Effective November 19, 2012, Social Security field offices nationwide will close to the public 30 minutes early each day.
For example, a field office that is usually open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. will close daily at 3:00 p.m. In addition, beginning January 2, 2013, offices will close to the public at noon every Wednesday.
Social Security contends that agency employees will continue to work their regular hours, this shorter public window will allow them to complete face-to-face interviews and process claims work without incurring the cost of overtime. The significantly reduced funding provided by Congress under the continuing resolution for the first six months of the fiscal year makes it impossible for the agency to provide the overtime needed to handle service to the public as it has done in the past.
In addition, on November 23, the day after Thanksgiving, all Social Security field offices will be closed to the public. As SSA did last year, field office employees working that day will focus on reducing backlogged workloads.
Most Social Security services do not require a visit to a local office. Many services, including applying for retirement, disability or Medicare benefits, signing up for direct deposit, replacing a Medicare card, obtaining a proof of income letter or informing SSA of a change of address or telephone number are conveniently available at www.socialsecurity.gov or by dialing our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call SSA’s TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
Many of SSA’s online services also are available in Spanish at www.segurosocial.gov.
Original article: Social Security Field Offices to Close Earlier
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