Editor:

The Rock Springs federal Social Security office was scheduled to be closed in June based on information provided on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website. It was recently determined that the claim is inaccurate or reversed due to public reaction.

In addition, some phone services will be reduced, while others will be discontinued by the end of or mid-April.

During Evanston’s town hall (held March 14, and reported in the March 19 Uinta County Herald), U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman raved about saving the U.S. Post Office processing centers located in Wyoming

She also assured us that our small number of federal Social Security offices will remain. Please recall that the last question she received from the audience at Evanston town hall pertained to the availability of Social Security services.

Let me state clearly: Curtailing telecommunication services and eliminating Rock Spring Social Security office as first reported by DOGE will harm a substantial number of Wyomingites.

With Hageman’s allegiance to DOGE, even when their actions are fraught with costly errors with little verified cost savings, Hageman will be linked to the obstruction of Wyomingites from receiving their rightful benefits.

Interesting … I can write a letter and have it received in the mail within five days but may not be able to apply and receive my earned Social Security benefits in a timely manner — if at all.

In Wyoming, Social Security beneficiaries are mostly elderly with limited mobility and antiquated internet, computer resources and skills. Thus, enough locations and telecommunications are imperative to provide an effective service to support the existing Wyoming demographics.

An effective operation of a government agency (or business) must invest in sufficient resources to successfully complete the organization’s mission in an efficient and effective manner. The activity usually has a technical and administrative professional staff.

The number and function are depending on the activity; for example, an automotive repair shop has mostly mechanics but also employs at least one administrative personnel, such as an accountant, to address customer invoices and payments and required legal and tax obligations.

A Social Security office has more administrative staff, which understands the regulatory obligations of the service. They possess written, oral, computer communication skills to address the needs along with enough locations. They understand the regulatory infrastructure that is necessary to collect and analyze data to determine the level of the Social Security benefits that people have earned.

Effective communication requires skills in person, via phone and online. Access to the internet, modern computers and software is essential but lacking in rural Wyoming. The implementation of these skills depends on the clients’ circumstances.

I urge Wyomingites and the state’s congressional offices to oppose the elimination of these resources and better protect our citizens from Washington, D.C. chaos.

David M. Slaughter

Evanston