Higgins, New York colleagues call on Social Security Administration to reconsider New York field office closings

Congressman Brian Higgins and his New York colleagues in Congress, congressmen Dan Maffei and José Serrano, wrote a letter to the Social Security Administration opposing the proposed closure of four New York Social Security field offices in Amherst, Bronx Hub, Kingston and Williamsburg.

"The need for the Amherst Social Security office is critical," Higgins said. "I urge the Social Security Administration to take the specialized needs of our community members into account and realize the devastating effect that a closure would have."

In their letter, the members urged Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin to reconsider these proposed closings. They also asked for further information about the processes used to identify field offices for closure.

The members suggest the additional $11.7 billion allocated to the Social Security Administration in the fiscal year 2014 omnibus appropriations bill remove the need for field office closures.

Higgins has been a vocal advocate for keeping the Amherst Social Security field office open since the announcement of the proposed closure. He has stood with impacted communities to raise awareness for the pressing need for the local office. He has also introducedH.R. 3997, the Social Security Administration Accountability Act, which would require Social Security Administration provide adequate justification before closing any field offices.