The Social Security Administration is implementing new “stronger identity-proofing procedures” which are supposed to protect Americans. Critics, however, warn that millions of new elderly and disabled individuals with limited mobility might have to travel hundreds of miles to apply for Social Security benefits or receive other help. 

The agency announced the changes, set to take effect on March 31, this week, saying that elderly and disabled Americans who file for benefits over the phone will have to verify their identity either online or in person at a field office before their claims are approved. 

Those who cannot access the online services will be able to start a claim over the phone, but the agency said the individuals will have to travel to a field office to verify their identity in person before their claim will be completed. The changes will also apply to individuals who want to change their direct deposit information.

In a call with reporters, the acting Social Security commissioner, Leland Dudek, said that “knowledge-based authentication is dead,” a reference to questions that callers are asked over the phone to verify their identity. “These changes are not intended to hurt our customers, but to make sure benefits go to the right customer at the right time,” he said. 

While the agency touted its change as an effort to “better protect Americans,” the change comes as it is closing dozens of field offices and cutting 7,000 jobs as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting operations. 

On DOGE’s website, it lists 47 leases for Social Security field offices across the country that it says will be ended. Mr. Dudek defended those closures while speaking to reporters by saying they were in more remote areas and did not serve many recipients. 

The leader of DOGE, Elon Musk, has been highly critical of Social Security, calling it a “Ponzi scheme.” Mr. Musk has alleged there could be billions of dollars of waste and fraud linked to Social Security. 

One of his favorite narratives about fraud is that there are “20 million people who are definitely dead marked as alive in the Social Security database.” Observers have noted that the figure appears to be a misinterpretation of a long-standing issue with the database of deceased recipients, and their deaths have not been recorded by the agency. However, the agency’s inspector general said in 2023, “almost none” of the people who are listed as over 100 are receiving benefits. 

An internal memo from the acting deputy commissioner for operations, Doris Diaz, that was obtained by the Washington Post raised concerns that the changes would lead to “increased challenges for vulnerable populations” trying to file claims for benefits. 

Ms. Diaz estimated that up to 85,000 people per week will be traveling to field offices, which in some cases will have less staff due to the job cuts. The closure of field offices could mean elderly and disabled individuals could have much further to travel just to verify their identity. 

The AARP criticized the decision, saying, “Requiring rural Americans to go into an office can mean having to take a day off of work and drive for hours merely to fill out paperwork. The Social Security Administration needs to be able to figure out a solution for Americans everywhere to get help in a timely and efficient manner. “

“SSA’s announcement not only comes as a total surprise but is on an impractical fast-track, with SSA saying the change will become permanent in two weeks. SSA needs to be transparent about its service changes and seek input from the older Americans who will be affected, because any delay in Social Security caused by this change can mean real economic hardship,” the AARP said.

The Social Security Administration did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment. 

One of the offices the agency plans to close is its office at White Plains, New York, which state lawmakers say serves thousands of New Yorkers. A state senator, Shelly Mayer, said in a statement opposing the closure that it could force residents to have to travel more than 100 miles to get to the next field office for assistance on “such personal and important issues as Social Security benefits.”

The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, Congressman John Larson, said in a statement about the changes, “By requiring seniors and disabled Americans to enroll online or in person at the same field offices they are trying to close, rather than over the phone, Trump and Musk are trying to create chaos and inefficiencies at SSA so they can privatize the system.”

Senator Gillibrand posted on X, “DOGE is closing nearly 50 Social Security offices across the country — including in White Plains — and now they’re limiting phone support. Make no mistake, this is a full-blown attack on Social Security. Elon Musk is trying to take away benefits you earned.”

Ms. Gillibrand shared a link to an Axios article about a proposal to limit the service people can receive when they call the Social Security Administration. The memo proposed limiting services to only matters that do not require identity verification, such as a generic inquiry. It would require people who want to update or change their benefits to do so in person instead of over the phone.  

Senator Warner suggested the “goal” of the new verification measure is “clear,” and it is to “make seniors’ benefits so hard to access that they can’t get them at all.”

As Democrats attributed the changes to DOGE, Mr. Dudek told reporters that the final decision on the new policies was made by the “SSA team.”