Poughkeepsie Social Security office reopens
Rep. Pat Ryan said in a statement Monday, now that the office is open, "it renews my optimism that if we stand up and fight for what's important to our community, we can win."
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On the very first day the Social Security office on Poughkeepsie's Main Street reopened, some city residents took the day off to finally resolve issues with their benefits.
"I'm prepared to be here all day," Joey Perez said.
Perez, who recently became a single father to his autistic son, entered Monday in the hope that he could finalize disability benefits for his son.
Perez said trying to handle it remotely has been frustrating.
"They don't pick up the phone for nothing," he said of his several attempts to handle the claim by phone. "They don't pick up the phone. I waited like an hour, and they didn't pick it up."
He said he is fine with waiting as long as he eventually speaks to someone. Judging by the turnout, it appears many city residents had been anticipating this day.
The waiting area was nearly entirely full, except for a few seats.
Some residents, realizing the wait could be more than an hour, made trips to their cars to fetch water and reading materials.
Another told News 12 he arrived when the office opened and had been waiting two hours to meet with a staff member regarding his claim.
There was confusion about whether the office would reopen at all.
The Social Security Administration closed the office in January and said it would reopen in July.
Then it ended up on a list of "savings" on the Department of Government Efficiency's website, meaning it was slated for closure.
Neither local officials, nor local seniors who prefer in-person visits knew what to think.
Rep. Pat Ryan said in a statement Monday, now that the office is open, "it renews my optimism that if we stand up and fight for what's important to our community, we can win."
David Serwatka, who was at the Poughkeepsie office Monday helping his friend, is relieved.
He still expects it to be a while, though, before the crowds and wait times decrease.
That is why he had been going to the Hudson office to handle his disability paperwork."I told my friend, 'You're better off going to another town," he said, "because it's a lot faster. There's only a couple people in line."
In a press release Monday, an SSA spokesperson said waiting in line instead of scheduling online will remain an option moving forward.
"Staff at local offices are being particularly mindful of vulnerable populations, people with disabilities," the spokesperson wrote, "and other groups needing specialized or immediate attention when they walk in."
