December 2024
Changes to Accessing Our In-Person Services
We are expanding appointment-based services at our local Social Security offices. By scheduling appointments, we aim to reduce wait times, streamline service delivery, and improve customer experience. Nearly 400 local offices have already moved to appointment-based service this year. These offices have seen significant reductions in wait times due to more efficient and helpful visitor experiences and increases in the number of customers able to complete their business online.
We are implementing the appointment-based services nationwide in 2 phases.
Phase 1: The first phase is a transition period from now through January 5, 2025. The purpose of this transition period is to educate your clients about the need to schedule an appointment for our services.
Phase 2: The second phase takes effect January 6, 2025. This phase will require customers to schedule an appointment for service in our local offices, including requests for Social Security cards.
We encourage your clients to become accustomed to our:
- Online services webpage at www.ssa.gov/onlineservices. There, they can complete many transactions online conveniently and securely.
- Automated services webpage at www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/phone.html. If your clients cannot use our online services, they can find information about our automated telephone services available on our National 800# at 1-800-772-1213.
Customers who are not able to handle their business online or with the automated options, may call their local Social Security office or our National 800# to schedule an appointment. Your clients can find the number to their local office at secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp.
We want to make it clear that we will not turn people away for service who are unable to make an appointment or do not want to make an appointment. For example, members of vulnerable populations, military personnel, people with terminal illnesses, and people with other situations requiring immediate or specialized attention may still walk in for service at our local offices. Some of our offices also have minimal to no wait times, and they will still serve customers who walk in.
Please share this important information with your clients.
my Social Security Paperless Enhancements
We’re making it easier for your clients to receive, complete, and submit important documents using their personal my Social Security account. We have more than 65 notices that are available online that customers can access in a secure folder without the need to wait for a notice to arrive or risk it being lost in the mail, and we’re continuing to add more.
A growing number of our forms are also available online. Some forms no longer require a wet signature, and your clients can now sign them electronically. These enhancements make it easier and quicker for them to submit the forms to us.
Encourage your clients to create or sign in to their personal my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount and select the option to receive email and text notifications (or both) when documents are available.
Please share this information with your clients.
Check Out Our New Toolkits
We are happy to announce the release of 2 new toolkits - the School Professionals Toolkit and the Survivors Benefits Toolkit. They are designed to help your clients to better understand our benefit programs.
The Social Security Benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Payments for Children: A Guide for School Professionals Toolkit provides information about benefits for students, children with disabilities, and youth in foster care. Information includes:
- Eligibility requirements.
- Types of evidence we need from teachers and other school professionals.
- How to apply.
- Benefits for students in foster care.
Our blog titled National Foster Care Month at blog.ssa.gov/national-foster-care-month-ssi-blog highlights what we are doing to help children in foster care. It also includes resources we have for youth who are transitioning to adulthood and their support networks.
The Social Security Survivors Benefits Toolkit - A Guide for Organizations provides information about benefits for survivors after the loss of a family member. Information includes:
- Eligibility requirements.
- Types of evidence we need.
- How to apply.
Our YouTube videos titled How Social Security Survivors Benefits Work and Survivors Benefits Testimonial show how survivors benefits can support families.
Please share this information with your clients.
SSA Talks Scams
Rebecca Rose, Senior Public Affairs Specialist in SSA's Office of Inspector General's Division of Communications, joined the latest episode of SSA Talks to discuss Social Security scams and how to recognize them. Recognizing the signs of a scam gives your clients the power to ignore criminals and report the scam.
In this episode Rebecca discusses the four basic signs of a scam.
The episode also includes a testimony from scam survivor, Kate Kleinert. She's a widow who shares her story of losing $39,000 to a romance scam and offers advice on recognizing and reporting scams.
Our blog titled What You Can Do To Protect Your Personal Information at blog.ssa.gov/what-you-can-do-to-protect-your-personal-information talks about ways your clients can safeguard their personal information from scammers. Your clients can learn more about scams and how to report them to our Office of the Inspector General, on our Scams webpage at www.ssa.gov/scam.
Your clients can listen to this episode on our SSA Talks webpage at www.ssa.gov/news/audio-series.html and subscribe to receive alerts about future episodes. The SSA Talks webpage contains a transcript for each episode.
For more information and news about Social Security, encourage your clients to check out our Communications Corner webpage at www.ssa.gov/news.
Happy Holidays From Social Security
We hope your holidays are filled with joy and warmth. During this and every season, we want your clients to know that we are here to serve them. Our online services at www.ssa.gov are available to help them do business with us in an easy, convenient, and secure way.
Your clients can use online services to:
- Apply for retirement, disability, and Medicare benefits.
- Check the status of an application or appeal.
- Request a replacement Social Security card (in most states).
- Print a benefit verification letter.
They can visit our online services webpage at www.ssa.gov/onlineservices for more information.
If your clients cannot use our online services, they may be able to get the information they need by using our automated telephone services at 1-800-772-1213. Our automated services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Have a safe, happy holiday season and know that we are here for you.
Please share this information with your clients.
