At the start of 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) rolled out a major update impacting how people access benefits.
This key change involved tightening identity verification procedures. While the original plan required everyone to confirm their identity in person at a local SSA office, the agency later modified the rules. Applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can now complete the process by phone.
However, others still need to apply either online or by visiting an office. The SSA also deployed new phone-based fraud detection tools, which may prompt in-person verification if suspicious activity is detected.
Advocates of this change say it will help reduce fraud, which could in turn reduce the costs the program faces as well as the overall burden on support staff.
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