Mid-Hudson - Congressman Pat Ryan (R-18) and other local officials slammed the Social Security Administration (SSA) on Tuesday for moving its Newburgh field office and demanded increased services for Orange County.
The Newburgh office serves especially vulnerable individuals, many who have limited options for transportation. Other communities at the Eastern edge of Orange County have also traditionally been served by the Newburgh SSA.
Last week, the SSA announced they were relocating the Newburgh office to the Town of Wallkill with limited warning for the community. There was no public announcement of the move some 25 miles from the former location at 3 Washington Center in Newburgh to 85 Crystal Run Road.
“Newburgh seniors have depended on this Social Security office for decades – to pull out now when the economic pressure is so high, is a slap in the face,” Congressman Ryan said. “Our seniors have more than earned these benefits, and I’m going to fight with everything I have to make sure they can continue to access these much-needed services. ”
Ryan and Senator Rob Rolison (R, 39th District) sent a letter to Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley requesting that the Newburgh location be re-opened. The SSA administers retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for millions of Americans.
“The SSA’s rash and unilateral decision to relocate its offices almost 30 miles west of Newburgh will leave hundreds of our residents without a local access point to essential benefits. It’s simply unacceptable and a major inconvenience to those without access to reliable transportation, a legitimate concern in eastern Orange County which SSA failed to take into account,” Rolison said. “Congressman Ryan and I are therefore asking the federal government to develop a plan to fill the gap in services they created. In the meantime, our office will continue to assist Newburgh residents with necessary casework and certain benefits claims, as our staff has done since day one.”
Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D-104th) said he would work with the SSA to find a solution to this situation.
“At a minimum, there should be weekly office hours in Newburgh. This is the least we can do for those seniors who worked their whole lives to receive their Social Security and Medicare benefits and to live with dignity in retirement,” Jacobson said.
Source: Mid-Hudson News
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