Millions of Americans depend on Social Security, including over 375,000 Mainers. But new findings from AARP reveal growing concern about access and reliability.
According to a study by the American Association of Retired Persons, more than three-quarters of Americans now say they worry Social Security won’t provide enough to live on in retirement. These concerns have increased as the Trump Administration makes dramatic changes to the organization, including cutting over 7,000 jobs and mandating in-person identity verification for most benefit applications.
“People are very concerned about Social Security and their ability to live in retirement on the benefits that they've earned,” said Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, the CEO of the AARP.
Minter-Jordan says these trends are not new, as there are long-standing trends of those who do not yet receive social security not trusting its reliability. However, this trend is only growing, as only 36% of Americans now believe Social Security will be there when they need it.
AARP says customer service is lagging, with wait times often stretching over two hours for callbacks. In Maine, where over 20% of the population is over 65, that uncertainty hits especially hard. Bill Sweeney, the senior vice president of Government Affairs for AARP, says reaching a Social Security office can be a challenge, and even more so in rural areas without access to public transport.
“Even for people who live in big cities, it can be hard to get around,” said Sweeney, “It can be hard to navigate public transit. If there is public transit for you, it's hard to get a ride to a field office, and to have to wait for a long amount of time to get somebody to help you is really a challenge.”
This year Social Security marks its 90th anniversary, and millions of Americans are depending on it more than ever.
