A Social Security office in St Clair Shores, Mich.; Photo: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

An internal memo from the Social Security Administration proposes changes to its phone service that could derail the benefits application process for many Americans.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has repeatedly said it doesn’t plan changes to Social Security, other than to address fraud and waste — but these proposals risk “crippling” a system already plagued by delays, and facing staffing cuts, former agency officials tell Axios.

The latest: Axios obtained a draft of the memo, signed by acting deputy Social Security commissioner for operations Doris Diaz on March 13, and written on behalf of the agency’s operations department.

• Its existence was first reported by Popular.Info, which published screenshots of a subsequent version, sent to acting commissioner Leland Dudek a little later that day.

Context: The memo was sent one day after the agency denied, in a press release, a report it was scrapping its toll-free phone line.

• The agency, at the time, said the change would only preclude people from changing their bank account information by phone.
• But the new memo — issued one day later — proposes changes that will further limit what people can do by phone. Under the proposal, phone service would still be available to people who call the agency and don’t need to verify their identity, like someone making a general inquiry.
• The draft of the memo viewed by Axios says the proposed limitations will be “significant” for those living in rural areas in particular.

Zoom in: The memo’s focus is on identity verification. Currently, if you are unable to verify your identity using their online system, you can complete the process by phone.

• The March 13 memo proposes ending that option, and recommends the agency address “fraud risk” by requiring applicants, who can’t use online verification, to do it in-person at local field offices.
• It was crafted at the request of DOGE staff, says a former Social Security Administration official, who left the agency because of this memo.
• The identity verification changes would mean that people who previously could apply for, or update, benefits over the phone would have to travel to a local field office to do so. That presents many hurdles.

What they’re saying: These changes, if implemented, would “cripple field office operations, and they’re already badly paralyzed,” that former official told Axios, requesting anonymity because they were on a job search and might work in the future with the Social Security Administration.

• Benefits are adjusted regularly as people’s incomes change, they explained. Forcing all those folks to come into a field office “would, in essence, break the agency.”
• DOGE representatives are well aware of these risks, the former official said.
• A second former official, who recently worked in operations and spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said the money it would cost to implement these changes would dwarf any savings that would come from cracking down on identity fraud.
• “It is a big deal,” says Kathleen Romig, a former Social Security official, and director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who worked at the agency for years under different administrations.
• The changes “create a real Catch-22.”

Social Security “service disruption”

State of play: The version of the memo ultimately sent to Dudek acknowledges that “Service Disruption” and “Operational Strain” is “a risk and challenge” of implementing this plan.

• There would be “increased field office traffic, longer call wait times and delayed processing,” Diaz writes.
• The agency is already plagued by long call wait times and delayed processing.
• Diaz acknowledges in the memo that the beefed-up verification requirements would affect more “vulnerable populations,” though she doesn’t explain who she is talking about.

But the earlier version of the memo goes into more detail about its significance, detail that was omitted from the final sent to Dudek.

• In it, Diaz notes that the agency general counsel’s office “has advised that there is likely a segment of the public for whom internet ID proofing is not viable, and this proposal eliminates phones as a service channel for those customers.”
• “The consequence of reduced service channels could be significant.”
• “For example, an individual who closes a bank account could have benefits suspended if unable to access in-person service.” Or, “an individual plainly entitled to benefits is prevented from applying.”
• There would also be challenges for those living abroad, and legal challenges, the draft notes — such as discrimination claims from disabled Americans.
• There would be increased costs for identity proofing.

The intrigue: It’s not clear if the new memo’s proposals are still under consideration; there was no evidence as of Monday that Dudek accepted these recommendations or implemented the changes.

• When asked for clarification, the administration referred Axios to its earlier statement on Social Security changes, which pre-dates the memo.
• “Any American receiving Social Security benefits will continue to receive them. The sole mission of DOGE is to identify waste, fraud, and abuse only,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement emailed Monday.
• The Social Security Administration did not respond to a voicemail and email from Axios seeking clarification.

Between the lines: “People have a lot of trouble with the identification process,” says Jen Burdick, a lawyer who provides free legal services for Americans trying to get Social Security disability benefits.

• A recent client tried to drop by an office last week and was told to make an appointment by phone. On the phone, they were put on hold for six hours on Monday, five hours on Tuesday and two blocks of time, each three hours, on Wednesday, she said.
• These proposed changes are “a way they’re trying to use red tape to literally block people from getting benefits,” Burdick said.

If you are a current or former Social Security employee and want to talk confidentially, you can reach out to Emily Peck on Signal at EmilyRPeck.71 or [email protected]