The Journal
“If that’s the only way I had to do it, how would I do it?” Veronica Taylor asked while speaking to an Associated Press reporter in Welch about requirements set to go into effect March 31 for interacting with the Social Security system.
At the end of this month, recipients will no longer be able to verify their identity to the Social Security Administration over the phone. Those who are unable to verify using the “My Social Security” online service will be required to visit an agency field office.
But in pockets of the country — rural Appalachia, for example — an aging population, limited internet access and long distances from those field offices will present a challenge.
Taylor, for example, told the Associated Press she is 73, housebound, does not even know how to turn on a computer (forget about the internet), and lives in a remote enough community that it takes an hour for someone to help her get to the grocery store.
