Social Security Delays Plan to End Benefit Applications by Phone

AARP opposes new ID-proofing rules that could force millions to file claims in person

Andy Markowitz,

Updated April 11, 2025

AARP

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Published March 26, 2025

/ Updated April 11, 2025

Editor's note: The Social Security Administration reversed course on April 8 and announced that it will not implement a plan to require online or in-person identity verification for applications by phone. Telephone claiming for all types of benefits will remain an option. Read our updated coverage.

In the face of opposition from AARP and an outcry from older Americans, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is delaying a plan to end applications for most types of benefits by phone and exempting people with disabilities from the new rules when they do go into effect.

The agency said March 26 that a new policy requiring many applicants to complete claims online or in person rather than by phone, announced eight days earlier and initially set to take effect at the end of March, will be delayed until April 14.

Starting on that date, people applying for retirement, survivor or family benefits will need to use an online My Social Security account or make an appointment at a local SSA office to show proof of identity, a necessary step in filing for benefits or reporting a change in bank direct deposit information to receive payments.

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Applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicare will continue to be able to “complete their claim entirely over the telephone without the need to come into an office,” the agency said. The SSA handles Medicare enrollment on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The policy shift and the initial two-week timetable to implement it drew strong opposition from AARP, which said the new requirements would place a heavy burden on Social Security applicants and beneficiaries who live in rural areas, have mobility issues, or lack access to a computer or the Internet.

“This is a good first step by the Social Security Administration to respond to the concerns of AARP, our members and older Americans everywhere about plans to discontinue phone service for critical Social Security customer service needs,” Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer, said in a March 26 statement.

“Merely delaying the implementation of this change is not enough, though,” she added. “SSA should take a deliberate approach to its proposed changes to customer service that seeks public input, follows a clear communication plan and allows a reasonable timeframe for compliance.”

‘Confusion and distress’

The SSA has characterized the change in phone service as an anti-fraud measure that would strengthen the agency’s identity-proofing and curb criminals who use illicitly obtained personal information to contact Social Security and hijack beneficiaries’ payments.

The March 26 announcement reiterated that stance, saying the SSA “is taking proactive steps to enhance the security of its services by implementing stronger identity verification procedures” but that the delay would help ensure agency staff are sufficiently trained to help customers work through the new procedures.

“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,” Leland Dudek, acting SSA commissioner, said in a statement.

He added, “Medicare, disability and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity.”

The SSA also said it would not enforce digital or in-person ID verification “in extreme dire-need situations, such as terminal cases or prisoner pre-release scenarios” and is developing a process for people in these circumstances to bypass the requirement.

More than 10 million people applied for retirement, family, survivor and disability benefits in 2023, the most recent SSA data available.

LeaMond said the SSA proposal would still “have a very serious impact” on older Americans.

“Our members nationwide have told us this change would require hundreds of miles and hours of travel merely to fill out paperwork,” she said. “SSA should be prioritizing customer service effectiveness and efficiency, and as older Americans tell us, the announcement requiring visits caused confusion and distress.”

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Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.