The Social Security Administration (SSA) clarified on Aug. 1 that a new policy that would have mandated some seniors and others to visit local field offices for routine updates is now optional.

In a post on the SSA website, the agency said that it will be debuting a Security Authentication PIN for account-holders starting in the middle of August, noting that it is “designed to make the identity verification process faster and more secure when calling the National 800 Number to handle your Social Security business.”

Last week, the AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, sent a letter to the SSA’s commissioner and said the change would create a barrier for some retired Americans, individuals with disabilities, and some people who lack a computer or the internet. It estimated that roughly 3.4 million more people would have been forced to go to an SSA field office.

The AARP had said in the letter on July 29, “It is our understanding that beginning August 18th, SSA plans to require additional identity verification procedures for certain transactions that can now be handled over the phone, which may leave many callers unable to complete the process by phone.”

It cited a document filed by the agency in the Federal Registry. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, also was critical, in an article released in late July, of the proposed move to have some people visit field offices for certain changes.

According to the Aug. 1 update, the SSA said that “if you are a my Social Security accountholder, you will have the option to use” the PIN feature. “When you call the National 800 Number, you will be able to use a PIN to authenticate your identity quickly and securely. This will allow Social Security technicians to assist you more efficiently and reduce the time you spend on the phone,” the notice said.

It again stressed that participating in the PIN feature “is completely optional and you will not be required to visit a local field office if you do not have a personal my Social Security account or choose not to use the SAP feature.”

“The call-in customer experience will remain unchanged when this is the case, and you will continue to use the existing identity verification process with full access to our services,” the SSA added.

When contacted by The Epoch Times for additional comment, an SSA spokesperson pointed to the update released by the agency.

“We are encouraging My Social Security accountholders to use the enhanced SAP feature to quickly and securely verify their identity when calling the National 800 Number,” an SSA spokesperson said in a statement. “Beneficiaries and My Social Security accountholders are not required to set up or have a SAP for identity verification or manage their benefits over the phone—when calling the National 800 Number, they will continue to use the existing identity verification process.”

More than 68 million people receive Social Security benefits, according to data released by the agency for last year.

Meanwhile, a survey recently released by AARP shows that more and more retirees are leaning heavily on the monthly payments. The group found that about 65 percent of retired Americans say they “rely substantially on Social Security” when compared with 21 percent who say they “rely on it somewhat.”