Social Security has continuously updated it protocols in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it operates. The agency has created a special section of its website to these updates and recently informed of its health and safety plan for employees and the public inside Social Security offices. Due to the pandemic, Social Security offices closed to the public in March of 2020 and have remained mostly closed over the last year. Social Security has allowed some limited in-office appointments, but nothing further and there have been no announcements of when Social Security plans to open up offices again to the public.
Although there are no immediate plans to open up offices Social Security does have a workplace safety plan it has implemented to keep employees and the public safe while inside offices. A portion of the plan focuses on occupancy of Social Security offices and visitors. Below is the portion of the plan that deals with occupancy and visitors.
Occupancy
No SSA workplace should operate above 25% of normal occupancy standards at any time during periods of high community prevalence or transmission. Exceptions to this policy will be cleared by the Commissioner, through the SSA COVID-19 Coordination Team and in consultation with the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. Exceptions may only be submitted by a Deputy Commissioner and should consider measures like cohorts and staggered work schedules as appropriate.
Occupancy is currently controlled by management and approved onsite workload plans. SSA offices remain closed to all individuals except those approved by management including both employees and a limited number of visitors with scheduled appointments. SSA will continue to monitor access reports.
Safety protocols must be in place in offices. Consistent with CDC guidance and OMB Memorandum M-21-15 and as of July 20, 2020, these safety protocols continue to include:
- Offices must have soap, sanitizer, and cleaning supplies.
- Protective barriers installed in public interviewing areas.
- All employees, contractors, and visitors must wear masks and do a health self-screening before entering SSA facilities.
- All employees, contractors, and visitors must practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet when in the office.
- While not required, gloves are available.
- Offices have placed signage on entrances and around the office on safety protocols.
- All employees working in an office must take training on hand washing and proper usage of masks.
Visitors
Our offices are currently restricting access and are available to the public by appointment only for certain critical services that we cannot handle remotely. We advise visitors of our safety policies including the self-health symptom check and face mask requirement when we schedule an appointment, and we ask the visitor about symptoms upon arrival for an appointment. While we do not require visitors to complete a questionnaire, we do require verbal confirmation upon arrival to our office that the visitor does not answer yes to any of the screening criteria. The public may perform an automated health check by using the CDC screening tool.
