How is Social Security’s Reopening Going?

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) field offices reopened to the public on April 7, 2022 after more than two years of near-total closures. People who need to interact with SSA now have another means of doing so, in addition to the existing telephone, internet, and fax options.

Reopening field offices will be helpful to many people, but the agency still faces persistent underfunding and understaffing, as well as ongoing telephone issues, that may make reopening difficult. SSA is encouraging people to call for appointments rather than simply walking into field offices, and has cautioned people to expect long lines. A few offices are still only open for telephone service or for those with appointments.

Reopening is not a simple process, and SSA plans to monitor various metrics over a six-month “reentry” period. You can help NOSSCR in its advocacy by sharing your experiences with in-person services at SSA; just be sure not to include Social Security numbers or other personally identifiable information! Click here to share your or your client’s experience; you can fill out this form multiple times over the next few weeks.

We will share information with SSA and others to improve customer service for everyone—those who go to field offices in person and those who communicate with SSA in other ways.