AARP efforts keep Social Security phone service intact – North Dakota beneficiaries speak up

The Social Security Administration confirmed that beginning April 14, they will allow all claim types to be completed over the telephone as they previously had been. This includes Retirement, Survivors, and Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits that SSA previously announced would require in-person identity proofing.

“We are grateful that SSA listened to AARP and the millions of Americans who spoke up about the impact the proposed changes would have had. But this is just the beginning of the work needed to ensure people can access the benefits they earned through a lifetime of hard work,” says Nancy Guy, AARP North Dakota Volunteer State President.

George Simek, a Social Security beneficiary from Bismarck said, “We’re on a fixed income. I’m a caregiver for my wife, and Social Security pays my bills. The uncertainty and access issues around Social Security are hard on us. Social Security is our living – a living we earned over a lifetime of hard work.”

Older Americans depend on services provided by the Social Security Administration, whether it be over the phone, online, or face-to-face at local field offices.

• For most of last year, SSA maintained a busy rate of 0 percent. But that has since changed, skyrocketing in March to nearly 1 out of every 3 callers getting a pre-recorded message that the lines are too busy and are then hung up on by SSA.
• Those who get their call answered often wait up to two and a half hours or more for a call back.
• AARP continues to receive growing complaints that the Social Security website is unreliable and frequently crashes.
• According to reports, SSA’s online portal suffered five outages in March alone, including a full outage on March 31.
  

The rapid decline in services is alarming. Phone and online services are vital to access, especially in rural states like North Dakota, where 13,000 seniors live more than 180 miles roundtrip from a field office.

“What was once a persistent concern has become a crisis,” says Guy. “We still need your voice in this fight to create better customer service. Email your lawmakers today and tell them to strengthen Social Security customer service"

About Social Security in North Dakota:

• More than one in six North Dakota residents (138,461) receive Social Security benefits
• North Dakota's largest group of beneficiaries is its 102,674 retired workers, who account for 74 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries in the state.
• 51,543 North Dakota residents (44% of individuals) 65 and older, live in families that rely on the program for at least half of their income.
• 21,990 North Dakota residents (19% of individuals) 65 and older, live in families that rely on the program for at least 90 percent of their income
• North Dakota has 13,946 residents who receive Social Security disability income.
• In North Dakota, more than 13,813 spouses, former spouses, widows, widowers, and parents of deceased beneficiaries account for 10 percent of the state’s Social Security beneficiaries. An additional 8,028 ND children receive benefits.

Resources:

• AARP Social Security Information Page: www.aarp.org/socialsecurity
• Social Security Administration: www.ssa.gov
• AARP North Dakota: www.aarp.org/nd