Social Security change: Agency reverses course on Trump policy set to start this week
New Social Security recipients will not be required to verify their identity in person after another change to a Trump administration policy.
In March, the Social Security Administration announced it would require new and existing beneficiaries who needed to make changes, including adding new direct deposit information, to either use their My Social Security account online or visit their local office in person. Previously, many of these issues were handled over the phone.
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A week later, the White House backtracked on some of the changes, pushing them back to April 14 and allowing certain categories of beneficiaries, including those seeking Medicare, Disability or Supplemental Security Income, to be exempt from the new requirement.
Now, the agency said, “enhanced fraud prevention tools,” will allow for all claims to be processed over the telephone and in-person visits will not be required.
“The enhanced technology enables SSA to identify suspicious activity in telephone claims by analyzing patterns and anomalies within a person’s account. If irregularities are detected, the individual will be asked to complete in-person identity proofing to continue processing their claim,” the agency said in a statement.
ID verification will continue for all in-person claims. Extra telephone capacity will also be in place for the first and 14th of each month to accommodate the busiest times and greatest number of calls.
The reversal marks a victory for opponents of the change who said it was an unnecessary burden for applicants, many of whom did not live close to an office. One study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities claimed in-person visits would require 45-mile trips for some 6 million seniors.