Politics & Government

Social Security Office In Queens Set To Close

Will Glendale office closure impact office in Rego Park?

Starting this summer, residents looking for help from the Rego Park social security office may have to wait in longer lines than they are used to.

The Social Security Administration is proposing to close its Glendale office, sending the people who patronize the office to other locations in the city — most likely Rego Park or Cypress Hills in Brooklyn.

stood with seniors on Tuesday to make a stand against the closure, saying that losing the office would impact seniors and disabled residents who wouldn’t be able to make a longer trip.

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“We’ve been notified that the Social Security Administration plans on closing this office, perhaps as early as July,” Weiner said. “We’re standing here to say that that is simply unacceptable.”

Glendale’s office, on Myrtle Avenue, is south of the Rego Park office and north of Cypress Hills, but it serves an area where local transportation is largely done by bus for those who can’t drive themselves.

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Many of the residents gathered to protest the closure said some seniors who collect benefits will simply stop going to an office, rather than travel farther or try to navigate the Social Security website.

The numbers — in terms of people served — have been a point of contention between Weiner and the Social Security administration.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Weiner claimed that 200,000 residents are served by the office, including 40-50,000 seniors, while a spokesman for the Social Security Administration said the Glendale office only serves 16,000 people.

“We have had to make this difficult decision because Congress significantly cut our administrative budget,” said John Shallman, spokesman for the SSA. “The consolidation of these two offices and all their employees into existing leased office space near public transportation will have a projected cost savings of nearly $3 million over the next ten years.”

Shallman also said that because no staff will be reduced, the social security administration is convinced that the Rego Park office will not see an increase in wait times for those coming in to the office.

Weiner said that he would do everything in his power to prevent the office from closing this summer, starting with trying to convince the administration of the office’s value before resorting to legislation.

“When an office like this closes, it really is a body blow to the neighborhood and we’re going to do everything we can to stop it,” he said.  


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