A new Trump administration policy that would have changed the way the Social Security Administration handles some services for recipients will not happen after all.
In March, the SSA announced it would require in-person identity verification for some services if the verification could not be done online.
The administration said the new rules were needed to cut down on fraud.
Critics said that would create chaos for the millions of social security recipients who struggle to navigate the internet, get transportation to field offices, and potentially have to wait outside in long lines.
Last week, the agency said it would delay implementation of the policy until April 14, 2025.
Now, the policy is being scrapped altogether. The Social Security press office tells News 6 the agency will now allow all claims to be completed over the phone.
Critics of the plan included senior advocacy group AARP. Zayne Smith, AARP Florida’s senior director of advocacy, said the group was worried the changes could lead to recipients missing payments.
“Of the 65 and older recipients here in Florida, for 24% of the recipients, Social Security is 90% of their income. So when you talk about missing a check or something getting caught up in red tape and they’re not able to receive that monthly deposit, that’s the difference between having your AC on, getting your prescription medicine, having groceries,” said Smith.
In an email to News 6 explaining the reversal, the Social Security Administration press office sent the following statement attributed to White House spokesperson Liz Huston.
The unsigned e-mail said:
“President Trump has repeatedly promised to protect social security and uproot waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government. The Social Security anti-fraud team has worked around the clock in person to improve technological capabilities and they are now able to identify fraud on claims filed over the telephone. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Social Security Administration is taking bold steps to transform how they serve the public - improving frontline customer service, modernizing their technology, protecting beneficiaries and securing the integrity of their programs.”
They also sent us these bullet points as “background information to be attributable to a White House official.”
- Beginning on April 14, SSA will allow all claim types to be completed over the telephone. Because the anti-fraud team implemented new technological capabilities so quickly (thanks to the return to work order!), SSA can now perform anti-fraud check on all claims filed over the phone. The new software allows the SSA to flag abnormal behavior in a person’s account.
- Individuals that have been flagged would be required to perform in-person ID proofing for the claim to be further processed.
- We will continue to conduct 100 percent ID proofing for all-in person claims.
- The administration remains to committed to protecting our beneficiaries from fraud.
- There will no disruptions to service.