The Nation - News from March 1, 1985

The Department of Health and Human Services is quietly circulating a proposal that could result in the closing of more than half of the nation’s 1,340 Social Security field offices, Rep. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles) said. The field offices represent the first line of contact for most Social Security recipients and are the places where they apply for benefits or arrange for changes. But Social Security Administration spokesman James Brown said that the proposal is just part of a plan to look at Social Security’s “overall service to the public.”