Brooklyn Congress Member Hakeen Jeffries and Yvette Clarke today braved the unseasonable cold too urge the Social Security Administration (SSA) to reverse announced plans to relocate its hearing office from its current 111 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn to lower Manhattan.
The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, as it formally called, hears cases of thousands of disabled and working-class Brooklynites who depend on meager monthly social security stipends to live and pay their bills. Brooklyn Legal Services heard of the move after one of their disabled clients complained of not being able to make it to Manhattan for the hearing.
“The decision by the Social Security Administration to abandon the residents of Brooklyn is unacceptable, unnecessary and unconscionable. The largest borough in the City deserves its own hearing office and we will not rest until the effort to move the office is reversed,” said Jeffries.
Clarke said forcing Brooklyn residents to travel to a proposed Manhattan location fails to take into account that social security and disability recipients currently face many physical and physiological challenges that make any form of travel difficult.
“With already limited access to resources, this proposed closure will place an undue burden on those who are already incredibly vulnerable and require various forms of assistance. I proudly stand with Rep. Jeffries and my colleagues to urge Regional Commissioner of Region II, Federick Maurin, to reconsider this proposal in an inclusive and transparent manner,” she said.
Jeffries said what is also appalling was the federal office was slated for closure without any notice given to and of the borough’s congress members.
Tanya White, Director of Disability Advocacy for Brooklyn Legal Services said the Social Security Administration’s plan to close down the Brooklyn hearing office will create needless barriers for disabled low-income Brooklyn residents trying to access Social Security and SSI benefits.
“Many of our clients have serious physical or psychological impairments that make using public transportation very difficult, and sometimes impossible. The decision to shift crucial services from Brooklyn to Manhattan has no clear community benefit and exposes already vulnerable people to unnecessary pain and hardship. Requiring chronically ill, disabled adults and children to travel to Manhattan for hearings will significantly increase travel time and expense simply to have their claims heard,” said White.
Brooklyn is the largest county in the state with more than 2.6 million residents. If a resident applies for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and is denied, his or her only recourse to challenge the denial is to have a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge based in one of the SSA’s ODAR offices.
The Brooklyn office issues close to 3,000 decisions per year and currently has approximately 5,550 people awaiting in-person hearings.
Jeffries, Clarke and Congressmember Nydia Velazquez also sent a letter to Social Security Administration officials, strongly urging them to reconsider its plans to close the crucial location.
