Social Security rescinding its plan to end phone-based filing called a
win for Illinois seniors
[April 21, 2025]
By Isabella Schoonover and Medill Illinois News Bureau
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois chapter of AARP played a role in the Trump
administration reversing itself and allowing Social Security
beneficiaries to have the option of filing for benefits over the phone.
The continuation of phone-based filing is an about-face of a plan set
forth in mid-March by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to
restrict telephone services for beneficiaries nationwide. Nearly 100,000
Illinoisans mobilized against the plan by writing to Congress during the
month of March. Nationally, AARP members sent more than 2 million emails
denouncing the proposed changes.
In response to the widespread pushback, the SSA issued a series of
updates on X, formerly Twitter, withdrawing its previously announced
plan and reinstating phone services for all claim types—including those
applying for retirement, Social Security disability insurance (SSDI),
Medicare and supplemental security income (SSI).
The new plan now requires in-person claims processing and identity
proofing only for calls flagged as potentially fraudulent, according to
a press release Monday from Illinois AARP. “This is great news for older
Americans,” said Ryan Gruenenfelder, senior director of advocacy and
outreach at AARP Illinois.
New rule caused web crashes, service disruptions
AARP Illinois and its members came to the Illinois state Capitol on
April 10 to express their frustration with the recent federal actions
and call on lawmakers to strengthen SSA customer service. Members have
reported significant disruptions in service in recent months, including
long wait times at SSA field offices, frequent website crashes and an
increase in calls getting disconnected due to a lack of available
representatives.
In Illinois, about 2.3 million people receive some form of Social
Security benefits. More than 40% of Illinois residents age 65 or older
rely on Social Security for at least half of their income, while around
20% rely on it for at least 90% of their income, according to AARP.
The SSA was planning to end phone-based claims as an anti-fraud measure,
saying the move would strengthen fraud prevention by forcing individuals
to go online or visit local field offices to prove their identities and
file for benefits.
AARP said this would have made it difficult for older adults, people
with disabilities and those in rural areas to access their benefits.
“The proposed changes were unacceptable,” said Gruenenfelder.
About 140,000 people age 65 and older in Illinois live more than 45
miles roundtrip from the nearest Social Security office, according to an
April 8 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Once
there, individuals report having to wait for hours in long lines to see
an available customer service agent.
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Candace Trees, a 71-year-old retiree from Springfield, speaks about
the challenges of applying for Social Security benefits Thursday,
April 10, at the Illinois state capitol. Trees described the current
process as “frustrating.” Photo via April 10 Facebook live stream,
AARP Illinois.
The only alternative to in-person and phone services — the SSA’s online
portal system — is not a reliable option for many beneficiaries. Roughly
28% of households in Illinois do not have subscriptions to high-speed
internet, according to a 2024 report from the Benton Institute for
Broadband and Society.
Some callers to SSA waited hours to get help
These challenges were in place long before the now-rescinded changes.
But AARP said there has since been a recent “rapid deterioration” in
customer service that has resulted in callers waiting hours at a time to
get connected with an available representative.
According to SSA data, the agency had a busy rate of 0% in 2024, meaning
no callers received a pre-recorded message when trying to reach a
service agent over the phone. But in March, that number spiked to 28.4%,
indicating nearly 1 in 3 callers received a message saying the office’s
lines were too busy to take their call.
The sudden disruption to customer service came after the agency’s
announcement in February of a 12% target reduction of the SSA workforce
and permanent closure of six of 10 regional offices by the Department of
Government Efficiency (DOGE). These workforce reductions were announced
despite promises by President Donald Trump not to cut or disrupt Social
Security payments with his policies.
In his first speech since leaving the White House on Tuesday, April 15,
former President Joe Biden spoke out against the Trump administration’s
latest actions on Social Security, including sweeping workforce cuts,
permanent closures of regional offices and the current customer service
crisis.
AARP celebrates the SSA’s decision to walk back its proposed changes to
phone-based services, but Gruenenfelder said more oversight and
resources are needed to improve the agency’s customer service moving
forward.
“We’re urging Congress consistently, and the White House consistently,
no matter who’s in the White House, to take actions to prioritize Social
Security and protect it for the long term,” Gruenenfelder said.
Isabella Schoonover is a graduate student in
journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of
Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow
in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with
Capitol News Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is
funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation.
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