(NewsNation) — The Social Security Administration will perform anti-fraud checks on all telephone claims starting Monday.
The White House has invested more than $16 million in new anti-fraud software that will allow employees to flag suspected fraud over the phone.
Individuals who are flagged will be required to prove their identity in person for their Social Security claim to be processed. If no flag is detected, they can proceed online without an in-person check, the agency said.
The decision marks a reversal of last month’s proposal, which would have required most beneficiaries to verify their identity online or in person at an office.
Social Security phone access critical for elderly, rural areas
That change was met with concern, including from the elderly and those who live in rural areas, who argue phone access is critical.
NewsNation spoke with recipients outside a Social Security office in Arizona before the change was announced last week.
“I stayed on the line for three hours, and after three hours, they hung up on me, so that’s the reason why I am here today,” said Yolanda Moore. “I’ve tried several times. I mean, all this week, I have tried.”
Carrie Gaskins, another Social Security recipient, told NewsNation, “I made a call, and I was on the phone for five hours. So here I am today, and I’m hoping that everything is going to work out. But five hours on the phone… I thought that was ridiculous.”
Social Security reverses course on in-person verification policy
Initial changes to the program were set to go into effect March 31 and would impact more than 72 million people who rely on Social Security.
Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek said customers and Congress made it clear that the policy needed to be updated to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations.
The agency has not specified what constitutes a “fraud-risk indicator,” but it noted that about 70,000 of the 4.5 million telephone claims a year may be flagged.
Changes to Social Security under Trump administration
There have been many changes to the government as a whole since President Donald Trump took office in January. For example, thousands of federal workers were laid off under the Department of Government Efficiency’s plan to cut government waste.
The Trump administration also moved to classify thousands of immigrants as dead and cancel their Social Security numbers — despite them being alive. This would make it more difficult for those immigrants to open bank accounts or use other services in which a Social Security number is needed, according to the Associated Press.
White House officials said that “by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport.”