Social Safety advocates celebrated a hard-fought win on Wednesday whereas nonetheless stressing that the Trump administration poses a dire risk to thousands and thousands of Individuals’ earned advantages.
The Social Safety Administration on Tuesday seemingly walked again plans to require beneficiaries to confirm their identities utilizing an internet system and drive those that couldn’t achieve this to offer documentation at an SSA subject workplace — a few of which can quickly be targeted for closure.
“Starting on April 14, Social Safety will carry out an anti-fraud verify on all claims filed over the phone and flag claims which have fraud danger indicators,” the company wrote Tuesday on X, the social media platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk, head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“People which might be flagged can be required to carry out in-person ID proofing for the declare to be additional processed. People who will not be flagged will have the ability to full their declare with none in-person necessities,” the SSA explained. “We are going to proceed to conduct 100% ID proofing for all in-person claims. 4.5 million phone claims a yr and 70K could also be flagged. Phone stays a viable choice to the general public.”
Individuals stood as much as inform Trump and Musk, “Palms off Social Safety!” In the present day, they pared again their deliberate cuts to cellphone service.
Elon Musk has mentioned Social Safety is a ‘key goal’ for cuts. In the present day’s information is a win, however we should maintain talking out.https://t.co/erom3AxpRw
— Rep. John Larson (@RepJohnLarson) April 9, 2025
The Trump administration was beforehand accused of attempting to “sabotage” SSA by chopping cellphone companies and forcing individuals who couldn’t confirm their id on-line by means of “my Social Safety” to take action in-person. That coverage was initially set to take impact on the finish of March, a speedy rollout reportedly pursued on the request of the White Home.
Then, late final month, SSA delayed the beginning date till April 14, and mentioned that folks making use of for Medicare, Social Safety Incapacity Insurance coverage, or Supplemental Safety Earnings can be exempt from the rule and will full their claims by cellphone.
Reporting on the coverage’s obvious full rollback on Wednesday, Axios shared an electronic mail from a White Home official who mentioned that “as a result of the anti-fraud group applied new technological capabilities so rapidly, SSA can now carry out anti-fraud verify on all claims filed over the cellphone.”
Those that are flagged “can be required to carry out in-person ID proofing for the declare to be additional processed,” the official informed the outlet, echoing the X posts. “The administration stays dedicated to defending our beneficiaries from fraud. There’ll no disruptions to service.”
Welcoming the event on X, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said: “We sounded the alarm, they usually’re backing off. However the combat’s not over. Trump and Musk nonetheless need to hearth 1000’s of Social Safety employees, shut places of work, and minimize companies. We’ll maintain preventing again.”
Social Safety has reversed its ludicrous determination to drastically minimize cellphone companies. It is a main win for seniors and other people with disabilities!
Do not let up the strain, folks. After we combat collectively, we win.
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) April 9, 2025
Richard Fiesta, govt director of the Alliance for Retired Individuals, equally said in a press release: “Organizing and mobilizing works. From the second DOGE introduced its harmful plan to remove SSA phone companies, our members sprang into motion — making 1000’s of calls to elected officers, organizing rallies and demonstrations, and demanding the safety of the companies they’ve earned and paid for.”
“We’re grateful that our voices have been heard. As of immediately, most Individuals will nonetheless have the ability to apply for his or her earned retirement, survivor, or incapacity advantages by means of the tactic that works finest for them — whether or not by cellphone, in individual, or on-line,” Fiesta continued. “Forcing thousands and thousands of seniors and other people with disabilities to rely solely on an understaffed community of closing subject places of work or an online-only system would have positioned an unreasonable burden on weak folks and completed little to curb fraudulent claims.”
Like Warren, he vowed that “we’ll proceed to combat to make sure that SSA is totally staffed and that native subject places of work stay open and accessible to the general public.”
Social Security Works additionally celebrated the information, writing on X: “After a large public outcry, Elon Musk’s DOGE is backing away from cuts to Social Safety cellphone service that will have compelled thousands and thousands of Individuals into overcrowded subject places of work. Your voice issues!”
“However DOGE remains to be making different big cuts to the Social Safety Administration,” the advocacy group added. “These cuts are already making it far tougher for Individuals to say their earned advantages. We have to keep loud! Plan or join a rally on April fifteenth.”
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