WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today attended a Finance hearing and submitted questions for the record to President Trump’s nominee to be Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Frank Bisignano.

In his questions, Grassley pressed Bisignano on the need to maintain seniors’ access to key services and ensure that agency reforms do not disrupt or delay rightfully owed benefits. Grassley also emphasized the importance of protecting rural seniors and streamlining the process to address identity theft issues. Grassley’s questions were informed by questions raised at his recent county meetings and by calls and messages received by his office on this issue.

Senators submit Questions For the Record (QFRs) to hearing witnesses to receive detailed, written responses from witnesses. Grassley expects answers by next week.

The following are excerpts from Grassley’s questions:

Agency Reforms and Disruption of Benefits:

Last week, I began my 45th annual tour of Iowa’s 99 counties to hear directly from Iowans. Social Security was top of mind for seniors. Many are worried that plans to reduce personnel and restructure the Social Security Administration will worsen customer service and put benefit payments at risk.

It hasn’t helped that President Biden’s Social Security Commissioner and Democrats have engaged in reckless speculation seemingly intended to make seniors fear their benefits are in danger. Of course, there isn’t a single member of this committee, Democrat or Republican, that would stand for a disruption or delay to benefits.

If you are confirmed, will you guarantee any agency reforms won’t disrupt or delay rightfully owed benefits on your watch?

Elimination of ID Verification by Phone:

Recently, the Social Security Administration announced individuals will no longer be allowed to verify their identity over the phone for benefit purposes or to change bank account information. As a result, individuals will have to finalize an application for benefits online or in-person at a local Social Security office.

I understand this change is intended to prevent ID theft and fraud, but I have concerns how this change will affect seniors in a rural state like mine. For many Iowans, the nearest Social Security office could be more than an hour away.

If you are confirmed, will you pledge to review this policy and work to ensure rural seniors aren’t left behind?

Identity Theft and Single Point of Contact:

Too often, victims of identity theft who reach out to the Social Security Administration get bumped from person to person without much progress toward resolving issues stemming from a stolen Social Security number. To address this, I have worked on bipartisan legislation that would require SSA to offer a single point of contact for identity theft victims to get their issues resolved quickly.

As Commissioner, what steps will you take to streamline the process for addressing identity theft issues?  

Disability Backlog:

A perennial issue has been a backlog in Social Security Disability cases. Addressing it has long been a stated priority of the Social Security Administration. Yet, there hasn’t been much progress in resolving the issue. 

Are there administrative reforms or changes to the adjudication process you plan to pursue to increase efficiencies and speed up the claim process?     

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