The White Plains, New York, Social Security field office is most likely all you could possibly want in a public service government office: Wait times are reasonable, the personnel is friendly, the restrooms are spotless, and there is plenty of free parking.
Still, last Wednesday’s atmosphere in the lobby at 297 Knollwood Road was strained in this age of purported government efficiency under the new Trump administration.
During a MarketWatch visit, multiple people went by the White Plains office to check if it was open because it appears like things at the Social Security Administration are changing every hour and the situation is so unclear. They were worried after hearing on the news a few days prior about a closure and a demonstration organized by local authorities. In addition to reducing staff and shifting toward more online self-service, Social Security said that it was eliminating one field office nationwide. It may also be redesigning the back-end code that powers the services.
The office that is scheduled to close in this region of southern New York state is really a hearing office around four miles distant that primarily assists those seeking to appeal a denial of a Social Security Disability Insurance application. It’s in a shared building and isn’t the type of place you just drop by because of the secured door and the stern security guy.
Those who would prefer an in-person hearing will be referred from this office to either New Haven, Connecticut, or the Bronx after the end of April.
Seniors and others with disabilities find it inconvenient. Democratic Representative George Latimer’s communications director, Libby Carlson, joined the effort to persuade the Department of Government Efficiency to relocate the office to a space provided by Westchester County, saying, “That’s a lot of time or effort to get anywhere.” So far, the endeavor has failed.
In response, acting Social Security commissioner Leland Dudek wrote: “We will also continue to offer the option of a virtual hearing by online video and audio (telephone), which is chosen by more than 83 percent of our claimants who are served by the White Plains Hearing Office. We are not looking into finding an other location because the office closure will not impact the great majority of our claims.”
In contrast, the White Plains field office is open and friendly, with the exception of the large notice beside the elevator that says anyone seeking assistance must make an appointment. That’s another recent adjustment to Social Security.
We did not, however, discover anyone who had scheduled an appointment when MarketWatch visited the field office. 52-year-old Antonio Cabrera came there to pick up some documentation he required for a job, but he didn’t even consider whether he could do it online or over the phone. He simply stopped by, waited for twenty-five minutes, and resolved his problem.
After getting something from his car, another man was hurrying across the lobby to avoid losing his spot in line. “I can tell you that the website is not great,” he said, pausing. We are present in person for that reason.
In recent weeks, there have been multiple instances of the Social Security website crashing, making it impossible for users to access their accounts. Social Security stated it was looking into the matter in a statement.
“Check day”
Visitors to the White Plains office ranged in age and had a variety of motives for seeking assistance. Everyone’s main concern, however, was that it was “check day”—the fourth Wednesday of the month—and they were uncertain if checks would be deposited on schedule.
Supplemental Security Income is paid on the first to third day of each month, while Social Security retirement payments and SSDI normally arrive on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month, depending on the recipient’s birthday. That Wednesday was the first check drop since Dudek had discussed closing the agency before changing his mind, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said that only fraudsters would object if Social Security stopped issuing checks.
“It’s going to rain. We’ll all be affected,” resignedly stated a 40-year-old lady. She refused to reveal her identity for fear of reprisals.
Problems with identity verification
A number of visitors to the White Plains office were there due to identity-verification concerns, which have been the subject of evolving regulations. To enroll in a nursing program, 45-year-old Silvana Affara needed a new Social Security card, which she obtained there. The response she received that day was that she would have to wait weeks to renew her passport before she could acquire the card. Unsatisfied, she left the office with her pile of documents, uncertain that the timing would work out.
The 70-year-old Fanchette DeGaard had a more pressing problem. Her passport was refused by the online system when she attempted to enroll in Social Security benefits. The system believed she was Swedish, even though she immigrated from Switzerland and has been a citizen of the United States for 25 years. A reader of MarketWatch commented on a comparable circumstance: She was worried because she believed her rejection was related to the Trump administration’s ending of the humanitarian parole program for individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. She had arrived in the United States from Cuba at the age of two and had obtained citizenship.
Both of those individuals were probably dealing with a similar problem that arises when a naturalized citizen of the United States needs to update their Social Security file. I asked a Social Security employee at another field office about their experience working for the agency today, and they told me that they see this frequently. “Sometimes, it was so long ago that they didn’t know they needed to update it or that they may have needed a new Social Security number,” the veteran employee stated. “If they never had a name change and maintained their card, it might never have come up before.” In most situations, people can update their citizenship information and start the benefits claim process when they visit a Social Security office.
A challenging journey for senior citizens
There was a lot of uproar about the burden that would be placed on the elderly and disabled when Social Security announced that it was reducing its phone service and that all identity verification, including updating citizenship information, had to be done online or in person by appointment. Later, the rule was loosened.
But for John and Claudia Russo, who were in White Plains last Wednesday, that did not help. John, 82, had to be brought in by Claudia, 79, because they were informed that he needed to appear in person due to a problem with his payments. It was a challenging visit. Claudia had to leave John alone, teetering precariously on the side of a large flower planter, as he hobbled along with his walker while she parked and then later when she got the car back.
Although Claudia has a power of attorney for John, it is ineffective at Social Security, which has its own form (Form 1696) that allows an individual to choose a representative. “He signed all the needed paperwork online, but they said we’d need to send in his proof of ID, and I worried about getting it back,” Claudia stated. “So I had to bring him.”
According to the veteran Social Security employee MarketWatch spoke with, this is another issue they frequently encounter, and family members who are attempting to assist may find it challenging.
“It’s a frustrating moment, but also an educational moment,” the employee concluded. “We get people coming in saying, ‘I’m POA, I’m on dad’s bank account,’ and we have to say, ‘We can’t help you.'”
People should be cautious about who they designate as their designated representative, and particularly as their representative payee, the seasoned Social Security official advised. In order for their Social Security funds to be used directly to cover their care, many Medicaid recipients who are residing in nursing homes designate the facility as the representative payee. “But if there’s benefit changes or something happens, and there’s an overpayment, the person themselves is still held liable,” added the worker.
And occasionally, someone enters a nursing home for a brief period of time and becomes [their] payee. After that, they return home, and the nursing home continues to get the funds,” the employee continued. The beneficiary must return to a Social Security office to resolve the issue if that occurs.
At least in White Plains, most individuals appeared to be holding their breath on the future of Social Security. “I hope they don’t change things for the worse,” Norma, 66, remarked. Although she was pleased with the assistance she received from a helpful agent that day, she was unable to resolve her benefits issue at that visit. If the office is still open, she will return.
