Social Security fraud has been a hot topic for several years, and the agency has been slowly but steadily implementing measures to combat it. Until now, the issue has been that not everyone has equal access to technology or is not technically savvy enough to make these procedures universal.
After all, the Social Security Administration (SSA) serves the elderly and the disabled, two of the most disenfranchised communities, and implementing measures that would prevent some deserving individuals from receiving their rightful benefits would be a bad look.
However, times are changing, and the SSA has decided that there are some steps that can be taken to improve their identity verification procedures while not infringing on someone’s right to benefits and reducing fraud.
The new Social Security benefits updates
The Social Security Administration will use two new methods to prevent benefit abuse. They will be implemented over the next two weeks and, hopefully, will gradually improve the situation. The measures will affect both benefit claims and direct deposit changes.
According to the SSA blog, “Individuals seeking these services who are unable to use their personal my Social Security account, which requires online identity proofing, must then visit a local Social Security office to prove their identity in person.”
At the same time, the agency will reduce processing time for all direct deposit change requests, both in person and online, to one business day. Before this change, online direct deposit changes were held for 30 days.”
The transition period will be primarily used to train frontline employees and management about the new policy, as well as to closely monitor policy compliance; at the conclusion of this training period (March 31, 2025), the new online digital identity proofing and in-person identity proofing will be fully implemented.
Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, supports and applauds these measures, saying that “Americans deserve to have their Social Security records protected with the utmost integrity and vigilance.” For far too long, the agency relied on antiquated methods of proving identity. Social Security can better protect Americans while speeding up service.”
Individuals who are unable to use the agency’s online my Social Security services will still be able to ask questions and initiate processes that may require time and multiple data gathering expeditions.
Phone services will continue to assist beneficiaries in starting their claims; however, in order to complete the process, beneficiaries must attend in person to verify their identity.
This would reduce fraud while also preventing those with limited mobility from making unnecessary trips by ensuring that the process is well underway before they need to travel. Furthermore, with the implementation of appointments, services will become less crowded as walk-ins decrease.
The new recommendation is to call to request an in-person appointment, ask questions about your benefits, and gather all necessary paperwork ahead of time to expedite the process. This will be aided by the fact that all frontline employees in all offices across the country will resume full on-site work, ensuring maximum staffing availability.
The SSA also intends to incorporate the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s payment integrity service, Account Verification Service (AVS), which offers “instant bank verification services to proactively and timely prevent fraud associated with direct deposit change requests.” This will not be completed in the next two weeks, but it will be available shortly and will help reduce fraud.
Also See:- SSDI Updates: New Disability Payments of up to $4,018 to Arrive This Week in USA
