(KLZA)-- Missouri District 6 Congressman Sam Graves said in a release last week that it is time for Social Security Administration  Field Offices to reopen.

For over a year and a half, senior citizens who showed up expecting help at their local Social Security office have been met with a “CLOSED” sign. When COVID-19 hit, the Social Security Administration, like the rest of the world, shut their doors to the public. The problem was that they never reopened. 

More than 1,000 Social Security Administration Field Offices are dotted across the country, giving seniors a place to go when they have trouble getting the benefits they've earned through the program.  

When those offices closed their doors to America's seniors in March 2020, everyone was pushed to relay their problems over the phone, through email or mail. Graves said that just doesn't work for everyone. It's not the same.

The Congressman notes that for one, not every senior has a phone, an email address, and some don't even have a physical address to pick up their mail. Our seniors also don’t deserve endless wait times on the phone. Not to mention, many seniors would rather just sit down and have a face-to-face conversation about their issue with the program. On top of that, no one should have to mail in sensitive documents if they don’t want to.

Now, the Social Security Administration says they will meet in-person in “limited, critical situations.” However, there’s very little that qualifies under that definition. 

Graves has  joined with several colleagues to call on the Social Security Administration and the federal government employees' union to come up with a plan to safely get these offices fully open again.