Jenkintown Social Security Office Closing; Congresswoman Appeals Decision
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) - The Social Security Administration says it will close its Jenkintown field office at the end of this month (September 28th), leaving residents of Eastern Montgomery County without a local office, but at least one local lawmaker is hoping to get the decision reversed.
Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz fired off a letter to the Social Security Commissioner in June, asking him to reconsider the decision. The response was not a positive one, but her office is still working to remedy the situation. The administration says closing the office will result in a savings of $2.5 million over 10 years.
"We know that it's an important issue as it relates to the services that the federal government provides to our constituents," says Craig Kwiecinski, Schwartz's district director, "and it's really something that we need to be providing as high a quality of service to our taxpayers as possible."
The administration says a number of services don't require a visit to an office they can be handled by phone or online. Beginning October 1st, a dozen zip codes in eastern Montgomery County will be divided among the Norristown office and offices in northeast Philadelphia and Germantown.
