This is a developing story.

The Social Security Administration is considering eliminating the ability of people to file for claims by phone, which would force Alaskans to file either in person at a field office — which only exist in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks — or online, which could prove particularly problematic for remote areas with limited connectivity.

A March 13 memo proposing the change by Acting Deputy SSA Commissioner Doris Diaz states the intent is to mitigate “fraud risks.” The action comes as Elon Musk, who has made false claims about Social Security fraud, has stated his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to cut thousands of SSA jobs and close dozens of field offices.

People applying for benefits would be required to authenticate their identity through online “ID proofing” rather than by phone, according to Diaz.

“For instances where a customer is unable to utilize the internet ID proofing, customers will be required to visit a field office to provide in-person identifying documentation,” she wrote.

About 60,000 Alaskans don’t have access to broadband, geographically representing a “majority of small communities” in the state, according to the Alaska Broadband Office at the State Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Most such communities aren’t connected by road to Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau — and residents in some other towns that are would be several hundred miles away from those offices.

Diaz acknowledges several risks and challenges in the proposal, including “disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, risking legal challenges and congressional scrutiny.” Other concerns include service disruption due to increased customer traffic and delayed processing, operational strain due to higher demands on staff, and increased costs for identity proofing services.

The intended benefits, she wrote, are “reduced fraud risk, fewer improper payments.”

The memo’s existence was first reported Monday by the newsletter Popular Information.

”About 40% of all claims are currently processed over the phone,” the newsletter notes. “Because the SSA serves a large population that is either older or physically disabled, many cannot access the internet. Under the new system, this would force these populations to visit an office to have their claim processed.”

Numerous critics told news organizations the proposal to eliminate phone service, which had also surfaced in a different form before the memo was issued, appears to be a deliberate attempt by the Trump administration to drive Social Security enrollment down by making it exceedingly difficult for many eligible people to apply.

“They’re trying to use red tape to literally block people from getting benefits,” Jen Burdick, a lawyer who provides free legal services for Americans trying to get Social Security disability benefits, told the news website Axios.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a email Monday to Axios, stated “any American receiving Social Security benefits will continue to receive them.”

“The sole mission of DOGE is to identify waste, fraud, and abuse only,” she wrote.

The Washington Post reported March 12 that SSA was considering ending phone service, but the agency announced hours after the article was published it was scrapping the plan. The agency release a statement declaring the only change to phone service was individuals would no longer be allowed to change bank information by that method to reduce the risk of fraud.

Diaz’s memo reviving the broader proposal in an altered fashion was published the next day.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.