Maintain Access to Vital Social Security Services Act of 2026

Protect in-person Social Security access

If enacted, the Social Security Administration (SSA) would have to keep enough field offices open and staff them to meet current and expected workloads. SSA would have to keep posted hours and minimize wait times, and each field office could not have fewer staff than it had on January 1, 2025. SSA would generally be barred from closing, consolidating, ending a lease, or otherwise reducing in-person services unless it follows new public procedures: at least 180 days public and congressional notice, mail and local postings, and at least two public hearings held 30 to 120 days after notice. SSA would have to post written comments, publish a report at least 15 days before the action, and the Inspector General would have to review health-and-safety claims and confirm legal compliance before the change could take effect. The bill would also require the Social Security Advisory Board to consider effects on people with disabilities, people with language barriers, and other vulnerable groups. These procedural rules would not apply during a declared public health emergency.