New Social Security Office Opens in Mall

The Social Security office formerly situated in North Hollywood reopens today in a new Studio City location at 11239 Ventura Blvd., Suite 216.

The move was prompted by the expiration of the Social Security office’s lease at a site near the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue, said Janice Shanahan, the branch manager for the federal Social Security Agency.

The new office, located in a shopping mall, is easily accessible by public transportation. There is an MTA bus stop within the same block as the office, and the mall offers ample covered parking. The office is accessible by elevator and escalator.

“We wanted something accessible to the public, and Ventura Boulevard is certainly a well-known, accessible thoroughfare, Shanahan said.

The Studio City office will provide the same services as did the North Hollywood office, including the processing of applications for Social Security numbers, Medicare and claims for retirement, disability or survivor benefits; and the administration of the Supplemental Security Income program, a needs-based program for people older than 65, the disabled and the blind.

The office serves about 20,000 Social Security clients and about 7,000 SSI clients who live in the communities of North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Universal City and Valley Village, Shanahan said. Office hours remain the same: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

For information, call (800) 772-1213 weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.