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By Aliss Higham
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New Social Security identity proofing rules due to come into force next week could create significant hurdles for millions of beneficiaries, a new report has found.
Why It Matters
The SSA announced in March that it would discontinue over-the-phone identification services in an effort to combat fraudulent benefit payments, starting April 14. This applies to new benefit applicants and changes to direct deposit information.
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This means that starting April 14, beneficiaries—excluding those receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—who cannot verify their identity using the SSA's online My Social Security portal will be required to travel to a field office to finish the process in person.
What To Know
A new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has found that a trip to a Social Security field office will be a "45-mile trip for some 6 million seniors," which may be difficult for many who do not have access to a vehicle or have mobility issues that could prevent them from traveling easily.
"Nationally, it's estimated that over 6 million seniors don't drive, and nearly 8 million seniors report a medical condition or disability that makes it difficult to travel outside the home," the report reads.
The research found that in 35 states, 10 percent of beneficiaries will need to make a 45-mile round trip to visit their nearest field office, which the CBPP has said is twice the average amount a senior travels in one day (23.3 miles).
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The worst impacted state is Wyoming, where 65 percent of seniors live further than 45 miles from a local office. In Alaska, the largest state by land mass, 45.9 percent of older Americans will need to travel at least this distance and likely considerably more—something that has been concerning senior advocacy groups and lawmakers in the Last Frontier State. In North Dakota, the CBPP reports that some 13,000 seniors live more than 180 miles round-trip from their nearest field office.
Some states are better off. In California and New York State, only 3 percent of senior beneficiaries will need to travel such a distance, largely thanks to the high number of field offices in these areas.
But in states like Wyoming and Alaska, where there are fewer field offices (due to lower populations), identity proofing is likely to make it "harder or even impossible for people to access their earned benefits."
"More than 4 in 10 retirees apply for their Social Security benefits by phone, as do most spouses who are eligible for benefits," researchers wrote. "So do the substantial majority of bereaved family members who are eligible for benefits following the death of a worker."
According to the report, there is no online application service for survivor benefits, which are issued for relations of a dead worker. It also points out that children cannot have Social Security logins, meaning they and their parents will have no choice but to visit an office to pass identity checks.
In an emailed statement to Newsweek, the SSA disputed the report's claim that it could hinder people collecting benefits.
"SSA is NOT limiting phone services for Americans. We have over 40,000 people working the front lines, and will continue to ensure benefits are available to all Americans," a spokesperson said. "The agency recently brought all employees back into the office 5 days a week. Additionally, SSA has made active investments to improve telephone services and increase the number of customer service representatives so all Americans receive the prompt excellent service they expect when calling the agency's 800 number."
What People Are Saying
The CBPP in its report: "Telephone services are critical for seniors and people with disabilities, who may struggle to access online portals and may face barriers to traveling to field offices (if one even exists in their area). Many Social Security beneficiaries don't drive while others have mobility issues that make getting to in-person appointments difficult or burdensome, even if they do not live great distances away."
The SSA said in a statement to Newsweek: "With a resounding mandate from the American people, President Trump is moving quickly to fulfill his promise of making the federal government more efficient and better than ever before. He has promised to protect Social Security, and every recipient will continue to receive their benefit."
What's Next
The changes are scheduled to take place on April 14.
Update 04/10/25, 5:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a statement from the SSA.
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