The Social Security Administration has updated the changes they are making to identity verification measures, delaying the start date for the new requirements and adding some exceptions.
“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in a statement Wednesday evening. “In addition to extending the policy’s effective date by two weeks to ensure our employees have the training they need to help customers, Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity.”
The new start date for the changes will shift from March 31 to April 14, the agency announced.
Among the updates are an exception that anyone applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare or Supplemental Security Income who can’t verify their identity online will be allowed to complete their claims over the phone “without the need to come into an office.”
Previous announcements had said anyone applying for cash benefits or changing their direct deposit information would need to provide proof of identity. Those who receive payment via paper checks will also need to prove their identity before changing their mailing address.
