Sometimes, you need a human touch. While the internet is very useful, and enables many people to quickly find a great variety of information, for many situations, there is no substitute for sitting down with a real person, and going over paperwork, piece by piece. In a recently released planning document, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has indicated that it has plans to move more operations to an internet basis.
While this is important and useful for many, especially younger individuals, who are comfortable with using computers and hand-held electronic devices, it presents a more significant problem many older users of SSA’s services. While it may allow long-term savings of some resources for the SSA, the planning document also proposes the closing of more of the SSA’s field offices.
For many, the application for benefits from the SSA may be the most complex paperwork they have ever had to complete. Especially for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits, many applicants may need to ask questions directly to an employee in a SSA field office.
This is why many disabled workers will contact an attorney to assist them in completing an application for SSDI. The attorney can explain the questions on the application and what types of documentation is necessary to satisfy the SSA’s requirements and prevent your application for SSDI benefits from being denied.
We hope there are enough members of Congress who recognize the value of these field offices for hundreds of thousands of individuals who visit them every year. They should ensure that the SSA has adequate funding to operate these offices. The SSA has to serve the full spectrum of Americans, from the tech savvy to those who are intimidated by computers.
Source: Truth-out.org, “The Veterans Affairs Scandal and Plans for Downsizing the Social Security Administration,” Dean Baker, June 2, 2014