Social Security recipients can still use phone to contact SSA; however, no paper checks after Sept. 30

SSA had planned to disallow several types of
customer service phone calls. (Farm Journal photo)

In a quick turnabout, the Social Security Administration changed its "plan to demand more in-office visits from beneficiaries after leaders said they would no longer allow benefit recipients to use telephone services to confirm their identification or change direct-deposit information," reports Chris Clayton of Farm Journal. The changes were planned to begin on March 31, but SSA delayed any changes until April 14. Recipients can still contact SSA customer service by phone.

The reversal is a relief for "elderly and disabled residents in rural America who were about to face hours-long drives to Social Security offices if they don't know how to use the internet or have access to the Social Security Administration's website," Clayton explains. "The changes were set to affect millions of rural residents, including roughly one in five farm households."

Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, told Farm Journal, "We are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country's most vulnerable populations. . . . Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person's identity."

When the updated policy begins on April 14, "individuals applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income who cannot use a personal my Social Security account can complete their claim entirely over the telephone without the need to come into an office," Clayton adds. "The decision to change requirements for Social Security beneficiaries also comes as the Department of Government Efficiency is pressing to close at least 47 Social Security offices nationally."

"There is little hard data breaking down percentages of rural residents who rely on Social Security," Clayton reports. "A 2011 study by the Center for Rural Strategies showed rural counties rely on Social Security benefits nearly twice as much in terms of total personal income than urban counties."

There is a separate Social Security change that some beneficiaries may need to plan for soon. Clayton adds, "People will have to stop receiving their payments by check and provide some details for electronic payment. The SSA will stop issuing paper checks at the end of September." 

'On the Front Porch' discussion on July 22 takes a look at the limits of government-sponsored support

The next 'On the Front Porch' conversation will be on July 22 at 4 p.m. E.T. Event hosts Tony Pipa and Brent Orrell will be joined by Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who wrote the foreword for the new edition of Edward C. Banfield’s Government Project, which was first published in 1951.

Register here.

Banfield’s book explores the history and ultimate failure of Casa Grande Valley Farms, a 1937 New Deal farming cooperative established in Pinal County, Arizona, which aimed to help some of the poorest people in the country.

In his forward for the book, Kosar writes, "For five years, the farm succeeded. The revenues from the sale of its crops gave the Casa Grande settlers material comfort and wealth far beyond what they had ever possessed. But in the farm’s seventh year of operation, the inhabitants shuttered it and walked away with hardly anything, to the shock and dismay of the government officials overseeing it."

The discussion will center on what went wrong at Casa Grande and examine the complexities and challenges of government-sponsored social and economic development programs, especially in the context of rural America.

Registrants can submit pre-event questions to: Hunter.Dixon@aei.org

Previous On the Front Porch conversations can be found here.

The U.S. is in the middle of a 'silver tsunami' as the country is becoming 'the land of the senior citizen'

As America ages, more citizens will require unique
care from multiple sectors. (Adobe Stock photo)

As millions of Americans enter their mid-60s, the country is fast becoming "the land of the senior citizen," where government agencies and systems are busy working to accommodate an aging population. "More Americans are about to be 65 years old than ever before. A record number will hit the milestone this year—about 4.1 million. But it's just one of many waves in the 'silver tsunami,' a metaphor often used to describe the aging of America," reports Susan Miller of Route Fifty. "Since 2011, 10,000 Americans have been turning 65 every day, a trend that the Pew Research Center says will continue through 2030." The need for aging accommodations for rural residents may be particularly needed since its population already skews older.

As the number of older residents increases throughout the United States, health care, housing and transportation systems will need additional resources to meet senior needs. To help states support the transition, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a report outlining supportive measures for aging Americans. Miller explains, "It details the web of services an aging society will need beyond financial security, safe housing and adequate health care. . . . The framework comes as several states have also started planning for their aging populations."

Some states have already created programs aimed at helping aging Americans. "New Jersey released its 'age-friendly blueprint,' which provides strategies and best practices to improve the state’s communities for older adults and enable people to remain in their homes and communities as they age," Miller reports. "The state is also putting some funding behind its plan. . . . [Its] Human Services Department is dedicating $5.5 million to launch an age-friendly community grant program later this year."

Other states are developing 10-year plans, also known as "multisector plans for aging," which outline "restructuring state and local government to address the needs of older adult populations," Miller writes. "According to the federal strategic framework, four states have legislation or an executive order to develop an MPA, and seven are in varying stages of implementing plans."

Quick hits: Farmer's 5-year-old YouTube channel nears 1 million subscribers; how to get landowner permission to hunt

Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email heather.chapman@uky.edu.

Etiquette, common sense, and the Golden Rule all play a role in the neighborly art of requesting permission to hunt on someone else's land. Read more here.

In some rural communities, social workers join with law enforcement to provide support for crisis calls that aren't related to criminal activity. Read more here.

Some towns, counties and states have interesting, even unique, ways to decide tied elections. In Pennsylvania, which calls for casting lots, a rural town will decide the winner of its deadlocked mayoral race by drawing numbered marbles from an antique jug that's been there for decades. How does your local government deal with ties? Read more here.

A 37-year-old farmer from western Minnesota started up a YouTube channel five years ago to try to give Americans a glimpse into everyday rural life. Now he has more than 850,000 subscribers, and he says about half are non-farmers. Read more here.

Agriculture Department data from 2019 has some interesting food for thought, one columnist writes. Texas has the most farmers and farmland of any state, with 247,000 farms and ranches covering 126 million acres. But its $5.5 billion yield puts it in second place to California, which had $10.9 billion in net farm income from only 69,000 farms. Alaska's farms collectively netted a $5.5 million loss, the only state to end up in the red. And though Alaska is the largest state, it has the fewest farms: 1,050, even fewer than the smallest state, Rhode Island, which has 1,100. Read more here.

An opinion article discusses hillbilly stereotypes in pop culture, and why they're outdated and lazy. Read more here.