The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued an update regarding the identity proofing standards that will be modified the following week.
Taking to its official X account, the SSA wrote: “Beginning on April 14, #SocialSecurity will perform an anti-fraud check on all claims filed over the telephone and flag claims that have fraud risk indicators.”
The applicants who get flagged will need to provide in-person identification to further proceed their claims. “Individuals who are not flagged will be able to complete their claim without any in-person requirements,” the post added.
Nearly 70 million people receive benefits from the SSA each month. However, the agency has experienced some major adjustments since Trump's return to the White House, with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force leading the reforms.
In the recent past, Musk has referred to Social Security as the “biggest Ponzi scheme” in the US history. Before the Social Security's implementation in 1935, more than half of the elderly were living below the poverty line, according to the Cato Institute.
{{/usCountry}}In the recent past, Musk has referred to Social Security as the “biggest Ponzi scheme” in the US history. Before the Social Security's implementation in 1935, more than half of the elderly were living below the poverty line, according to the Cato Institute.
{{/usCountry}}Martin O'Malley, a former Social Security Commissioner, told CNN last month that if Musk and his DOGE team's proposed changes were implemented, the government would fall apart in 90 days and payouts may be postponed.
SSA to discontinue phone identification; Here's what happens if you get flagged
The announcement comes after the SSA indicated that it would phase out over-the-phone verification services in an effort to curb bogus benefit payments.
In a statement dated March 26, the SSA said that many applicants will no not be able to verify their identity over the phone.
Beginning April 14, beneficiaries who are unable to authenticate themselves through the SSA's online portal will have to go to a field office to conclude the process in person, with the exception of those getting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
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Here's why SSA has initiated these changes
On X, the SSA stated that it manages roughly 4.5 million telephone claims per year and that 70,000 of them “may be flagged.”
The government administration, which wants to preserve the reliability of benefits dispersion, pointed to identity theft and fraud efforts as major factors behind the shift. The SSA's Office of the Inspector General reported in 2023 that from January 2013 to May 2018, scammers falsified direct deposit information to siphon $33.5 million in payments from 20,878 claimants.