Social Security Says Reports of Permanently Closing Field Offices Are False

By Mary Helen Gillespie

Recent reports in the media that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is permanently closing local field offices are false, the agency said in a press release on March 27. Since Jan. 1, 2025, the agency has not permanently closed or announced the permanent closure of any local field office.

From time to time, SSA must temporarily close a local field office for reasons such as weather, damage, or facilities issues, and it reopens when the issues are resolved.

According to the press release, the agency has announced the permanent closure of one Social Security hearing office, in White Plains, N.Y.

SSA works closely with local congressional delegations before closing any office permanently. The agency also reassigns employees from an affected office to other locations to help communities access in-person services.

“SSA is committed to providing service where people need help and our local field offices are no exception,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “We have not permanently closed any local field offices this year.”

SSA identified for the General Services Administration underutilized office space to ensure the government is spending taxpayer money as prudently as possible. The agency provided GSA a list of sites for termination. Most of these are small hearing rooms with no assigned employees. Since most hearings are held virtually, SSA no longer needs these underutilized rooms.

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