The Social Security Administration office in Green Bay, WI. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — American citizens pay into it every paycheck and every year, it pays out billions of dollars in retirement benefits and disability insurance to millions: social security.
But many say it’s not an easy system to navigate.
“Social security, disability claims process is already bewildering and overwhelming, and difficult for people to manage,” says Eva Shiffrin.
That’s why organizations like Shiffrin’s exist. She’s an attorney with Disability Rights Wisconsin, helping social security recipients access and maintain the often life-saving funds they’re entitled to.
This week, among a slew of changes, the Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner announced the administration will be transitioning to more stringent identity-proofing processes.
“For far too long, the agency has used antiquated methods for proving identity,” acting commissioner Lee Dudek said in a statement.
The change means recipients will no longer be able to verify their identity over the phone; they must use the website’s ‘My SSA’ account or visit an SSA office in person.
There are six offices in Northeast Wisconsin.
“Our concerns are that this will increase traffic to the field offices, and they’re already understaffed, wait times are already long, and if you want an appointment they’re already scheduling them out quite far in many areas,” Shiffrin stresses.
The SSA press release, however, says nearly all employees are now required to work in the office five days a week.
“This change ensures maximum staffing is available to support the stronger in-person identity proofing requirement,” the statement says.
But Shiffrin says ending over-the-phone verification could still cause disruptions in payments for millions of Americans.
“It is already a difficult process to navigate the bureaucracy, making sure we remove as many barriers as possible and make it as easy as possible and as quick as possible for people to be able to talk to a human being is what a lot of folks actually need because people have a lot of barriers to utilizing technology for a large part of the community that social security serves,” she says.
She adds that people who are living on a fixed income sometimes don’t have a car they rely on public transportation so they have difficulty even getting to an SSA field office.
“With a lot of Americans really living close to the edge, even having a small disruption in services could have a big impact,” Shiffrin adds.
The changes at the SSA are slated to go into effect on March 31.
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