How will changes at Social Security affect my disability application?

Updated April 30, 2025

The Social Security Administration made some changes in March to its recently announced identity-proofing requirements. 

The agency had previously issued new guidelines that would require all applicants for benefits to prove their identities using the “my Social Security” online account. Those who were unsuccessful would have had to appear in person at a Social Security office. 

But later, SSA rolled back those requirements for anyone applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare or Supplemental Security Income. 

“Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security in an updated agency release.

Applicants for retirement, survivors, or auxiliary (spouse or child) benefits will have to complete the digital or in-person identification process. So will beneficiaries who need to make changes to their direct deposit information. 

The policy went into effect April 14. 

Still, there are benefits for applicants to go ahead and verify online, so we recommend that you start there. [Read our guide: How to verify your identity online with Social Security.]

In addition, some news outlets have reported that Ludek told senior staff Wednesday that he doesn’t plan to limit phone service at this time. 

For several weeks, we’ve been tuning in to reports of possible changes at Social Security and wondering how those changes might affect our clients. Besides the identification process and questions about the phone system, these are the issues that have gotten our attention: 

• The agency says it plans to eliminate some 7,000 jobs. (For the month of February 2025, Social Security’s own data shows disability applicants waiting an average of 236 days — that’s nearly eight months — for an initial decision on their applications. Large cuts to the workforce could make that wait longer.)
• Dozens of Social Security offices around the country are slated for closure, with many expected to close as early as this year. 
• Legal protections for administrative law judges — those are the judges who preside over hearings and reviews — have been challenged, threatening the independence of ALJs and possibly risking fair access to benefits. 
• A proposal to ban payments to people without Social Security numbers. This would affect beneficiaries who are unable to manage their own finances. In many of those cases, payments go to a representative — often a caregiver or parent — who doesn’t have a Social Security number. 

We at Joyce & Bary Law want you to know that we are staying on top of changes at Social Security and will share updated information as it becomes available. Most importantly, we stand ready — as always — to navigate this quickly changing landscape and help you at every step of the disability application process.