LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A list of changes, ordered at the federal level, is coming down the pipeline. Social Security offices across the nation can expect to be busier because of the following list of reasons:
This comes as the Social Security Administration is working to cut about 7,000 members of its workforce. It also intends to shut down 47 of the in-person offices, according to the Department of Government Efficency.
Patricia Hayes lives in Cape Coral and receives Social Security benefits among about 50,000 in the City.
Watch to see how she says, she will be impacted:
"If I have to travel distance, I have to have somebody take me because I get lost really easy," she said.
Thomas Felke, an expert from FGCU, focuses on Human Services.
"What we have to consider is the fact that we’re dealing not just within an older adult population, but also with the population that potentially presents with some type of individual disability," he said.
These changes are supposed to cut down on potential fraud and human error, saving $100 million in taxpayer money according to the Trump administration.
As for people like Patricia Hayes, there is an online portal that can be utilized in some cases to verify identity.
"I’m not very good on the computer, most of us old people aren’t so it would affect me to try to do that. I would have to ask somebody else to do it for me," she said.
These rules will go into effect by April 1st.
