Question: How long does it take to make an appointment at the Social Security office?
Answer: Appointments are typically scheduled two to four weeks out, according to the agency’s website, but first you have to get through on the phone to make the appointment. Hold times can be long and disconnections occur. On Wednesday, for example, the stated hold time on the Social Security Administration’s national customer service line was more than two hours, so we tried calling the Honolulu office. We didn’t get through there either — after holding for 21 minutes we were switched to a ringing line, but no one answered and it disconnected after about 10 minutes.
Advocates for older Americans say that budget cuts, job losses and policy changes imposed by the Trump administration have put Social Security at grave risk, degrading customer service and imperiling access to earned benefits. The agency’s acting administrator counters that big changes are needed and that he will monitor results and adjust as necessary.
On Tuesday, SSA announced that starting in two weeks, people applying for benefits or changing their direct-deposit information will no longer be able to verify their identity over the phone; they will have to do it online, or in person at a field office, dozens of which are closing around the country (the Honolulu and Kapolei offices are not on the closure list; appointments are needed for in-person service).
SSA said the changes would deter fraud, but advocates for senior citizens, including the AARP and the nonprofit advocacy group Social Security Works, said they would make it harder for some people to get their money, especially those who lack the computer access or technical know-how to use an identity-proofed account created via ssa.gov/ myaccount.
“The Social Security Administration’s move to force people to visit offices in-person for services that they have sought by phone will result in more headaches and longer wait times to resolve routine customer service needs,” Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president, said in a statement, urging the agency to reverse the decision “or for Congress to step in and stand up for older Americans everywhere.”
Any delay in Social Security payments caused by this change “can mean real economic hardship,” she said.
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, said in a statement that “Elon Musk’s DOGE and the acting Social Security commissioner, whose appointment it orchestrated, are forcing this and other harmful changes in the name of nonexistent fraud. The change will drive millions of additional Americans, many who have serious mobility issues, into already overcrowded offices for no reason. Over 99 percent of all Social Security payments are made accurately and on time. Most of the inaccurate payments are mistakes, which are corrected — not fraud, which must be caught and prosecuted.”
Q: Regarding the ineffective measles vaccine given from 1963 to 1967 (808ne.ws/41ENB9z), did everyone vaccinated then get that shot? I was a child then and don’t know what I got.
A: No, far from it. Fewer than a million people received the killed measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The formulation proved ineffective and is no longer used. Adults who know they got it should be re-vaccinated with the current, live measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, the CDC says. If you are unable to determine what kind of vaccine you received, it’s generally safe to get another dose of MMR vaccine even if you may be immune to measles, mumps or rubella, the agency says.
MAHALO
Mahalo to Marco and Colleen at the U.S. passport office in Honolulu. I realized my passport is due to expire in April and I am scheduled to fly overseas the end of March. They not only helped me get my documents in line, but got me relaxed and laughing. Their professionalism and kindness went a long way in helping to relieve my stress over this matter. Mahalo plenty.
— Kanani
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
