Increased Services for Orange County Seniors

NEWBURGH – It was last year when the federal government quietly closed the Newburgh Social Security Office and moved the operations some 25 miles away in the Town of Wallkill.

On Monday afternoon, Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) rallied at the site of the former Newburgh facility with a number of local officials, clergy and others to call for an office to be re-established in eastern Orange County.

Closing the Newburgh office caused damage to those who need the services, he said. “Seniors deserve to feel secure in their retirement – and they deserve a Social Security Administration that helps them access their benefits more easily, not one that puts up additional roadblocks.”

“Caring for the elderly isn’t just a religious value. It’s definitely not a partisan value. It is a moral imperative, fundamental to who we are as sons, daughters, humans, and Americans,” said Bishop Jeffrey Woody.

“Social Security is a solemn contract between the American people and their government. It is not an entitlement. Social Security is paid to workers who have contributed their whole lives,” said State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D, Newburgh) “With all of the internet fraud, we can’t expect people to make their most important financial decisions online. We need the Newburgh office reopened, so that recipients can be assured that they will receive their hard-earned benefits. This administration is making it harder for people to get those benefits.”

“When the office moved… I had to pay 65$ for my first trip to the Social Security Office!,” said Deborah Danzy, Senior Advocate. “If I don’t go to Middletown, I have to go online to get my paperwork, but the website is not something that can be easily navigated for myself and those I know. You have to make a special appointment in advance with the bus service, a huge burden on seniors just trying to access their benefits. Not to mention the fact that many people cannot physically get across the county – they shouldn’t have to. An increase in Social security presence in Newburgh isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential to countless people in our community.”