Beginning August 15, 2011, Social Security field offices nationwide will close to the public 30 minutes early each day. That means a field office that is usually open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. will close at 3:30 p.m. each day.
"While agency employees will continue to work their regular hours, this shorter public window will allow us to complete face-to-face service with the visiting public without incurring the cost of overtime for our employees," said Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security. "Congress provided our agency with nearly $1 billion less than the President requested for our budget this fiscal year, which makes it impossible for us to provide the amount of overtime needed to handle service to the public as we have in the past."
Most Social Security services do not require a visit to an office. For example, anyone may visit www.socialsecurity.gov to apply for retirement, disability, or Medicare benefits. Also on our website, beneficiaries may sign up for direct deposit, replace a Medicare card, obtain a proof of income letter, or inform us of a change of address or telephone number.
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