With the White Plains closure, the closest offices to offer appeals hearings are now in the South Bronx and lower Manhattan.
Thousands of Westchester residents seeking in-person Social Security appeals will have to travel much greater lengths now, after the controversial closure of the White Plains Social Security office this month.
The White Plains branch, located at 297 Knollwood Road, shuttered after the building owner decided not to renew the lease, which expired at the end of May. And when Westchester officials offered to find another location in the county for the office, the federal Social Security Administration declined.
That location – which operated for at least 30 years – was the only office in Westchester to offer in-person appeals hearings and already had a backlog of more than 2,000 cases, according to federal representatives.
With the closure, the closest offices to offer hearings are now located in the South Bronx, Jamaica, Queens, and lower Manhattan.
The White Plains location is one of nearly 800 across the U.S. the federal government and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is planning to close this year, according to the Associated Press.
Marie Johnson, the executive director of the SPRYE organization – a nonprofit that provides programs, transportation, and referrals for Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison, and Port Chester residents 55 years and older – told The Record she’s particularly concerned about the folks with disabilities who need in-person appointments.
“Closing a social security office will make it not only increasingly difficult for older adults but for people with disabilities,” Johnson said. “It will become a hardship for people who stopped driving or cannot afford a car and they will then need to rely on transportation to find the nearest branch or office.”
“Because of the increased hardship to go to an office, some people will feel discouraged and give up, or let their benefits lapse,” Johnson added.
Social security offices provide benefits to older adults, those with disabilities, and their families. People often visit an office to apply for a social security number, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicare or other health care, and food stamps.
But only some locations offer in-person hearings for people who submit an appeal on a social security benefits claim.
Elected officials are increasingly worried that the White Plains closure will cause the few other branches that offer in-person hearings to be inundated with appointments.
U.S. Rep. George Latimer, a Westchester Democrat, and Republican Mike Lawler, who represents communities in the Hudson Valley, including parts of Westchester, authored letters to Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek this spring requesting the agency open an office in an alternate location within the county.
The congressmen argued in-person appointments were crucial for area residents who rely on benefits.
“While the majority of hearings that go through White Plains are virtual, keeping an office open for in-person visits and urgent matters is critical,” they wrote in a March 4 letter to Dudek. “The hearing office currently has a backlog of over 2,000 cases, each representing a real American seeking assistance for disability or other social security benefits.”
Latimer, in an interview with The Record, criticized the Trump administration – saying the Social Security Administration refusing to open another in-person hearings office in Westchester will likely result in benefits and appointments falling “through the cracks.”
“This is part of a systemic effort by the new [Trump] administration,” he said. “I personally think it’s purposeful.”
Similarly, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, has also criticized the Social Security Administration and the White House, saying in a statement last week that the closure is “detrimental” for area residents.
“Closing this SSA office isn’t about saving money, finding fraud, or rooting out waste,” he said. “This is about denying people their benefits – not explicitly, but by omission. Travel is a luxury not everyone can afford – and the federal government knows that. Their message is bold and cruel: Starve.”
The federal Social Security Administration did not answer The Record’s questions about the White Plains office closure. However, in written correspondence with Westchester officials, Dudek said simply the administration no longer saw the need.
“While we appreciate your offer to help us find space for a new hearing office, our position remains that we do not need space in White Plains,” Dudek wrote in a May 1 letter.
Dudek did say that about 83 percent of the claimants who used the White Plains hearing office chose to file appeals online.
“We will continue to provide the option of a virtual hearing by audio (telephone) and online video,” he wrote.
For people not seeking appeals hearings, the New Rochelle social security office – located at 85 Harrison St., about a half mile from the New Rochelle Metro-North station – is the now the local branch for residents who live in the 10528 or 10580 Rye zip codes.
That office was closed in January for renovations, however, so the New Rochelle location is temporarily limited to a small station located at 140 Huguenot St.
Other area social security offices in the region include branches in Yonkers, the Bronx, and Stamford, Conn. None of those offer in-person hearings.