Social Security Offices That Are Closing Because Of DOGE Cuts

In what could already be counted as a rollercoaster year for Social Security, The Department of Government Efficiency continues to add drama. Referred to in shorthand as DOGE (a name inspired by tech billionaire Elon Musk's favored dog-themed bitcoin, "dogecoin") by both the Trump administration and the agency's mastermind, Musk, the agency has made sweeping cuts to the federal workforce in an effort to supposedly cut waste and fraud. The agency's drastic measures are often caught up in court, but that hasn't stopped DOGE from also targeting Social Security in its slash-and-burn campaign.

DOGE has already begun to close or consolidate multiple Social Security offices in an attempt to trim the federal budget. These closures and consolidations are listed on DOGE's "Wall of Receipts," an ever-updating web record of cuts made to contracts, leases, and real estate agreements by the agency. Some local Social Security Administration offices have confirmed imminent closures due to lease terminations, while at least one supposedly closing location listed by DOGE does not have a clear physical location in real life. This is not the only discrepancy between the DOGE website and the SSA website. It should also be noted that consistent information on when offices will close or where employees from closed offices will relocate to (if they do, in fact, relocate) is not easily available.

A glut of cuts have taken already place across the country. Alabama has been hit especially hard, which officials are calling "devastating." Offices in Anniston, Cullman, Gadsden, and Jasper, Alabama are already confirmed to have closed. Five Georgia offices are set for closure in Brunswick, Columbus, Gainesville, Thomasville, and Vidalia. The Grenada, Greenwood, and Meridian, Mississippi SSA offices are also scheduled to close. The Franklin, North Carolina office has been closed, while the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina is scheduled to close, along with the Greenwood, South Carolina office. The Nashville, Tennessee, Rockford, Illinois, and Melbourne, Florida offices have all also been closed.

The Columbus, Ohio office moved to a different federal space, although many of the city's federal buildings are currently in DOGE's sights. Meanwhile, service reductions are planned for the Poughkeepsie and White Plains, New York offices, which has been met with backlash by local officials. DOGE also lists a variety of Arkansas offices as "agency approved lease termination" targets: Forrest City, Jonesboro, and Texarkana. Similar language is used on the DOGE site to describe SSA offices in Houma, Louisiana, Elizabeth City and Greenville, North Carolina, Lawton, Oklahoma, Abilene, Texas and Victoria, Texas. The Nacogdoches, Texas office is closing, however local news outlets say that has less to do with DOGE and more to do with a planned move spanning 15 years. 

Per the DOGE website, the following Social Security office closures are currently being negotiated: Grand Junction, Colorado; Kalispell and Missoula, Montana; Minot, North Dakota; Rock Springs, Wyoming; and Horseheads, New York.

It's worth noting that not all DOGE listed locations are confirmed to be closing. For instance, despite DOGE listing the Batesville, Arkansas office as closing, local officials deny it. Similarly, the Hazard, Kentucky office is also listed as closed, which local officials have denied. Even more troubling is that both Carlsbad, California and Okemos, Michigan offices are listed as closing by DOGE, but neither of those locations actually exist — with the Okemos location not even having a nearby neighbor. The Campbellsville, Kentucky office is listed as closed by DOGE, but, per SSA employees, still remains open. DOGE also lists consolidation plans for the Green Bay, Wisconsin office, but local officials say they have no plans to terminate the building's lease.

Unclear and incomplete information on which Social Security offices are closing due to DOGE cuts — as well as what the cuts themselves might look like — will impact both service providers and beneficiaries. This comes at the same time that inadequate COLA rates are already affecting beneficiaries, and at the same time that Social Security is handling the rollout of a boost in monthly Social Security benefits for millions of Americans. All of that is to say, at a time when the Social Security Administration more than likely needs more staff and locations, they are instead facing significant cuts. Either way, per a big change to Social Security in 2025, appointments are now required for in-person Social Security questions. 

If you are unsure if your office is closed, research your nearest location at ssa.gov/locator.