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The Social Security Administration (SSA) confirmed that beginning April 14, they will allow all claim types to be completed over the telephone as they previously had been. This includes Retirement, Survivors, and Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits that SSA previously announced would require in-person identity proofing. It is also understood that, in the event your account is flagged for fraud, you will be required to appear in person at a Social Security office to verify your identity.
Older Americans depend on services provided by the Social Security Administration, whether it be over the phone, online, or face-to-face at local field offices.
- For most of last year, SSA maintained a busy rate of 0 percent. But that has since changed, skyrocketing in March to nearly 1 out of every 3 callers getting a pre-recorded message that the lines are too busy and are then hung up on by SSA.
- Those who get their call answered often wait up to two and a half hours or more for a call back.
- AARP continues to receive growing complaints that the Social Security website is unreliable and frequently crashes.
- According to reports, SSA’s online portal suffered five outages in March alone, including a full outage on March 31.
About Social Security in Arizona:
- More than one in five Arizona residents (1,498.752 people) receive Social Security benefits
- Arizona’s largest group of beneficiaries is its 1,173,710 retired workers, who account for 78.3 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries in the state.
- 619,868 Arizona residents (46% of individuals) 65 and older, live in families that rely on the program for at least half of their income.
- 344,398 Arizona residents (26% of individuals) 65 and older, live in families that rely on the program for at least 90 percent of their income
- Arizona has 131,180 residents who receive Social Security disability income.
- In Arizona, more than 117,942 spouses, former spouses, widows, widowers, and parents of deceased beneficiaries account for 7.9 percent of the state’s Social Security beneficiaries. An additional 75,920 Arizona children receive benefits.
If you have been experiencing customer service issues in Arizona similar to the ones mentioned above, we want to hear from you! Share your Social Security stories by emailing us at AZAARP@aarp.org.
Resources:
- Website for SSA Office locator: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp
- National Number - Toll-Free: 1-800-772-1213
- Online Services (apply for benefits, check your account statements, check application, request replacement SS or Medicare card) : https://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/
- AARP Social Security Information Page: https://www.aarp.org/socialsecurity
- AARP Arizona: https://www.aarp.org/az
