stakeholders in a closed meeting earlier this week that the rapid timeline for these changes came from the White House. Sources who were in the meeting told Scripps News that Dudek acknowledged they would normally take two years to roll out — not two weeks.
Amid these changes, Milburn said people should be proactive if they feel their benefits are at risk for disruption. She advised keeping records of when they call SSA or communications they receive from the agency. Milburn also said people should make sure they give SSA the most up-to-date information about their living situation.
