A
new analysis out Friday makes the case that cuts proposed
by the Trump administration to Social Security operations nationwide will
create a "significant new burden" for millions of people,
particularly "those who live in rural areas or have transportation or
mobility difficulties."
Those
who collect Social Security benefits will no longer be able to update their
direct deposit banking information solely by phone. Instead of verifying their
identity via security questions over the phone, the agency will require those
who rely on Social Security to use a multifactor authentication process that
includes a one-time PIN code or to visit a social security office in person.
The
left-leaning think tank behind the new analysis, the Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities (CBPP), warned Friday that even though Trump officials within
the SSA have claimed that the policy shift is designed to reduce fraud,
"the agency's own figures show that direct deposit fraud is a very small
problem—less than one-hundredth of one percent of benefits are
misdirected."
A document from the agency gives "estimated burden
figures," which indicates that nearly 2 million beneficiaries will need to
visit a field office as a result of the changed process.
An
April analysis from CBPP estimated that some 6 million live more than a 45-mile
trip away from the nearest Social Security field office.
"The
new PIN code requirement will be impossible for many beneficiaries to
meet," according to the analysis from CBPP released Friday. "Many
seniors and people with disabilities lack internet service, computers or
smartphones, or the technological savvy to navigate SSA's online
services."
What's
more, the analysis states, "the PIN requirement expects callers to
complete a multi-step, multifactor authentication and generate a PIN code while
on the phone with an agent. Or if they don't have an account, they must hang
up, establish an online account, then call back—a not-insignificant
inconvenience when most callers to SSA do not reach an agent on the first try,
and the wait time for a call back from SSA averages 2.5 hours."
Alex
Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, told Common
Dreams on Friday that the CBPP analysis helps show how "the Trump
administration and its goons are waging a full scale war against Social
Security. They are forcing millions of Americans into Social Security offices
at the same time they are cutting a huge percentage of the workforce."
"They
are forcing millions of Americans into Social Security offices at the same time
they are cutting a huge percentage of the workforce," Lawson added.
"The Trump-Musk regime has one goal: Wreak Social Security so they can rob
it. When people can't get their benefits for any reason, that is a benefit
cut."
Trump,
with the help of his billionaire advisor Elon Musk and the so-called Department
of Government Efficiency, have endeavored to slash government spending and
personnel. A tracker from The New York Times estimates
that there has been a 5% staff reduction at SSA, but total planned reductions
at the agency could ultimately cut staff by 17%. Reporting from NPR from
last week highlighted how workers at the SSA are struggling to
keep up, with fewer staff working to serve over 70 million beneficiaries.
-
by Eloise Goldsmith for Common Dreams
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.