India, Feb. 24 -- The Social Security Administration (SSA) will implement a major change in its customer service policy, starting March 7, 2026. As a result of the layoffs in the agency under the former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), SSA will make its customer service national from local field offices.

Earlier, state level SSA officers had customer service operators who handled recipients' queries. Since some Social Security rules vary from state to state, the customer service helpline at SSA field offices were better equipped with the know-how to solve such problems easily. It made appointment scheduling and case management efficient.

Now, experts warn, there could be delays in the resolution of issues as the system become...