Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins is calling out Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek for his total disregard of the people of Westchester County, after Dudek rejected a second offer from the County and US Congressman George Latimer to use County space for the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) White Plains Hearing Office.
Jenkins said: “It’s clear that no matter how reasonable the offer, the Social Security Administration simply doesn’t want a hearing office here in Westchester County. This isn’t about politics or party lines — this is about our parents, grandparents, and most vulnerable friends and neighbors being left with no access to Social Security services when there is a problem. The reality is that traveling to another hearing office an hour or more away, to another county or even another state is a privilege. For those who find travel difficult or impossible, they are being completely shut out by the Social Security Administration. Westchester is the largest County in the Hudson Valley and should have a hearing office.”
Latimer said: “I am deeply disappointed by the response I received from Acting Commissioner Dudek. I am frustrated on behalf of my elderly and disabled constituents. It is clear that this administration has no intention of helping Americans receive benefits they have earned. When the Hearing Office closes on May 31st, Westchester residents will have to travel to New Haven, CT or downtown Manhattan to fight for their rights. Using county space would have saved the federal government money and maintained services here in White Plains. This really is unconscionable and shows how little regard President Trump and his administration have for everyday Americans; we deserve better.”
The current hearing office is set to close on May 31.