Question: I heard you cannot walk into the Social Security office anymore. Is this true? I have a problem that I need help with as the instructions in the mail did not make sense to me. I planned to go to the office but my friend said to check first.
Answer: The Social Security Administration will soon require most customers to schedule an appointment for in-person service, including to process requests for Social Security cards, but the new policy isn’t scheduled to take effect at field offices nationwide until Jan. 6, according to the agency. Even after that, walk-in service will remain available, but customers may wait longer than if they had made an appointment.
“We want to make clear that we will not turn people away for service who are unable to make an appointment or do not want to make an appointment. For example, members of vulnerable populations, military personnel, people with terminal illnesses, and individuals with other situations requiring immediate or specialized attention may still walk in for service at our field offices. Some of our offices also have minimal to no wait times, and they will still serve customers who walk in,” Dawn Bystry, associate commissioner of the SSA’s Office of Strategic and Digital Communications, said in a news release Nov. 14.
Many tasks involving Social Security can be handled online, via ssa.gov/onlineservices/, or by using automated telephone services, as listed at ssa.gov/agency/contact/phone.html. These options are available 24/7 and don’t require you to speak to a representative.
If you are unable to handle your issue online or by phone, you may call 800-772-1213 to make an appointment for in-person service, the news release said. Call Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time, according to ssa.gov. “Wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter in the morning, later in the week, and later in the month,” the website says.
Q: Regarding the bird flu, does this mean the state will cull feral chickens roaming in urban and suburban areas (not on farms)? It seems like they would be a health risk.
A: “From a medical perspective, it is not clear that a mass culling of feral chickens would appreciably reduce the risk to humans,” according to the state Department of Health, which addresses a version of this question on its website. For the general public, the best defense at this point “is to avoid interacting with feral chickens and wild birds as much as possible,” it says.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in mid-November in a backyard flock of various birds in Central Oahu. The virus is very contagious among birds, and can spread to humans who come in contact with an infected bird or have certain indirect contact, such as with an infected bird’s droppings. The current risk to the general public in Hawaii remains low, the DOH says.
“Residents are encouraged to report sick or dead birds, especially when multiple or unusual. Please contact Animal Industry Division at Hawaii Department of Agriculture at 808-483-7102 Monday to Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 808-837-8092 during non-business hours and holidays,” it says.
There’s much more information on the DOH website devoted to this topic, 808ne.ws/4fS9k3u.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the unknown angel who found my dog-walking fanny pack on Pohue Street in Aiea. I was hunting everywhere looking for it, not knowing that I had dropped it. What a wonderful Thanksgiving blessing to find it a couple of days later hanging in perfect shape on the tree that my dog and I usually enjoy the shade under its beautiful branches. Many mahalos for your kindness and thoughtfulness, bless your heart. — Donna and Noa
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Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
