Originally published on 12/4/25

If you’re one of the 31 million of Americans who go in person to your local Social Security office each year to ask questions or get clarity on a concern, this news is for you: Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano and the Social Security Administration (SSA) want to halve the number of people who go into the field offices in the 2026 fiscal year. The comes after the government organization cut the in-office employee staff by 12 percent earlier this year. To learn more about this news, including how lawmakers are responding, keep scrolling. 

What to know about the changes happening to the Social Security field offices in 2026

Over the past few months, the SSA and Bisignano have been urging people to stop going into their local Social Security field offices, and instead use the program’s website, according to documents obtained by NextGov.com. To do this, the SSA would make it so recipients are able to view their claim status or access their Social Security number online, instead of going into an office. Whether this means SSA will begin reducing hours of operations at field offices or cutting more staff remains unclear. Currently, the only confirmed shift is an added emphasis on the program’s online resources.

“With a secure foundation for serving the American people in place, we are moving quickly to achieve our vision of a digital-first SSA—one that operates at peak efficiency and provides world-class service to every American, whether they call, come into a field office or choose to manage their benefits online,” he said in a statement in November. “To do this, we are continuously improving service through the strategic implementation of technology and data-driven management decisions to further enhance the experience across all customer touchpoints.” 

“By deploying new technology and innovative process management, SSA is now serving more customers at greater speeds. A digital-first approach has allowed SSA to achieve significant improvements in service delivery,” Bisignano continued. “Long-tenured employees have attested that the commitment to technology has driven meaningful change in process and outcome to better serve SSA beneficiaries.” 

Experts respond to the changes happening at the Social Security field offices  

Following this news about the goal to reduce visits to field offices, several experts spoke out about how harmful this change could be for Americans.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren took to social media to share her thoughts earlier this month. “This sure sounds like another way to make it even harder for Americans to get the benefits they’ve earned,” the Senator wrote on Facebook. “I will not stop fighting to protect Social Security.” 

Others, like Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek that this switch is only being made to help the younger generations, not the people currently using Social Security, something that could end up being more harmful than helpful. 

“The Social Security Administration is prioritizing technology to serve the next generation of users—Gen X and younger Baby Boomers—who are generally more comfortable with online systems,” Thompson said. “While this digital shift could streamline services over time, it may unintentionally disadvantage older or rural Americans who still depend on in-person assistance. The brutal reality, this effort may help efficiency but risks alienating the very communities that it’s supposed to serve.”

“Between staffing reductions, more restrictive documentation requirements for Americans to get assistance on the phones and rapid reorganization of offices around the country, it’s difficult to see how this goal will lead to anything other than worse service and more challenges at Social Security,” Oregon Senator Ron Wyden told NextGov. 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/life/money/social-security-field-office-changes-new-rules-affect-millions