Social Security appointment policy confusion - told no in-person meetings available

they told me the same thing last month! i wanted to apply for my retirement and they said phone only. my neighbor went in person though last week?? so confusing

SSA offices ARE open for in-person services, but many local offices are prioritizing appointments for certain services only. They're trying to handle more routine matters by phone when possible. However, complex situations like yours involving foreign work credits should qualify for an in-person appointment. I'd recommend calling back and specifically mentioning that your case involves international work history that needs to be reviewed in person. Ask to speak with a supervisor if the representative still says no in-person appointments are available. The policy varies by office and current staffing levels, but they absolutely do still offer in-person appointments for situations that warrant it.

THEY DO THIS ON PURPOSE to reduce foot traffic in offices!!! I had the SAME ISSUE trying to fix my husband's Medicare Part B enrollment. Called 5 times and kept getting told "phone appointment only" which is RIDICULOUS when you have complex paperwork. Finally I demanded to speak to a manager and magically an in-person slot opened up. The system is DESIGNED to frustrate people into giving up. DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!!

The current policy (as of 2025) is that SSA offices do offer in-person appointments, but they're triaging cases based on complexity and need. For retirement applications with international components, you should definitely qualify for an in-person appointment. When you call back, specifically mention: 1. You have foreign work credits that need to be evaluated 2. There are complexities related to a previous marriage affecting benefits 3. You need to see forms and calculations in person to understand your options Those factors should help you get an in-person appointment. If not, request to speak with the technical expert or operations supervisor.

i went 2 weeks ago walked right in no appointment needed waited like 3 hrs tho

I struggled with the same issue trying to file for survivor benefits after my wife passed. Called 18 times over 3 weeks and couldn't get through or schedule an appointment. After trying everything, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach a live person at SSA without the endless busy signals and waiting. Got through in minutes and was able to explain why I needed an in-person appointment rather than phone. They set one up for the following week! Check out their demo video if you're curious how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration.

my mom just went through this last month! she kept insisting and eventually got an in-person appointment. said the key was mentioning her 'complex case requiring document review' and that she had hearing problems making phone appointments difficult. maybe try those angles?

I wanted to follow up with some additional information. SSA's current appointment policy actually varies by field office and depends on their staffing levels and local COVID protocols. Even within the same state, one office might be fully open for walk-ins while another is severely limiting in-person appointments. Your best approach is to: 1. Call the national number (1-800-772-1213) rather than your local office 2. Explain that you need an in-person appointment specifically for international work credits 3. If denied, ask which nearby offices might have more in-person availability Some people have better luck with offices in smaller towns rather than major metropolitan areas, if that's an option for you.

did u try just showing up? sometimes thats easier then the phone runaround

UPDATE: I called back this morning and specifically mentioned my international work history and previous marriage complicating my application. The second representative was much more helpful and said that while they're limiting in-person appointments, my situation does qualify. I have an appointment scheduled for next Thursday! Thanks everyone for your advice - especially the tip to specifically mention the complexity of my case rather than just asking for an in-person appointment generally.

Congratulations on getting your appointment! This is such a helpful thread - it really shows how important it is to be persistent and specific about why you need in-person service. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, it sounds like the key is to clearly explain the complexity of your case (international work history, multiple marriages, etc.) rather than just requesting an in-person appointment without context. The representatives need to understand why a phone call won't suffice for your particular situation. Good luck with your appointment next Thursday!

Great outcome! This thread is really helpful for others facing the same issue. I'm dealing with a similar situation - trying to get clarity on my disability benefits with some complicated medical documentation. Based on what I've read here, I'm going to call the national number and be very specific about why I need an in-person appointment rather than just asking for one generally. It's frustrating that it seems to depend so much on which representative you get, but at least now I know to be persistent and ask for a supervisor if needed. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences!

This is such a valuable thread for anyone struggling with SSA appointment scheduling! I'm a new member here and have been lurking for a while, but this discussion convinced me to finally join and share. I'm planning to apply for spousal benefits next month and was dreading the phone appointment process after hearing horror stories from friends. Reading through everyone's experiences here has given me a clear roadmap: call the national number, be specific about any complexities in my case, and don't give up if the first representative says no. It's really encouraging to see that persistence pays off and that in-person appointments are still available for those who truly need them. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences - this community is such a helpful resource!

Welcome to the community, everyone! As someone who recently navigated a similar situation with SSA appointments, I wanted to add that timing can also make a difference. I found that calling early in the morning (right when they open at 8 AM) or later in the afternoon seemed to connect me with more experienced representatives who were better informed about when in-person appointments are appropriate. Also, if you're dealing with international work credits like the original poster, it's worth mentioning that you may need to review foreign documentation that's difficult to discuss over the phone. The SSA representatives I spoke with seemed to understand that visual review of international documents often requires an in-person meeting. Great job getting your appointment scheduled, Reina!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm actually dealing with a very similar situation - I need to apply for retirement benefits and have both foreign work credits from when I lived in Canada for several years, plus a previous marriage that ended in divorce. I was planning to just accept a phone appointment because I assumed that was all that was available, but reading through everyone's experiences here has shown me that I should definitely push for an in-person meeting. The specific talking points that Jake and others provided are gold - mentioning the international work credits, complexity of previous marriage affecting benefits, and need to review documents in person. I'm going to call the national number tomorrow morning right at 8 AM as Olivia suggested. It's so reassuring to see that Reina was ultimately successful in getting her appointment! This community really is a fantastic resource for navigating the SSA system. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences - it's made such a difference in how I approach my own situation.

