How to Get in Touch with the Social Security Administration

A North Texan said she needed help getting through to the federal government, specifically, the Social Security Administration.

When she says she couldn’t get a correction to her Social Security card, she tried the NBC 5 Responds and Telemundo 39 Responde teams.

Read on for more information about getting in touch.

'THAT ONE INITIAL WOULD HAVE CAUSED A PROBLEM'

It was one little letter that Sara Diaz said loomed large for her mom.

“As crazy as it sounds with just that one initial it would have caused a problem,” Diaz said.

Diaz explained her mother, Sara Alvayero, had a Social Security card that listed a middle initial, but Alvayero doesn’t have a middle name.

Diaz said the initial doesn’t appear on Alvayero’s passport or other documents and she believes there was a mix-up with paperwork at some point after Alvayero moved to the U.S., got married and became a U.S. citizen.

Diaz said, “In the application, her mother’s last name is Romero and initially they had put Sara Romero Alvayero. Then, they changed it to Sara R Alvayero and she’s never had a middle name. It’s always been Sara Alvayero.”

The family said they tried to get it corrected, then called our partners at Telemundo 39 where Responde reporter Martha Minjarez reached out to the Social Security Administration.

It scheduled an in-person appointment with Alvayero.

Within a couple of days of the appointment, Alvayero had a new card. 

“I know that with your help, she has received her Social Security [card] now with the correct information. So, thank you for that,” Diaz told Minjarez.

MORE IN-PERSON HELP AVAILABLE

In an email, a spokesperson with the Social Security Administration thanked Martha for making them aware of the situation.

The spokesperson also explained there’s good news for anyone else trying to get in touch, saying, in part, “On April 7, local Social Security offices began offering more in-person appointments and have resumed in-person service for people without an appointment.”

The Social Security Administration also said as it expands in-person service, it strongly encourages people to schedule appointments in advance.

If you need help in person, you can find your local office here. You can also call the national hotline for the Social Security Administration 1-800-772-1213.

You can use a my Social Security account to apply for a replacement Social Security card online if you are a U.S. citizen age 18 or older with a U.S. mailing address, are not requesting a name change or any other change to your card and have driver’s license or state-issued identification card from one of the many participating states or the District of Columbia.

The Social Security Administration also said if you need to change your name on your Social Security card, you must show proof of your legal name change. Documents Social Security may accept to prove a legal name change include: a marriage document, a divorce decree, a Certificate of Naturalization showing the new name or a court order approving the name change.

Do not mail original primary documents such as driver’s licenses, passports, or immigration documents. You can visit your local Social Security office to apply in person or drop off documentation.

NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and a resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or fill out our customer complaint form.