Golden Urges Administration to Reopen 6 Social Security Field Offices in Maine
With Social Security Administration offices closed to most in-person services, some Mainers cannot access services or are forced to drop off or mail original copies of birth certificates, passports, and driver’s licenses
WASHINGTON — To address concerns brought to his attention by many of his constituents, Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) called on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to resume in-person services at their six field offices in Maine. Since March 2020, SSA has closed its field offices to nearly all visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many Maine residents have since had trouble obtaining necessary services from the SSA, and are often required to drop off or mail in original copies of their most valuable documents, like birth certificates, passports, and drivers' licenses. The limits on in-person services have made it harder to access the Social Security benefits that many older Mainers paid into for their entire careers and now rely on to get by each month.
"[T]he current unavailability of most in-person services at SSA field offices [...] creates difficulty for people who lack broadband access, have certain disabilities, or are otherwise more comfortable with in-person service," wrote Congressman Golden. "An especially frustrating part of these restrictions is the requirement for many people to relinquish control of their original identification documents—like birth certificates, passports, and driver's licenses—in order to complete certain services via mail."
On June 10th, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) instructed federal agencies to develop plans to increase the number of employees in-person at federal workplaces. No such plan has yet been made public by the Social Security Administration.
"I am writing to[...] encourage SSA to return to pre-pandemic levels of service as soon as safely possible," Congressman Golden continued. "In light of the public's need to access SSA services in a timely and convenient way, I request that SSA expedite its OMB-mandated reentry planning to increase staffing at field offices to enable a wider set of in-person services, and to end the requirement for people to part with their original identification documents."
In Maine, 21.3 percent of residents are 65 years old or older—the highest rate of any U.S. state.
In 2019, the Social Security Administration's 1,400 nationwide field offices saw an average of 174,464 daily visitors, or more than 100 visitors on average per office per day. As of late last year, 267,617 Maine residents were Social Security beneficiaries, including 129,325 in Congressman Golden's district. SSA offices also serve individuals who are not current Social Security beneficiaries, such as those applying for disability or retirement benefits or seeking certain other services such as correcting a Social Security card to reflect a legal name change.
Full text of Congressman Golden's letter can be found here.