Social Security Changes Position On Controversial Phone Service Cuts

A day after Frank Bisignano, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Social Security Administration (SSA), told the Senate Finance Committee that phone service was “a part of meeting beneficiaries where they want to get met,” the agency apparently took their likely future boss at his word. Today, the Social Security Administration changed course on its online-centric service policy, committing to phone service for certain beneficiaries.

Calling the measures “proactive steps to enhance the security of its services by implementing stronger identity verification procedures,” the agency announced that beginning April 14, 2025, individuals applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who cannot use a personal my Social Security (online) account can complete their claim entirely over the telephone. There is no need to come into an office.

(The agency had previously announced that beginning in April, SSA would allow beneficiaries to start their claim for benefits on the telephone. However, the agency had indicated at the time that the claim could not be completed until the individual’s identity was verified in person.)

Following the decision, Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, said in a message on the agency’s website, “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.”

The policy is limited to specific recipients. SSDI, sometimes referred to as “Disability” provides monthly payments to people who have a disability that stops or limits their ability to work; Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older (you may also qualify if you have permanent kidney failure or receive Disability benefits); and SSI provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources. That’s because, Dudek noted, “multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity.”

Individuals who cannot use their online account to apply for other benefits, including Retirement, Survivors, or Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits, will still need to prove their identity at a Social Security office. According to the agency, SSA will enforce online digital identity proofing or in-person identity proofing for these cases. And there will be exceptions: the agency says it will not enforce these requirements in “extreme dire-need situations” like terminal cases or prisoner pre-release scenarios. The agency says it is developing a process that would require documentation and management approval to bypass the policy in such cases.

The deadline for the changes has also been pushed to April 14 to allow employees extra time for the training they need to help customers.

Still, Social Security beneficiaries won’t be able to conduct some business, like changing their bank account information, over the phone. Instead, they’re being pushed to do these tasks on the SSA website. That hasn’t changed. The agency now says that those who do not or cannot use its online services to change their direct deposit information for any benefit will still need to visit a Social Security office to process the change (you can call 1-800-772-1213 to schedule an in-person appointment).

To help ease the wait, the agency said it has recently required nearly all agency employees, including frontline employees in all offices throughout the country, to return to the office five days a week. This change is to ensure “maximum staffing” to support the stronger in-person identity proofing requirement.

However, the number of available employees is still on the decline. Some attrition has already occurred, with staffers taking advantage of DOGE’s “Fork in the Road” offer to leave their jobs. Some probationary employees have been let go. As a result, staffing at the agency is at a 50-year low despite a heavier workload. And those numbers are about to drop even more: SSA recently set a staffing target of 50,000, down from approximately 57,000 employees before the start of the current Trump Administration.

Today, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that the agency also plans to close as many as 60% of its field locations, asking in a press conference, “What is the intent? Kill Social Security by strangling it, by not letting it work, by making it so that it’s impossible for people to get their help and their benefits.”

Schumer also spoke about Bisignano’s nomination, saying, “To confirm Mr. Bisignano as head of Social Security is hiring an arsonist to run the fire station. I’ve known this guy for 20 years. He’s a cutter. Companies bring him in to slash workers. And his claim to fame is cutting and shrinking. He’s the last person we need to run the Social Security office.” Schumer added that if President Trump “cared at all about Social Security,” he would withdraw Bisignano’s nomination.

A vote on Bisignano’s nomination has not yet been scheduled.

Bisignano currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Fiserv Corporation, a fintech payment company, a position he has held since 2020. He previously served as JP Morgan Chase & Co.’s co-chief operating officer and CEO of mortgage banking and held multiple leadership roles at Citigroup.