Exclusive: As Social Security services are cut back, millions of seniors face long drives
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In less than one week, many Americans will no longer be able to apply for Social Security benefits over the phone, setting the stage for disruptions and upheaval for millions of seniors.
Why it matters: The abrupt change, implemented at breakneck speed at White House request, increases the likelihood that some eligible people will miss out on benefits; others could simply not get them at all.
The big picture: "President Trump has repeatedly promised not to cut Social Security benefits — but his Administration's actions will effectively do just that," writes Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in a new analysis shared exclusively with Axios.
- More than 4 in 10 retirees apply for benefits by phone, per agency data cited by the Center.
How it works: Right now, if applicants can't use the agency's website to apply for benefits or change their bank information, they can phone an 800 number or their local office.
- Starting April 14, applicants for retirement benefits and those who need to change their direct deposit information must either go online or trek to an office. (Those applying for disability, supplemental security income and Medicare can continue to do so by phone.)
By the numbers: The Center looked at how far senior citizens will have to travel to apply for benefits. For millions it will be a journey.
- Nearly 6 million seniors live more than 46.6 miles, roundtrip, from a field office, per the analysis of agency and Census Bureau data. (See their data.)
- They picked that distance threshold because it's twice the average distance (23.3 miles) an elderly person travels in a day, according to National Household Transportation Survey data that the Center cites.
Those in rural areas face the longest journeys:
- In Alaska, 46% of seniors live more than 46.6 miles from an office, per the analysis. (An estimated 60,000 in the state have no internet access; some live hundreds of miles away from the nearest office.)
- In North Dakota, 13,000 seniors live more than 180 miles roundtrip from a field office.
The distances tracked by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities are "as the crow flies," meaning they mapped a straight line; actual travel distances will be longer.
Where it stands: The agency, in an internal memo viewed by Axios, acknowledged cutting off phone service could drive as many as 85,000 people per week to its already backlogged field offices.
- They will have to make an appointment by phone — where service is already constrained by long hold and callback times.
- The changes were only announced recently and have been rushed. The process has been "a really big mess," says Jill Hornick, a service representative at an agency office outside Chicago.
- Her office still hasn't gotten written instructions on how to implement the changes, says Hornick, who is an administrative director for AFGE, a union for government workers.
Zoom in: Some applicants will have no choice but to make the journey.
- There is no way right now to apply for Social Security survivors' benefits online. That means "grieving family members must visit offices soon after the deaths of their loved ones to apply," CBPP points out in their analysis.
- Children cannot have online accounts, so their parents or guardians will now have to come in person. They are entitled to benefits after the death of a parent.
The big picture: The Social Security Administration is struggling with senior staff departures, staff cuts, and the challenges of return to office.
- On top of that, tech updates — DOGE driven — are causing the agency's website to crash more often, the Washington Post reports. The paper reports a "cascade of blows" to Social Security customer service in recent weeks.
The tech disruption means "you are going to start impacting people's paychecks and people's money," Marcela Escobar-Alava, the agency's former chief information officer, tells Axios.
- "The way that they're going about letting staff go or reducing staff is not strategic and it's not very well thought through."
The other side: The Trump administration has repeatedly said it will protect Social Security, and that the changes are meant to address fraud and increase efficiency.
- The changes going into effect next week were already postponed once to allow for more training, and partially rolled back.
