The Social Security Administration has taken a hit because of the recent federal budget cuts carried out by the DOGE. The group that is most concerned about the cuts that the SSA will soon be facing is old retirees. Retirees are anxious how the budget cuts will affect their benefits and access to retirement benefits.
The DOGE, aka the Department of Government efficiency, is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The department aims to reduce federal spending to stop waste and fraud. The initiative was something Donald Trump and Musk came up with. DOGE officially came into existence after the President signed an executive order on January 20, 2025.
The department can be credited for the drastic changes being brought about across several government agencies. The most recent action taken by the DOGE is to lay off 7,000 employees who work for the SSA due to budget cuts. 6 out of the 10 SSA offices were also shut down recently.
Retirees now fear that the drastic measures that the government is taking might lead to dire consequences for them. They are anxious that the budget cuts might result in missed payments and long waits.
Citizens do not seem to be put at ease, even after Donald Trump’s promise that people’s Social Security checks will remain untouched regardless of what changes are being brought about. Another decision the Trump administration is being criticized for is changing the verification process.
Starting March 31st, we can not verify our identity over the phone & will be required to visit a SSA office in person to complete the verification process. At the same time, SSA is closing dozens of Social Security offices throughout the country & lay off thousands of workers. pic.twitter.com/nufpkCTa9k
— StubbsTEFL (@stubbstefl) March 20, 2025
The SSA recently announced that people would now be required to come into field offices offline for the verification process. The changes will apply to both Social Security recipients and the new ones, too. This decision comes amidst DOGE’s decision to shut down more than 40 SSA field offices.
The agency has reportedly made $72 billion in payments from 2015 to 2022 that were later found to be either mistaken payouts or paid by fraudsters. The decision to move the process to in-person was to put an end to the fraud.
Ever since the details about the new process were announced, people have come forward to point out how greatly inconvenienced people with disabilities and seniors are going to be. It was also noted that people living in rural areas with no field offices in close proximity will suffer just as much.
Another alternative to going into an office is to verify yourself online on the SSA’s website. This process will again be complicated for people who do not have access to the internet. Also, seniors who are not technologically advanced will struggle with the online verification process.
My experience with @DOGE_SSA @SocialSecurity website is that the https://t.co/Ilby5Reaxj access is not working at all. I encountered the same issue with the SBA web site, tho. The process is already more complicated than it needs to be. 70 min hold time for SSA Help Desk. pic.twitter.com/3iTGVaAEBR
— Herself 🐕💗🐕💗🐕 (@aces_and_8s) April 9, 2025
Up until now, the SSA’s verification process was carried out over a phone call. An SSA agent would get in touch with you and then ask you a few questions that would confirm your identity. The questions were usually related to the individual being verified.
With the new change, it could take you up to a month if you are looking to update your information. Prior to that, you will have to call in to get an appointment to visit in office. After you call in, you should be given an appointment that could be approximately four weeks after.
