The Social Security Administration (SSA) closed 64 field offices and 533 temporary mobile offices and reduced field office hours over the last five years, according to a recent Senate Special Committee on Aging report.
Committee members convened a hearing on Thursday to explore reasons for rolling back SSA facilities and hours despite an increased case load resulting from the retirement of Baby Boomers and expansion of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.
“The Social Security Administration has been pushing for years to reduce the face-to-face services it provides through its field offices and to force beneficiaries to interact with the agency online or over the phone,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, said. “While I don’t object to providing services this way where it’s appropriate, I am concerned that the SSA has not sought public input, and it is not taking into account the impact on the beneficiaries they are supposed to be serving.”
Tammy DeLong, a Medicare specialist for the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging in Presque Isle, Maine, testified that field offices often play a critical role in resolving issues. DeLong said many seniors, especially those in rural areas, do not have access to the internet.
Collins and Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) found a lack of transparency in the method SSA used to determine which offices should close or have reduced hours.
Collins said she was “troubled” by a draft strategic plan from the National Academy of Public Administration that outlined a shift away from face-to-face interactions over the next 11 years.