The Social Security Administration is reportedly closing its hearing office on South Broadway at the end of the May, citing issues with the lease. There are currently no plans to replace it.
The future of multiple Social Security offices in New York hangs in the balance as the Trump Administration works to slash spending across federal agencies. SSA locations in White Plains, Poughkeepsie, and Horseheads recently turned up on a list of lease cancellations by the Department of Government Efficiency. The closure of offices isn’t new: locations in Kingston and Newburgh have shuttered in recent years, and a West Nyack office that closed for “renovations” last summer is still only available by phone, according to the SSA website.
At a press conference Monday, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins proposed moving the office to a county-owned space. While a specific location hasn’t been worked out, Jenkins says he has a few ideas.
“We have some options that includes the county center, where we have some tremendous space that was being utilized previously by Westchester Community College," says Jenkins. "So, we’re gonna be able to see which things work for our federal partners."
County officials say the White Plains hearing office is crucial because it handles benefit cases across the Hudson Valley. In a letter to Acting SSA Commissioner Lee Dudek last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James said the office has a backlog of roughly 2,000 cases, and that “eliminating the office would exacerbate the problem and harm even more vulnerable New Yorkers.”
Som Ramrup, president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges, says it’s not fair to ask seniors and people with disabilities to travel long-distance just to fight for their benefits in court.
“Imagine if you live in Poughkeepsie. Imagine if you live in Monticello, and you now have to go to the Bronx, or you now have to go to lower Manhattan," she adds. "We’re talking about people with significant impairments. Asking them to do that is just a burden on them, and it's just not right.”
Congressman George Latimer is a Democrat from the 16th District who was Jenkins’ predecessor as Westchester County Executive. He says the next closest hearing offices for Westchester County residents are in the Bronx; Newark, New Jersey; New Haven, Connecticut; and Albany, New York.
“When you consider that 10,000 people every day are becoming eligible for Social Security and joining the program, the administrative responsibility is growing, not shrinking," says Latimer.
In a statement to WAMC Friday about closures nationwide, an SSA spokesperson said in part: “We are working with the General Services Administration to review our leases and ensure they are used efficiently. Most of the leases we are not renewing are for small remote hearing sites that are co-located with other federal space. As the majority of our hearings are held virtually, we no longer need as many in-person hearing locations.”
It’s not exactly clear what the closures mean for staff at these locations. The SSA told employees Friday that it plans to cut roughly 7,000 employees nationwide. If the federal government takes Westchester County’s offer, Latimer says it could potentially save the government money and allow White Plains staff to continue working close to home.
“This is a positive way to respond to something that has happened in the Administration," says Latimer. "There are issues that put us at odds and make it a very contentious environment. But we’ve always tried, those of us who have been in public office for a long time, to have a positive response. This is a positive response, and we hope the president takes us up on the offer, and saves the Social Security office's presence in White Plains.”
