I have received a number of emails about the now empty Social Security office on Zetterower Avenue. Many of you are concerned that people will not know where to go if they have a Social Security question. I hope today's column will be helpful in addressing some of the concerns that you all may have.
The new Social Security administration building is located on the Brannen Street Extension, just beyond the Citizens Bank building - in the same neighborhood with Chili's Restaurant and Franklin Toyota.
Bobby Nesmith, a spokesman for the Social Security office in Statesboro, said the local division moved to its new location this past August. "Our lease was up in the old building, and we were really experiencing growing pains," NeSmith said. "We needed a bigger facility, so the decision was made to build one."
NeSmith said the organization's new office is much more customer friendly than the one on Zetterower was. "At the old building, we only had two interview windows in which to work with customers," he said. "Now we can serve as many as 14 visitors at one time. That has really reduced the wait time. It is a much smoother operation now, and the new computer check in process is much easier. We have received a lot of very positive feedback."
Interestingly, this is typically the busiest time of the year for our local Social Security office. "You never know how many people you will see in a given day, but it generally ranges from 70 to 160 people or so," he said. "Any number of people could walk through the door."
Nesmith said much of what needs to be done at the Social Security office can be accomplished by the consumer via the organization's website. "Before coming down here, we encourage the customer to go to: www.socialsecuri ty.gov and see if they can do what they need to do before making the trip," he said. "There is a video explaining what you can do online, and a link that takes you to online services as well. It is a very secure website with no risk of identity theft."
The new Social Security administration building is located on the Brannen Street Extension, just beyond the Citizens Bank building - in the same neighborhood with Chili's Restaurant and Franklin Toyota.
Bobby Nesmith, a spokesman for the Social Security office in Statesboro, said the local division moved to its new location this past August. "Our lease was up in the old building, and we were really experiencing growing pains," NeSmith said. "We needed a bigger facility, so the decision was made to build one."
NeSmith said the organization's new office is much more customer friendly than the one on Zetterower was. "At the old building, we only had two interview windows in which to work with customers," he said. "Now we can serve as many as 14 visitors at one time. That has really reduced the wait time. It is a much smoother operation now, and the new computer check in process is much easier. We have received a lot of very positive feedback."
Interestingly, this is typically the busiest time of the year for our local Social Security office. "You never know how many people you will see in a given day, but it generally ranges from 70 to 160 people or so," he said. "Any number of people could walk through the door."
Nesmith said much of what needs to be done at the Social Security office can be accomplished by the consumer via the organization's website. "Before coming down here, we encourage the customer to go to: www.socialsecuri ty.gov and see if they can do what they need to do before making the trip," he said. "There is a video explaining what you can do online, and a link that takes you to online services as well. It is a very secure website with no risk of identity theft."