Social Security Administration backtracks on some ID requirements after backlash

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration is partially backtracking on a plan that would require all new and existing beneficiaries to travel to a Social Security field office to verify their identity.

The Social Security Administration on Wednesday said that people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income who are not able to use agency's online portal, can complete their claim entirely over the phone instead of in person. Other SSA applicants will still be required to verify their identities at a field office.

The changes will apply to all beneficiaries beginning April 14th, instead of the previously announced date of March 31st.

“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,” said Lee Dudek, SSA's acting commissioner of Social Security in a statement.

Dudek added that delaying the policy start date will help officials train employees on new procedures.

Last week SSA announced a plan to require in-person identity checks for millions of new and existing recipients while simultaneously closing 47 field offices in 18 states. The new requirements would have impacted anyone who needed to verify their bank information, as well as families with children who receive Social Security benefits and cannot verify certain information online.

The changes are intended to combat fraud and waste within the system, which President Donald Trump and officials in his administration have claimed are widespread.

The policy change has sparked furor among lawmakers, advocacy groups and program recipients who say the Trump administration is placing unnecessary barriers in front of an already vulnerable population.

AARP’s Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond said the Wednesday announcement “is a good first step by the Social Security Administration to respond to the concerns of AARP, our members, and older Americans everywhere about plans to discontinue phone service for critical Social Security customer service needs.”

“Merely delaying the implementation of this change is not enough, though,” she said. "SSA should take a deliberate approach to its proposed changes to customer service that seeks public input, follows a clear communication plan, and allows a reasonable timeframe for compliance."

Roughly 72.5 million people, including retirees and children, receive Social Security benefits.

Trump’s nominee to lead the SSA faced questions Tuesday at his confirmation hearing about efforts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to close field offices and cut back on phone service at the beleaguered agency.

Frank Bisignano, was called to account for recent upheaval at the SSA, which has taken center stage in the debate over the usefulness of DOGE cuts to taxpayer services and their effect on the social welfare program long regarded as the third rail of national politics.

A Wall Street veteran and one-time defender of corporate policies to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, Bisignano has since 2020 served as chairman of Fiserv, a payments and financial services tech firm. He told CNBC in February that he is “fundamentally a DOGE person” but “the objective isn’t to touch benefits.”

When asked during the hearing whether Social Security should be privatized, Bisignano responded: “I’ve never heard a word of it, and I’ve never thought about it.”