Trump Memo Reveals Plan to Throw Social Security Into Chaos

The Trump medication plans to upend and cripple the Social Security claims process, according to a memo obtained by Popular Information.

An internal  Social Security Administration memo, sent connected March 13, outlines changes to the bureau that would origin processing delays and forestall Americans from applying for arsenic good arsenic receiving benefits, ostensibly to trim “fraud risks” according to its author, acting Deputy Commissioner Doris Diaz.

The changes see requiring that radical seeking benefits supply impervious of individuality implicit the net for payment claims made implicit the phone. If idiosyncratic is “unable to utilize the net ID proofing, customers volition beryllium required to sojourn a tract bureau to supply in-person individuality documentation.”

Right now, Social Security claims and individuality verification tin beryllium done implicit the telephone acknowledgment to staffers answering calls connected its toll-free number. Actual fraud is rare, due to the fact that radical person to supply aggregate pieces of idiosyncratic information, checked against aesculapian records, slope statements, wage stubs, and taxation returns, depending connected the benignant of claim. 

Beyond that, if determination are immoderate discrepancies, an applicant mightiness person to message their commencement certificate to the agency. This full process allows radical who are aged oregon disabled, and frankincense person trouble accessing the net oregon visiting a carnal office, to use for and cod Social Security benefits. 

Introducing net verification would beryllium a important hardship to the 40 percent of Social Security beneficiaries who beryllium connected the telephone service. If they can’t usage the net system, they would besides person to sojourn a carnal location. Diaz’s ain memo estimates that 75,000 to 85,000 radical would person to sojourn Social Security offices nether the caller policy. 

But adjacent earlier the Department of Government Efficiency’s monolithic cuts to the agency, the SSA’s carnal offices had an mean hold clip of much than a month. They don’t judge walk-ins and would not beryllium capable to accommodate specified a ample summation successful ft traffic. 

The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner, Leland Dudek, precocious announced further cuts of 7,000 employees, oregon astir 12 percent of the agency. Physical offices astir the state are being closed, and immoderate radical are much than 100 miles away from the nearest location. On apical of that, 1 time earlier the memo was issued, the bureau was reportedly considering ending its phone service altogether owed to misguided concerns from DOGE implicit wide fraud.

After an outcry implicit ending the telephone service, the SSA denied that it was being eliminated, with this memo appearing to beryllium a workaround. Even still, if these changes spell through, galore disabled and aged radical volition person large difficulties successful getting their benefits and whitethorn extremity up losing them altogether. The memo foresees this, stating determination volition beryllium “service disruption,” “operational strain,” and “budget shortfalls.” All of that is simply a euphemism for causing irreparable harm to Social Security.