November 2019
Expanding Social Security Field Office Hours
Currently, a Social Security field office is generally open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to Noon on Wednesdays. Beginning on January 8, 2020, offices will remain open until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, with typical field office hours from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. This change restores Wednesday public service hours that were last in place in late 2012. You can locate the closest field office to you using our field office locator.
In addition to expanding hours of service, the agency will be hiring 1,100 front line employees to provide service on the National 800 Number and in its processing centers. The agency is currently bringing onboard 100 new processing center employees and approximately 500 new teleservice representatives for the 800 Number. An additional 500 hires for the 800 Number will occur later in 2020.
“Improving service is my top priority. Increasing full public service hours at our nationwide network of more than 1,200 field offices is the right thing to do and will provide additional access,” Commissioner Saul said. “The hiring of a thousand new employees to provide service through our National 800 Number, and an additional 100 hires to process people’s Social Security benefits at our processing centers around the country are steps in the right direction in our mission to greatly improve the service we provide.”
Read our press release to learn more.
Honoring and Supporting our Veterans
In November, we honored current and former military service members for their sacrifice and service to protect our freedoms. Social Security supports millions of people and families, including veterans and active duty members of the military. While your clients are in military service, they pay Social Security taxes, just as civilian employees do.
Social Security has covered earnings for active duty military service or active duty training since 1957. You and your clients can read more about how Social Security helps military service members at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10017.pdf.
We also have special resources for veterans at www.socialsecurity.gov/veterans.
Your clients can also read this blog post written by Army veteran and Social Security employee, Dennis Stehlar, at https://blog.ssa.gov/why-i-serve-2/.
November is National Native American Heritage Month
Each November, we celebrate National Native American Heritage Month, honoring the first people to call this land home. American Indians and Alaska Natives have fortified our country with their traditions and values, contributing to every aspect of our national life.
On September 20, 2018, the Tribal Social Security Fairness Act of 2018 was signed into law. The formal recognition of these sovereign governments is a symbolic effort to restore self-governance and economic vitality to indigenous people. This law allows federally recognized Indian tribes to obtain voluntary Social Security coverage for tribal council positions through an agreement with the Commissioner of Social Security under Section 218A of the Social Security Act.
We remain committed to enhancing our relationships with tribal communities. You and your clients can learn more about how we serve American Indians and Alaska Natives at www.socialsecurity.gov/people/aian/.
National Disability Forum
Social Security will host a National Disability Forum on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, at the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, D.C. The topic will be “What Impairments Have a Likelihood to Improve?” Participants will discuss the potential effects on the disability claims and subsequent evaluation processes of disabling impairments that have the potential to improve over time.
Holiday Field Office Closings
If you plan to do business with us during the holiday season, we want you to know that our offices will be closed to the public on Christmas Day (December 25), and New Year’s Day (January 1), but our online services are available every day.
For a list of our secure and convenient online services, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices.
The Clearest Writing in Government
Social Security received the highest scores in government once again this year on the 2019 Plain Language Report Card: an A+ for compliance and an A for writing quality. Social Security was the only federal agency to earn an A in each category.
Since 2012, the Center for Plain Language has graded federal agencies on compliance with the Plain Writing Act of 2010, which requires government writing to be clear, concise, and well organized.
This year, the report card concentrated on two of Social Security’s web pages: the my Social Security page at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount and our Frequently Asked Question about how to get a new or replacement Social Security number card at https://faq.ssa.gov/en-US/Topic/article/KA-02017. You can view all of our questions and answers featured at https://faq.ssa.gov/.
Learn more about our agency’s commitment to communicate clearly and concisely by visiting our Plain Language page at www.socialsecurity.gov/plain-language.
