The Social Security Administration’s new anti-fraud policy could require nearly 2 million Americans to visit field offices each year to update their direct deposit information. This applies to anyone who cannot complete the agency’s online identity verification process.
Phone-based updates are no longer accepted unless the caller has first verified their identity online. For those without internet access or the ability to navigate digital tools, the only remaining option is to appear in person.
Older Americans may be disproportionately affected. Many do not drive, have limited mobility, or lack internet service entirely. These challenges make a long trip to a Social Security office particularly difficult.
Rural states bear the brunt
Access varies dramatically by geography. According to a 2024 analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), more than 40% of seniors in 10 states, including Montana, Wyoming, Vermont and the Dakotas, must drive over an hour to reach their nearest Social Security office.
The situation isn’t much better in 21 other states, where between 25% and 39% of older residents face the same hour-plus drive.
States like Arizona, North Carolina, and Virginia also make this list, illustrating that the problem extends far beyond rural or remote areas.
Nationwide, nearly one-quarter of all seniors live more than an hour from a Social Security field office, and half face at least a 33-minute drive even under ideal conditions, according to the CBPP analysis.
A cure worse than the disease?
The Social Security Administration cites a “marked increase” in direct deposit fraud as justification for its new policy. According to agency data, enhanced fraud protections flagged more than 20,000 suspicious phone attempts to change banking information between late March and April, potentially preventing $19.9 million in losses.
However, those figures have drawn criticism. In a March 2025 Bluesky post, Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, referenced a New York Times report noting that approximately 2,000 beneficiaries had their deposits fraudulently redirected over the previous year.
With SSA data showing 40% of such fraud occurred via phone, that suggests about 800 cases stemmed from phone-based attempts, compared to the estimated 2 million people who will now have to visit Social Security offices annually under the new policy.
The hidden toll on vulnerable Americans
This isn’t merely an inconvenience. Roughly 6 million seniors don’t drive, and nearly 8 million older Americans live with medical conditions or disabilities that make travel difficult.
For them, reaching a distant Social Security office means arranging rides, managing physical challenges, and often spending money they can’t spare.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), these new requirements will generate more than 1 million hours of travel time per year, before factoring in appointment scheduling, office wait times, or inevitable delays.
At the same time, the Social Security Administration has reduced its workforce by approximately 7,000 employees, leaving many field offices overwhelmed.
As a result, seniors making these mandatory trips now face longer wait times in increasingly crowded offices, as reported by the CBPP.
Alternatives for the tech-savvy only
The agency does offer some alternatives, but they’re far from universal solutions.
Beneficiaries can update their direct deposit information online by creating a My Social Security account and using a one-time verification code for phone-based changes. This process is detailed on the Social Security Administration’s website.
In some cases, banks offer direct update services, letting customers change their Social Security deposit information through their financial institution.
But these digital options assume internet access and tech literacy. Many older Americans aren’t comfortable online or their banks don’t offer these services, so they are left with only one choice: making the trip in person.
Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins for direct deposit updates are still permitted, according to the SSA. That’s small consolation in states where “dropping by” means a four-hour round-trip drive through remote or rugged terrain — a reality highlighted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The numbers underscore the issue: in trying to prevent fraud that impacted hundreds, these policies now create obstacles for millions.
Yet the stakes are real for those few who were defrauded. Having benefits diverted, even once, can lead to missed bills, lost housing or skipped medication. Solving that problem by requiring millions to travel long distances may create more hardship than it prevents, especially for older Americans with limited mobility, resources or support.
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