WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — Plenty of people were turned away Tuesday as the doors are locked at the Warrensville Heights Social Security office on Miles Road.
Signs state the facility is only accepting appointments until May 8, at which point it is set to close for 90 days. It's not clear at this point what will happen after that 3-month period.
Those needing in-person services are instead pointed to office locations in Lakewood, Cleveland, and Middleburg Heights. To find your closest location, enter your zip code here.
For Tommy Lawson, it all came as a surprise when he tried to make a change to his social security benefits at the office he's been visiting since 2011.
"It’s a shame," he said. "We worked hard to get our social security benefits and they just closed. No warning or nothing."
Attorney Michael Liner at Liner Legal specializes in Social Security disability benefits and argues this could impact thousands of older individuals and those living with disabilities.
"So many pieces of business that people need to do every day, you don’t realize it but it flows through that social security office," he explained. "People go there to file for retirement benefits, for disability benefits, for simple things like updating their address."
Liner points to years and years of budget issues for the Social Security Administration as a likely factor behind the closing. Going forward, he worries this may not be the only location that closes.
"If the Social Security Administration doesn’t get the budget approved that it needs, then it’s going to be challenging to keep all these offices open while still meeting their obligations to the people who are relying on the money they’re tasked with dispersing."
In a statement to News 5, a spokesperson with the Social Security Administration said, "The Cleveland Southeast Social Security office is temporarily assisting customers by appointment only due to high staff attrition. The office is taking primarily telephone appointments, and some in-person appointments for limited, critical situations, until May 8, 2024."
News 5 is awaiting a response to learn what will happen to that location after May 8, 2024.
