Social Security office closing

RUMFORD -- The Social Security office located on Canal Street is closing.

This Thursday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will consolidate the Auburn and Rumford Social Security offices into the Auburn office’s current location at 600 Turner St., Suite 5, in Auburn.

Recent budgetary constraints and reductions in staffing have forced the change, but residents who wish to conduct business with SSA will have several options available to them.

These include:

Live in-person contact with SSAs Auburn office through SSAs Video Service Delivery System, from the Rumford Public Library, by appointment only Mondays at 9:15 and 11 a.m., and for walk-ins only from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays. For video service questions, call 866-627-6996.

Rumford is the first in New England to provide a “face-to-face” Video Service Delivery (VSD) to social security recipients.

The SSA footed the bill on the newly developed space in the community room, accessible down the ramp from the parking lot. Residents can now visit the Rumford Public Library and do their business through the video conference.

Of the 53 million people in the United States with social security benefits, approximately 300,000 of those are Maine residents. The project is meant to help those beneficiaries access and update their information without traveling to the nearest office in Auburn. Saving both valuable time and money.

Accessing the agency’s newly redesigned website at: www.socialsecurity.gov, using the national, toll-free telephone number, 1-800-772-1213, or visiting or calling other offices in the State of Maine.