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A leaked internal memo from the Social Security Administration (SSA) reveals possible changes the government agency could be looking at for claims processes, which critics say could lead to increased waiting and processing times for benefits.
Newsweek has contacted the SSA via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The SSA distributes billions of dollars in benefits every month to nearly 70 million recipients, serving as a vital source of income for retirees nationwide. But ongoing changes happening at the federal agency have caused concerns that customer services and benefits could be impacted.
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The changes have come at the behest of President Donald Trump, who has directed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to overhaul federal agencies and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies and has pushed aggressive cost-cutting measures. The SSA has been no exemption to this, with numerous changes taking place at the government agency in recent weeks, including office closures and planned workforce reductions.
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What To Know
An internal memo from the SSA, dated March 13 and obtained by Popular Information, outlines proposed changes to the Social Security claims process, saying it would be an attempt to reduce instances of fraud and improper payments. The memo is titled "Strengthening Identity Assurance for SSA Transactions," and was sent by acting deputy commissioner Doris Diaz to Leland Dudek, the current acting commissioner of the agency.
The memo suggests that the agency should "utilize current internet identity proofing, for agency benefits claims and direct deposit changes done over the phone.
It suggests that "for instances where a customer is unable to utilize the internet ID proofing, customers will be required to visit a field office to provide in-person identifying documentation."
Under current rules, benefit applications can be done online, in person and over the phone. The touted change would eliminate the ability to apply for benefits over the phone.
Impacts
The memo outlines several proposed changes and the impacts they could have, including reducing fraud and improper payments.
A July 2024 report from Social Security's inspector general found that between fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2022, the federal agency distributed nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits with some $71.8 billion of this—less than 1 percent—classified as improper payments. The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan auditing arm of Congress that examines federal spending, found that, in 2024, $6 billion in improper payments were made in the agency's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
But the memo also highlights likely longer wait and processing times due an estimated additional 75,000 to 85,000 people needing to visit field offices every week to have their information checked and processed if they cannot do it online. According to Popular Information, in 2023 there was an average of 119,128 daily visits to SSA field offices across the country—some of which are being shuttered as part of cost-saving measures. The memo also concedes the changes could lead to "increased challenges for vulnerable populations."
Phone Claims
The memo was produced after The Washington Post reported the SSA was considering ending the ability to make claims over the phone entirely. The SSA said the reporting was "inaccurate," and that recipients wanting to update their bank information will need to be done online or in person, while "all other SSA telephone services remain unchanged."
"SSA's current protocol of simply asking identifying questions by telephone is no longer enough to prevent fraud," the SSA said in a press release issued on March 12.
According to a report by Axios, in a previous version of the memo—obtained by the outlet but not seen by Newsweek—Diaz noted that the agency general counsel's office "advised that there is likely a segment of the public for whom internet ID proofing is not viable, and this proposal eliminates phones as a service channel for those customers."
Axios reported the first memo as reading: "The consequence of reduced service channels could be significant. For example, an individual who closes a bank account could have benefits suspended if unable to access in-person service," and that "an individual plainly entitled to benefits" could be "prevented from applying" if the changes are implemented.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Connecticut Representative John B. Larson said in a statement on the lead of the memo: "Their memo confirms they are out to gut Social Security to pay for $2 trillion in new tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent. By requiring seniors and disabled Americans to enroll online or in person at the same field offices they are trying to close, rather than over the phone, Trump and Musk are trying to create chaos and inefficiencies at SSA so they can privatize the system."
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, told Newsweek in a statement: "These latest developments are part of a clear pattern: Elon Musk, DOGE, and their acolytes at SSA are engaged in an intentional campaign to make it harder for Americans to collect their hard-earned Social Security benefits.
"Intentionally constructing obstacles for the people who've earned these benefits (and who pay for SSA operations with every paycheck) betrays at the least an indifference --- and more likely, an outright hostility --- to the elderly, people with disabilities, their families and survivors who rely on Social Security."
Acting commissioner Dudek in a March 3 press release regarding cost savings made at the SSA: "For too long, SSA has operated on autopilot. We have spent billions annually doing the same things the same way, leading to bureaucratic stagnation, inefficiency, and a lack of meaningful service improvements. It is time to change just that."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Axios on Monday: "Any American receiving Social Security benefits will continue to receive them. The sole mission of DOGE is to identify waste, fraud, and abuse only."
Former SSA commissioner Martin O'Malley, commenting on DOGE actions at the SSA last week: "As we speak, Republicans are dismantling this agency. They are gutting its staff and they are breaking it from the inside to make it incapable of serving the American people who paid for it and who paid for the customer service."
What Happens Next
The SSA has not formally announced these proposed changes, and whether the plans outlined in the memos will be implemented is unclear at this stage.
Update 3/18/25, 1:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Max Richtman.
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