Since March of 2020, when Social Security field offices closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, agency officials have held firm on requiring original identity documents from individuals for processing. This has undoubtedly caused many people to lose driver’s licenses and other important identity documents in the mail because Social Security would not accept copies, but 18 months later the agency is now changing course and will no longer require original documents.
An emergency message was sent to all Social Security employees informing of the change. The only way customers were able to provide original documents to Social Security were either through the mail or if they made an appointment to visit a Social Security office, but those appointments are few and far between due to Social Security limiting the availability due to the pandemic. Below is a portion of the emergency message sent to employees that provides guidance on original documents and in-person scheduled appointments.
- Purpose
This Emergency Message (EM) provides Field Offices (FO) and Social Security Card Centers (SSCC) instructions regarding how to determine when to schedule an in-office appointment, given the current posture.
- Background
SSA offers a variety of service channels: online, telephone, in-person, and mail. We continue to encourage the use of online and phone services prior to scheduling in-office interviews. Additionally, service options to support those channels, such as Express Interviews (EXI) for in-person, and Drop Boxes for mail, where available, continue to be options for brief interactions and evidence collection.
While mail continues to offer an additional channel for the public to communicate with us, you must discourage customers from mailing important documents that they should keep secure and maintain in their possession, such as driver’s licenses, passports, or immigration documents. If they prefer, customers may choose to mail us secondary evidence of identity and less sensitive material.
Effective immediately, FOs and SSCCs will follow the in-office appointment criteria outlined in Section C to identify situations that may be appropriate for an in-office appointment, based on customer needs, workloads, and local in-office staffing support.
