Important Information About Reaching Social Security During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: March 17, 2021
During the current coronavirus pandemic, we continue to provide help to you and other people in your communities. While our offices are not providing service to walk-in visitors due to COVID-19, we remain ready and able to help you by phone with most Social Security business. You can speak with a representative by calling your local Social Security office or our National 800 Number. You can find local office phone numbers online by using our Social Security Office Locator.
We offer many secure and convenient online services, where you can:
- Apply for Retirement, Disability, and Medicare benefits.
- Check the status of an application or appeal.
- Request a replacement Social Security card (in most areas).
- Print a benefit verification letter and much more.
Although you can do most of your business with us online, we know that service channel isn’t right for everyone. You can still count on us by phone. If you have a critical situation and we cannot help you with by phone or online, we may be able to schedule an appointment for you.
If you need help, please don’t wait until we can see you in person. Call us now and get the help you need. We also understand that getting medical and other documentation can be difficult due to the pandemic, so we are continuing to extend certain deadlines wherever possible.
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Tags: COVID-19, online services
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Mike Korbey, Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Mike Korbey, Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Morris G.
I have requested a new password for myssa account three times. It says it will be mailed to me but I have not received. It has been several months since I started requesting. What are my options?
Vonda
Hi Morris, thanks for using our blog. Sorry to hear you are having difficulties creating a my Social Security account. For assistance with your account, you may call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or you can contact your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Pratibha V.
My New ssn number appointment is still on hold…..m waiting for the call for appointment……I cant start my work without SSN which is big loss of money……please please let me know how to expedite the process.
Vonda
Hi Pratibha, thanks for using our blog. The local office may schedule an in-office appointment for a new card request in certain situations. Appointment availability is based on available staff and office operating status. Please call your local office to see if an in-office appointment is necessary and possible. To contact your local office, please look for the local office telephone number at Social Security Office Locator under “Social Security Office Information” for the office you select. The toll-free “Office” number is your local office.
cynthia b.
Received a report from the Federal Government that my phone number, birth date and birthday, Social Security Numbr have all beencompromised.
Can I apply for a new Social Security Number (i.e. not card) new Social Security No.
Vonda
Thanks for letting us know, Cynthia. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
john
Hi,
I called on 21st Dec’20 to get an appointment for new SSN but it is been more than 4 weeks I did not receive any call .i cannot start my work due to SSN.how much time do i need to wait to get an appointment? is there any way that i can get an appointment within a week or two?
Vonda
Hi John, thanks for using our blog. We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing working with Social Security. Please continue to call your local Social Security office. Look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Matt M.
My friend got his green card in March last year, but wasn’t issued a SS card. The website appears to say he must go in person to apply for SS card. When he calls to make an appointment they say, “we are only seeing students currently”. This has been the case for 9 months. Are there other options for him?
Vonda
Hi Matt. We process Social Security Numbers and issue cards for certain lawful immigrants. We call these processes Enumeration at Entry (EAE) and Enumeration beyond Entry (EBE).
If these automated processes are not available to your friend, we may schedule an in-office appointment for a new card request in certain situations. Appointment availability is based on available staff and office operating status. Your friend needs to call his local office to see if an in-office appointment is necessary and possible. To contact the local office, please look for the local office telephone number at Social Security Office Locator under “Social Security Office Information” for the office you select. The toll-free “Office” number is your local office.
Maritza C.
I am a detransitioned female who needs to have her documents properly changed for her safety. I have a legal court name change and a letter from my doctor informing of my birth sex. I need to make an in person appointment as soon as possible, in the Phoenix area.
Vonda
Hi Maritza, thanks for using our blog. We may be able to schedule an in-office appointment in certain situations. Appointment availability is based on available staff and office operating status. Please call your local office to see if an in-office appointment is necessary and possible. To contact your local office, please look for the local office telephone number at Social Security Office Locator under “Social Security Office Information” for the office you select. The toll-free “Office” number is your local office.
Saket K.
Hi,
I called on 21st Dec’20 to get an appointment for new SSN but it is been more than 3 weeks I did not receive any call. I called on 31st December only to find my phone number was wrongly registered. I requested for an update of phone number. Today I called again and I found that the phone number was still not updated and I was thrown back in the queue(as no body could reach me on the wrong number). Please help me fix the phone number issue.
Vonda
For your security, Saket, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can call your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
joe o.
i need of help finding a home,I am hard of hearing please text or email,,,
Vonda
Hello Joe, for information on public housing assistance visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website. Thanks.
Effie O.
I have never gotten my incentive check and I do not understand why.
Vonda
Hi Effie, thanks for using our blog. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), not Social Security, issues the Economic Income Payments. Social Security cannot answer EIP questions about your specific situation. Check out our Social Security and Coronavirus web page for more details. We hope this helps.
Maleni
Hello , i have a question
Mu husband applied to het his social security and it’s been a month since he went to apply for it . My question is how long is it taking to receive ss card?
Vonda
Hi Maleni, thank you for using our blog to ask your question. Your husband can log in to or create a my Social Security account to check the status of his application online.
If unable to check the status online, he can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or his local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.