Latest News
Social Security Tries to Balance Online, In-Person Services
A push to expand online services at the Social Security Administration is meeting resistance from a federal union that represents thousands of agency employees and groups that fear the effort will minimize face-to-face help for seniors and the disabled. Tucked into an otherwise uncontroversial planning document released by the Woodlawn-based agency this week were recommendations to increase the use of Internet-based self-service sites and to rely more heavily on video conferencing instead of in-person hearings to determine whether a claimant is eligible for benefits. Social Security officials said the plan is intended to steer the agency toward the type of online service Americans have come to expect from businesses such as banks and airlines. A more up-to-date approach, they said, would help the agency’s 60 million beneficiaries accomplish some tasks without having to set up appointments or wait in lines. Read more…