A draft plan for service delivery at the Social Security Administration includes “field office consolidation” as a goal for next year — even as the agency maintains publicly that it isn’t closing field offices.
SSA posted Monday on X that it “is NOT permanently closing field offices. Only underutilized hearing office space has been closed and without permanently closing field offices.” But a plan circulating within the agency includes a goal to “further reduce footprint” in 2026 and beyond.
The scope of the envisioned "consolidations" is unclear, though the document singles out field offices as on the chopping block next year.
This comes after billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency posted information about nearly 50 field offices it was planning to shutter. SSA has said that news reports about plans to close field offices are incorrect.
The draft plan, originally sent March 21 and obtained by Government Executive, is required by the Trump administration by April 14 as part of its push to gut the federal workforce and reorganize agencies. Asked for comment Monday, SSA spokeswoman Nicole Tiggemann wrote, "There is no validity to this claim."
At the same time the agency is contemplating plans to shutter offices, it also is moving ahead with new identity proofing requirements expected to push more people to those offices. SSA is ending phone service for many of its benefits applications, as well as those looking to make changes to their direct deposit infor ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
