Fact Sheet: How Seniors Can Protect Themselves From the Chaos at the Social Security Administration

Last edited Sun Apr 27, 2025, 02:58 PM - Edit history (1)

MODS: This is PSA-style information, so it may not be protected by copyright, but if I need to cut it to four paragraphs, please DM me, and I will!

NOTE: NCPSSM is an organization that promotes the protection and expansion of Social Security & Medicare. Their Advisory Board includes James Roosevelt - FDR's grandson. They're a great org whose advocacy for Social Security and Medicare is relentless. I turn to them often for factual information about our earned benefits.

https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/social-security-policy-papers/fact-sheet-how-seniors-can-protect-themselves-from-the-chaos-at-the-social-security-administration/

Fact Sheet: How Seniors Can Protect Themselves From the Chaos at the Social Security Administration
April 16th, 2025

The Social Security Administration (SSA) was once a steady, reliable source of information and earned benefits for millions of seniors, the disabled, and their families. But since the onslaught of changes driven by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), this once dependable agency has been thrown into chaos.

Young DOGE acolytes with seemingly unfettered access to millions of Americans’ private information including Social Security numbers, banking information, earnings histories and, in many cases, medical information, have left the public rightfully worried about how their information will be used and whether it will be adequately protected from hackers, or weaponized to attack anyone disfavored by the Administration.

Frequent changes in procedures for interacting with SSA have sown confusion and panic among those attempting to contact the agency by telephone, with little advance notice or legitimate reasoning behind the changes.

Unsubstantiated claims of fraud, with little basis in fact, continue to undermine the public’s faith in the agency they rely on to deliver the benefits they have earned through a lifetime of hard work.

Finally, the increasing number of computer crashes, which have left some beneficiaries with missing earnings histories, long lines at field offices and continuing problems communicating with SSA through the telephone, have resulted in many anxious seniors searching for information and options for protecting themselves from future chaos at SSA as staffing continues to decline.

These unprecedented activities of DOGE at SSA raise legitimate concerns about the agency’s ability to serve the public in the future. For this reason, we have identified five actions seniors and their families can take today to help protect themselves from the chaos at SSA:

Create a Personal Account at SSA

If you have not already done so and are comfortable with computers, or have a trusted friend or family member who can help you, there is value in creating a my Social Security account at SSA. This is not a simple task if you do not have internet access at home or are a novice computer user, but it can be well worth the effort. Before you can create the account, you will first need to create an account at one of the two credential service providers certified by SSA – login.gov or ID.me. Of the two, most people find login.gov easier to use, as ID.me uses facial recognition technology to verify your identity. The use of facial recognition requires either a cellphone or computer with video capabilities, something many seniors may not have experience using. While login.gov does not require video capabilities, it will require you to set up two-step authentication – which means you need to either have access to email or be able to receive text messages so the company can verify your identity before you can create an account or log into it later.

If you are able to set up a my Social Security account, you will be less reliant on the telephone or local field offices to transact business with SSA, so long as the agency’s computers are operating correctly. For example, you can check your earnings history, benefit amounts, and how much is being withheld from your benefits for Medicare premiums, taxes etc. without the need to contact SSA in person or by phone.

Acquire and Save Your Earnings Records

The history of how much you have earned each year you worked is essential for determining the level of benefits you should receive when you file your Social Security claim. It will also be needed in case SSA’s computers erase your history and deny you benefits. Most people do not keep records of their earnings over a lifetime of work, and the later a person tries to confirm their earnings, the more difficult it becomes. That is why the National Committee has repeatedly urged Congress to require the Social Security Administration to follow the law and provide a written earnings statement each year to every worker. Unfortunately, this has not been the case, and at a time when SSA’s computer systems are becoming increasingly unreliable, workers and retirees should secure this information on their own.

If you have a my Social Security account, you have access to your earnings records through SSA. We recommend you download all of your records to your personal computer and make a printed copy, which you save in a secure location. If you do not have an account, you can request your records in writing from SSA. If you find what you believe is an error, collect the documents that prove your earnings and contact SSA to correct the error. Obtaining and updating your records on a regular basis will allow you to always have this important information in case a computer malfunction at SSA erases your data.

Regularly Review Your Financial Transactions

It is very important to regularly check your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized activity. Look for anything out of the ordinary – such as purchases you didn’t make, a merchant’s name you don’t recognize, or charges that just don’t make sense. If you find unusual activity, don’t hesitate to contact the fraud department of your bank or credit card company as soon as possible. The quicker you can identify suspicious activity on your account, the better the chances of fixing any fraudulent activity. Regularly checking your accounts, or having a trusted friend or family member to help you with it, is a good habit to follow at any time, but especially now with so much personal financial information held by SSA at risk of exposure through DOGE activities.

Track Your Credit History

By law, the three credit monitoring bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) are required to provide you with a free credit report each year. The easiest way to request these reports is online at AnnualCreditReport.com, but you can also request one by mail or by phone at 877-322-8228. Checking your credit report is the best way to catch unauthorized credit card or banking activity if your identity is stolen, whether as a result of poor protection against hackers at SSA or anywhere else. In addition to your free report, credit monitoring services are available for a fee, or might be available as part of your customer benefits at your bank or credit card company. Credit monitoring services can provide you with early detection of fraud and identity theft protection, critical at a time when identity thieves are increasingly focused on older Americans and the wealth they have accumulated over a lifetime.

Verify Your Identity with SSA in Person

While we hesitate to recommend this option considering the long lines at SSA field offices, many seniors have opted for this solution on their own. At present, SSA has announced it is reversing its previous refusal to verify identities by phone. However, considering the number of times SSA has changed its directives concerning telephone verification, it is not unreasonable to worry that the agency could reverse itself again at some future time, forcing seniors to make in-person appointments at field offices to verify their identities. As staffing levels at SSA continue to plummet due to intense pressure from Elon Musk and DOGE, and field office closures remain possibilities, scheduling in-person appointments at SSA will only become more challenging with time. While seniors already receiving benefits do not need to prove their identity in order to continue receiving them, any change in situation, such as a change in address or name, the death of a spouse, or a need to change your banking direct deposit information, could require such proof in the future. Verifying your identity in advance, when you are not under time pressure and while field offices remain open, could serve as a legitimate back-up option if creating a my Social Security account is not possible.

Government Relations and Policy

April 2025