How This New Security Feature Could Affect Your Social Security Check

As part of its efforts to crack down on fraud and wasteful spending, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced new security measures for beneficiaries to access benefits. Much like multi-factor authentication, which requires you to enter a one-time passcode that you receive from another device, the new SSA process would involve using a PIN to gain access to essential services — and an office visit for those who could not complete it.

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Needless to say, this could have created a host of logistical problems, both for the SSA and for beneficiaries. As a result, the government announced an important modification to the plan before its implementation in mid-August. Here’s the current status of the new SSA security feature and how it might affect you and your benefits.

New SSA Security Feature

The SSA has introduced a new PIN code system for those who have a mySocialSecurity account on file with the agency. Formally known as a Security Authentication PIN or SAP, the intention of the feature is to enhance security and reduce incidents of identity theft. According to the SSA, there are three primary benefits of the new system:

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• Faster Service: The SSA estimates that using the SAP will cut approximately three minutes off the typical interaction with a Social Security representative, as it allows for more rapid identity confirmation. That translates to a 30% reduction in the current average call length.

• Enhanced Security: The primary function of the SAP is to provide an additional layer of security. With incidences of identity and benefit theft on the rise in the Social Security program, the SAP introduces one extra step into the equation to deter potential criminal activity.

• Convenience: The SAP was designed to seamlessly integrate into your existing mySocialSecurity account, making it a convenient option for identity verification.

How It Operates

The SAP feature works in conjunction with the mySocialSecurity online account. If you need to call the SSA’s national 800 number, you can use your PIN code to quickly authenticate your identity.

While simple in theory, the plan as originally rolled out created quite a controversy. Under the parameters of the system, millions of Social Security participants would have been forced to travel to a Social Security office to enroll and/or verify their SAP, per Newsweek. As many Social Security recipients are disabled or live in rural areas, far from any Social Security offices, this could have been a catastrophe – not to mention the fact that it would have slowed the system even more, as millions of participants would be flooding understaffed offices.

The Solution? Participants Do Not Have To Opt In

Whether a shift in strategy or simply a clarification of the policy, the U.S. government now emphasizes that the use of an SAP is entirely optional. According to the SSA, if you don’t have a mySocialSecurity account and/or do not wish to participate in the SAP program, your identity will continue to be verified as it is now.

When the SAP program was first rolled out, the SSA’s plan was to completely eliminate on-phone verification. However, as the SAP is no longer mandated, phone verification will remain available, according to the SSA. Whether this changes in the future or not is uncertain at this point. But if you don’t have a personal PIN, expect that your service time will take longer than if you did, as the SSA will have to resort to other identity verification methods.

For this reason, you might want to get ahead of the curve and participate in the optional SAP program anyway. This way, you can ensure that going forward, even if the SSA changes its policy, you’ll be ahead of the game when it comes to the verification of and access to your account.

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