The last few weeks have been a confusing time for Social Security recipients.

Last month, President Trump’s Administration announced that Social Security would no longer allow recipients to change their direct deposit information by phone. A few days later, they expanded the announcement to say that Social Security would also stop accepting benefit applications by phone. These announcements understandably caused a lot of concern and controversy among retirees.

Later the Administration changed course at least twice on what services they will or will not allow by phone. It is certainly possible that this may change again in the coming weeks and months.

Although we at ATRS don’t control Social Security, we know many of you receive Social Security benefits or will soon be applying for them. These federal changes to Social Security affect virtually all ATRS members. I want to explain what the new rules are and how they will affect you. If these rules change again, I will do my best to keep you informed. Please understand that these changes I’m describing are only for Social Security, they do not apply to your ATRS retirement benefits.

Changing Bank Info for Direct Deposit: You may no longer change your Social Security direct deposit information by phone.  If you are receiving Social Security benefits and need to make a change to your direct deposit information, you must go online and make the change through your “My Social Security” account. If you do not have an online account with Social Security, you must visit a Social Security office in person to change your direct deposit information. You can make or change an appointment for an in-person office visit to a Social Security office here: https://www.ssa.gov/manage-benefits/make-an-appointment

Applying for SSA Retirement Benefits: You can still apply for Social Security by phone. Social Security will be using new fraud detection tools, which may include things like asking you personal questions or looking at where you are calling from. If their systems detect any “irregularities,” they will require you to make an in-person visit to a Social Security office to complete your application. You can also apply for SSA retirement benefits online through your “My Social Security” account.

Creating an Online Account: If you don’t have an online account with Social Security in “My Social Security”, you will have to provide personal information and documents for them to verify your identity before you can establish that account. Using an online Social Security account requires you to have a second means of verification when you log in, such as having a security code sent to your cell phone or email (that’s what’s known as multifactor authentication).  

You can create a My Social Security account by clicking here: https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/. Also, if you have an online account with Social Security that was created before September 18, 2021, you will need to log in to your account and transition it to a new account.   

You can find more information on Social Security’s identity-proofing requirements at this link: https://www.ssa.gov/news/identity-proofing.html

ATRS SECURITY AND FRAUD DETECTION
As much controversy as these changes created, I understand concerns about fraud. Here at ATRS, we unfortunately see regular efforts by criminals to defraud our System and pose as legitimate members.

We are constantly evaluating our security procedures and adjusting them as needed to meet new threats. For example, we allow members who have accounts in our online portal to use multifactor authentication as an added protection. If you have not set this up for your online ATRS member portal account, I encourage you to do so. You can find instructions here: https://www.artrs.gov/mfa

Another change we have made is that we are now mailing written confirmation letters to members when they create an account or submit a beneficiary or address change in the online portal. If you receive one of these confirmation letters and you did not make the change yourself, please call us immediately at (501) 682-1517. And if you ever see anything related to your ATRS account that doesn’t seem right, don’t hesitate to call us or email us at info@artrs.gov.

RETIREMENT SEASON IS HERE
We are still accepting applications for July 1 retirements or T-DROP entry between now and the May 31^st deadline. If you are considering retiring or entering T-DROP at the end of this school year, now is the time for you to start reviewing your options. You can access our brand-new 2025 April Retirement Planner at this link: https://www.artrs.gov/Publications/ATRS_2025_April_Planner_Members.pdf

ATRS has made it easy and convenient for you to apply for retirement or T-DROP online via your member portal account as well.  You must be vested and at least age 60, or have 28 years of service credit, to apply online for retirement or T-DROP. Otherwise, you will need to submit a paper application.

Remember that you can create your own benefit projections in the ATRS member portal, as well as review and confirm your work and salary history. If you don’t have an ATRS member portal account, you can create one at this link: https://www.artrs.gov/registration

If you have any other questions, or if you would like to schedule time with one of our counselors to review your options, please email us at info@artrs.gov or call us at (501) 682-1517.

Mark White
Executive Director, ATRS
MarkW@artrs.gov
Office: (501) 621-8853
Cell: (501) 541-2057