As someone new to this community, I just wanted to thank everyone for such a comprehensive discussion! I'm facing a similar situation where I need to discuss my disability benefits transition to retirement benefits, and I was also told "phone appointments only" when I called last week. Reading through all the advice here - especially about being specific regarding case complexity and calling the national number rather than local offices - has given me a much clearer strategy. It's encouraging to see that persistence really does work and that in-person appointments are still available for legitimate complex cases. I'm planning to call back tomorrow and specifically mention that my case involves coordinating disability and retirement benefits with some medical documentation that needs visual review. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread should be bookmarked for anyone dealing with SSA appointment issues!

As a new community member, I wanted to add my recent experience to this incredibly helpful thread! I had a very similar situation just two weeks ago - needed to discuss survivor benefits with some international work complications from my late husband's career overseas. Like many others here, I was initially told "phone appointments only" when I called my local office. After reading advice similar to what's been shared here, I called the national number (1-800-772-1213) and was very specific about needing to review foreign pension documentation and coordinate multiple benefit types. The representative immediately understood why this required an in-person meeting and scheduled me for the following week. What really helped was having my documentation list ready when I called - I could specifically mention "coordination of survivor benefits with foreign pension records that require visual verification." The key seems to be painting a clear picture of why your case needs that face-to-face review rather than just requesting an in-person appointment without context. For anyone still struggling with this, don't give up! The appointments are definitely available for complex cases - you just need to reach the right representative and clearly articulate your specific needs. This community's advice has been spot-on in my experience.

This thread has been incredibly enlightening! As a new member dealing with my own SSA appointment challenges, I wanted to share what I learned from everyone's experiences here. I was initially frustrated when told "phone only" for my retirement application that involves some military service complications, but reading through all these success stories gave me the roadmap I needed. The key takeaways that really helped me: 1. Call the national number (1-800-772-1213) instead of local offices 2. Be very specific about WHY you need in-person service - don't just ask for it generally 3. Have your documentation list ready to explain complexities 4. Call early morning (8 AM) for more experienced representatives 5. Don't accept the first "no" - ask for supervisors if needed I called yesterday using these strategies and got an appointment for next week! Specifically mentioning "military service credit calculations requiring document review" seemed to immediately click with the representative. This community's collective wisdom really works - thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping newcomers navigate this process successfully!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where I need to apply for spousal benefits, but my case involves some complexities with a previous marriage and self-employment income that I was told would be "too complicated for phone review." Initially, I was discouraged when my local office said they weren't scheduling in-person appointments, but reading through all these success stories has given me so much hope and a clear action plan. The strategies everyone has shared - especially calling the national number at 8 AM, being very specific about case complexities, and having documentation details ready - seem to be the winning formula. I'm planning to call tomorrow morning and specifically mention "spousal benefits coordination with previous marriage records and self-employment income verification requiring document review." It's so reassuring to see that persistence really does pay off and that there are still knowledgeable representatives who understand when cases genuinely need face-to-face consultation. This thread should honestly be pinned as a resource for anyone struggling with SSA appointment scheduling! Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive community for navigating these challenges.

As a new community member, I'm so grateful to have found this incredibly informative discussion! I've been struggling with a similar SSA appointment issue for weeks now. I need to discuss my retirement benefits application, which involves some complications from a period when I worked as an independent contractor overseas and also have some gaps in my work history due to caring for elderly parents. Every time I've called my local office, I get the same "phone appointments only" response, which has been so frustrating because I know my situation needs more detailed review than what can be handled over a phone call. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been eye-opening - I had no idea about calling the national number instead of the local office, or about being so specific regarding the complexities of my case. I'm planning to call the national number tomorrow morning right at 8 AM and specifically mention "retirement benefits application involving overseas independent contractor work and employment gaps requiring documentation verification." Based on all the success stories shared here, I feel much more confident that I'll be able to get the in-person appointment I need. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and proving that persistence and the right approach really do work!

As a new community member, I wanted to add my recent experience to this excellent discussion! I just went through a very similar situation last month when trying to schedule an appointment for my disability benefits review. Like many others here, I was initially told "phone appointments only" by my local office, which was frustrating since my case involves multiple medical conditions and a lot of documentation that really needed to be reviewed in person. After reading advice similar to what's been shared in this thread, I called the national number (1-800-772-1213) early in the morning and was very specific about my needs. I explained that I had "disability benefits review requiring coordination of multiple medical records and treatment documentation that needs visual verification." The representative immediately understood and scheduled me for an in-person appointment within two weeks. What really made the difference was being prepared with specific details about WHY I needed face-to-face service, rather than just requesting it generally. Having my list of medical providers and documentation types ready when I called seemed to help the representative understand the complexity involved. For anyone still struggling with this issue, the strategies shared here really do work - call the national number, be specific about your complexities, and don't give up if the first person says no. This community's advice is spot-on!

As a new community member, I'm so thankful to have found this incredibly comprehensive discussion! I've been dealing with a similar SSA appointment issue for the past month and was feeling really discouraged until I read through all these success stories and strategies. My situation involves applying for retirement benefits, but I have complications from working for a multinational company where I split time between the US and several international locations, plus I have some periods where I was receiving temporary disability that need to be factored into my benefit calculations. Every time I've called my local SSA office, I get the standard "we only do phone appointments now" response, which has been so frustrating because I know my case is too complex for a phone consultation. After reading all the excellent advice shared here, I have a clear plan: I'm going to call the national number (1-800-772-1213) first thing tomorrow morning at 8 AM and specifically explain that I need "retirement benefits application involving multinational employment records and disability benefit coordination requiring document verification and visual review." Based on everyone's experiences, I'm confident this approach will work much better than my previous generic requests for in-person appointments. This thread has been an absolute goldmine of practical strategies and real success stories. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and proving that with persistence and the right approach, it's definitely possible to get the in-person service we need for complex cases!