Congressman: Decision represents a big win for Iowa seniors
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley's (IA-01) fight to prevent cuts to Social Security yielded results today after the Social Security Administration (SSA) told Braley that it would allow Iowa seniors to continue to receive benefit verification letters?a service requested last year by millions of Americans and tens of thousands of Iowans.
"Social Security is a promise, and part of that promise is the services and outreach that these offices provide," Braley said. "This decision represents a big win for the tens of thousands of Iowa seniors that depend on this service."
Beginning in October 2014, SSA field offices had planned to stop providing benefit verification letters. Many seniors rely on these verification letters for a variety of services. Last year alone, millions of Americans used SSA offices to request benefit letters. Today's action by the SSA will delay this cut indefinitely.
In a letter today addressed to Braley from Carolyn Colvin, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Colvin wrote, "I want you to know that I take your concerns about the proposed changes to our office services very seriously and have modified our proposals accordingly. After reviewing and considering your feedback, we have adjusted our plans."
The letter goes on to say that SSA will now take a more balanced approach of encouraging online and telephone services while still ensuring face-to-face services are available to people like Iowa seniors who rely on those options.
However, SSA stated their intention to move forward implementing their plan to eliminate the issuance of Social Security number printouts face-to-face in its field offices beginning August 1?a cut Braley continues to oppose.
"Until the administration shows me how this cut will save taxpayers money and how they'll prevent harm to Iowans who depend on this service, I'm going to continue to oppose it," Braley said.
In his effort to prevent these cuts, Braley recently called on Iowans to visit braley.house.gov and share their experiences with Iowa Social Security Administration offices.
Iowa's 19 SSA field offices are located in Cedar Rapids, Decorah, Dubuque, Marshalltown, Waterloo, Burlington, Coralville, Davenport, Ottumwa, Council Bluffs, Creston, Des Moines, Ames, Carroll, Ft. Dodge, Mason City, Sioux City, Spencer, and Storm Lake.
Over 450,000 Iowa seniors received Social Security benefits in 2013.
Earlier this year, Braley introduced the Seniors' Access to Social Security Act, which would prevent cuts for one year, during which time Braley would seek verification that the proposed service cuts will not adversely affect Iowa's seniors and will save taxpayers money. This bipartisan legislation quickly gathered the support of nearly two dozen lawmakers.
Colvin's response came after Braley wrote the SSA Commissioner asking her to provide a series of answers about the proposed cuts, including whether an analysis of cost savings has been done and if public input was solicited prior to the proposed cuts. Braley also sought information from Colvin on how Iowans seeking these services would be informed of cuts.
In June, Braley joined a Congressional push to prevent the elimination of the SSA services in a letter to the head of the SSA, noting that it's vital that seniors be able to receive these services in person especially given that telephone wait times for SSA services have risen drastically in the last year, and that many seniors lack internet access.
The letter to Braley from Commissioner Colvin can be found below:
The Honorable Bruce Braley
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-1501
Dear Mr. Braley:
Thank you for your June 20, 2014 letter regarding our plans to discontinue providing benefit verification letters and Social Security number (SSN) printouts in our field offices. I completely agree that face-to-face communication continues to be critical to many of our customers, especially the most vulnerable of those we serve.
I assure you that we have no plans to close any additional field offices at this time. However, considering our increasing workloads, future budget uncertainty, and changing expectations of the public, we must use technology and employ alternatives to face-to-face interactions wherever possible. We believe this balanced approach of encouraging use of our online and telephone services while ensuring face-to-face service is available for those who need it makes the best possible use of our limited resources and allows us to provide our customers service options that are convenient, cost-effective, and secure.
I want you to know that I take your concerns about the proposed changes to our office services very seriously and have modified our proposals accordingly. After reviewing and considering your feedback, we have adjusted our plans. Reflected below are our current plans.
Benefit Verification Letters
We will continue to provide benefit verification letters in our field offices at this time. We believe that agencies with existing data exchanges with us should not send members of the public into our offices when those agencies have the information they need readily available. We further believe that the public will find the convenience of obtaining the information online much easier and faster than visiting one of our offices. However, we also realize that change does not come quickly or easily. Therefore, we will continue to expand our extensive outreach and education with the public, as well as our local, state, and federal partners, while continuing to provide the public with the information they need. This approach will enable everyone to become more familiar with and accustomed to using our online tools and data exchanges. We will revisit implementation of this change periodically as we assess the impact of our outreach activities.
SSN Printouts (Numi-Lites)
For security and privacy reasons, we will move forward with implementing our plan to eliminate the issuance of SSN printouts in our field offices on August 1; however, we have modified our proposal to provide safeguards to ensure service to those with a dire need.
As you note in your letter, we must continue to find solutions that protect the Americans who rely on us for help. The Office of the Inspector General has repeatedly urged us to address the vulnerabilities of the SSN printout, which does not have security features and is easily duplicated, misused, and counterfeited. By eliminating SSN printouts, we safeguard our customers and the integrity of the SSN by ensuring that we do verifications only through secure means, using the actual Social Security card or through a secure electronic verification system.
Many options are available to meet the public's needs in this area. For example, members of the public can apply for a replacement Social Security card in any of our field offices or Social Security Card Centers. When applying for a replacement card, individuals will receive a receipt showing that they have applied for a replacement card, and this receipt is often acceptable documentation for the requesting organization. In most instances, individuals will receive the card within 3-5 business days.
For employers, governmental agencies, and organizations who often request the SSN printout from the public, we provide convenient SSN verification in real-time or overnight via our online business services. Employers have access to SSN verifications through the online Social Security Number Verification System free of charge. If an employer does not have Internet access, he or she can contact our Business Services Hotline at 1-800-772-6270 for assistance with registration and verification. We also have existing data exchanges with many government agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as with mortgage and insurance agencies, which eliminates the need for members of the public to visit our offices to obtain this verification.
Because some may not be aware of these options, we will continue to conduct extensive outreach to educate members of the public and our organizational partners on these alternatives and on why we are making this change, similar to the activities that we are planning for the benefit verification.
We do realize, however, that there are times when members of our community will need immediate assistance because data exchanges do not yet exist or there is an urgent need. To address those situations, in each of our offices, we will designate a point of contact who will work with local organizations to assist with providing SSN verifications during immediate dire need circumstances, or when an existing data exchange does not exist or meet the need of the requestor (e.g., additional information is needed). Additionally, victims of certain disaster situations can obtain an SSN printout to assist them in an emergency. We believe these procedures will meet the needs of the public and eliminate the security concerns of the printout.
I appreciate you sharing your concerns and recommendations, and I am committed to working with each of you as we move forward with these efforts. We will continue to monitor the implementation and adjust as needed to ensure we are meeting the public's needs while protecting their personal information.
I hope you find this information helpful. If I may be of further help, please contact me, or your staff may contact Scott Frey, our Deputy Commissioner for Legislation and Congressional Affairs, at (202) 358-6030. We also have sent this information to the other undersigned members.
Sincerely,
Carolyn W. Colvin
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