UPDATE: After backlash, Social Security scraps plan to restrict phone service

On March 17, Popular Information published an internal Social Security Administration (SSA) memo exposing a scheme to end phone service for new claims, which would have forced up to 85,000 elderly and disabled people each week to travel to field offices to verify their identities. An SSA source described the policy as part of an effort "to break the agency and hurt the public."

The memo claimed the new policy was motivated by a desire to mitigate "fraud risks," an issue championed by Elon Musk. In an interview on Fox Business, Musk falsely suggested that 10% of federal expenditures are related to Social Security fraud.

There are existing safeguards to prevent fraud. After initiating a call to claim benefits, customers must provide their social security number, date of birth, parents' names, mother's maiden name, and date of birth. After the initial teleapplication is completed, the information provided is checked against tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, and medical information, depending on the nature of the claim.

SSA field offices do not have the resources to handle an influx of in-person appointments. The wait time for an SSA appointment, even before these changes, averaged over a month. The memo itself predicted "service disruption," "operational strain," and "budget shortfalls" once the policy was put into place.

After the publication of Popular Information's report, major national news outlets, including Axios, the Washington Post, CNN, USA Today, and Newsweek, picked up the story. Popular Information was featured on The Rachel Maddow Show and Democracy Now! to discuss our report. Millions of people read the story online. Powerful advocacy groups, including the AARP, blasted the proposal.

The restrictions on phone service were supposed to go into effect on March 31. On March 26, however, the SSA announced it was delaying the implementation until April 14. "We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service," Acting Social Security Commissioner Lee Dudek said.

On Tuesday night, in a series of posts on X, the SSA abandoned the plan entirely. No press release was issued.

The SSA press office confirmed to Popular Information that under the revised policy, the "SSA will allow all claim types to be completed over the telephone." Only if the information provided over the phone has "fraud risk indicators" will a claimant be required to make an in-person appointment. The SSA estimates that only 70,000 of the 4.5 million people who file teleapplications annually will be unable to complete their claim over the phone.

"Telephone remains a viable option to the public," the SSA concluded.