Social Security Administration has my FIVE BIG STARS. If I didn't pay into Social Security all my…read moreworking years I wouldn't be able to live here in Manhattan! What I paid from my paycheck is a fraction of what I have gained in income since I was eligible to receive Social Security Benefits. Social Security has really tightened up the online website. If you are not tech savvy I feel sorry for you. I've learned a lot about my benefits and get my annual income statement. I definitely pay taxes on my Social Security you know! I'm writing this for everyone to be reminded about the scams. Attached is the information sheet SSA asked us to share. In these days of information overload we must stay focused and mindful of every email, text, and phone call. I hope this information from your Yelper Helper is beneficial for you either now or in the future. I'm sure if you are working you're looking forward to retirement!

special thank you to alla .... we called social security 800# on friday and was met with extremely…read morethoughtful and personable customer service. the kind of customer service that is hard to find these days. i cannot say thank you enough!!!! she helped me help my sister that does not get around easily these days. thank you so much alla

I came to this SSA office two days in a row, and everything went very smoothly. Security and staff…read morewere polite and helpful. They explained what to do, and everything was easy. Thank you!

It is hit or miss on who you get and how you are helped…read more Unfortunately sometimes we have no choice and must deal with these bureaucracies !!!!

I feel bad if you have to frequent this place…read more It's very hard to get things done at this office, everyone is grumpy and there's always an extra form you didn't fill out. Even if you call ahead and specifically ask about certain programs like SNAP, something will still be wrong. Parking is impossible and there's always someone peddling a free phone or some other unwanted product out front. If you can, avoid at all costs.

I am both happy and sad. Sad that I no matter how hard I try…read moreI cannot get any food-stamps. Apparently due to me having a job I can not qualify for free food OK even though I am currently working I Still get hungry and the thought of free food is appealing Happy because in New York City ID CARD gives the opportunity to go to museum botanical garden zoos and much much more for absolutely no cost it is a card everyone can use and a price we can all afford FREE

It was great very fast no time to wait the people who work there was very nice very friendly very…read moreprofessional they cheated me with respect and I gave them much respect and also they took care of my issue and opened up my case and a couple of weeks later I got my money so yes I'm very happy with that office

I live out of state and with the way our advanced technology is at present time I was unable to…read morereach a live person. I also left a message on their phone system which I never received a call back. I expected a little more from New York.

This place is a government facility and everything is done and performed by a ticketing system,…read morewhich sucks so much. Luckily this place doesn't need any appointments. The bad thing is you need to wait a long time and almost every chair is occupied. It's very crowded. The ticket numbers are called out randomly and not in order so you don't even know when it is your turn. Luckily there are many TV screens at different angles calling the ticket numbers or else people forget their turn and prevents people from moving their heads. When my number was called, I had to put my ticket number inside the basket next to the window. There was no electronic credit card merchant device outside the window. I had to pay using my credit card. I did not know that they were going to print out the birth certificates and was surprised that they handed me 2 copies. They looked really different than the version I had when I was born. Now they are pink and blue compared to my pink form I originally had.

Not going to bother creating a new listing for jury duty, so just pretend this is for Cadman Plaza…read morelocation. Had jury duty here twice, and it was pretty straightforward. The lady running things Melissa was amazing. Both days, I was only there for a few hours. You don't actually have to get there at 8:30 cuz they don't start on time. They do take away your phone though, so bring a book.

Forget education,* the security line to get into jury duty is The Great Equalizer. Sure, any given…read moresubway car or city block will inevitably be pretty diverse in NYC, but EVERYONE has to show up for jury duty, and everyone has to endure the shockingly inefficient security line. You get the bankers that are rich enough to have a driver take them to work, so they never have to go underground with us peasants. You get the filthy hoarders that haven't left their apartment in half a decade because they can get literally everything delivered to them. And you get all the people in between who are at once terrified they'll be selected for a trial, and also kind of intrigued by the process and secretly hoping to find out what their employer will do if they have to be out for three weeks. We all have to do our civic duty. But other than the interminable security line, and the muffled microphone** they use half the time, this is a fairly painless experience. There's plenty of seating, wi-fi, and...actually, that's pretty much all I need. If my jackass colleagues*** also had jury duty, this would've been indistinguishable from a day in my office. Perhaps it's also that I have great luck when it comes to jury duty. I've never had to stay longer than one day, and I've never even been chosen as a potential juror, let alone put on a trial. For once, having a face no one wants to look at pays off. I hope you are as ugly as I am, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. ____________ *Please don't actually forget education. It's pretty important. **I'm a native English speaker and I have trouble understanding what's happening. I worry for others. ***I'm just seeing if they actually read my reviews. Jackasses.

BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE. IMPOSSIBLE TO FILE, IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH, ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY…read more The Contact Center is unreachable. Emma chatbot is useless. The phone system is a maze designed to prevent human contact. No email support. No accountability. I attempted to file my visa online as USCIS encourages. Their system requires an "Online Access Code" that was never provided to me. I submitted a service request asking for the code. USCIS response: "We are not able to provide the information you have requested. It is not clear that you are the applicant." I AM THE APPLICANT, The beneficiary. MY immigration case. MY visa. MY legal status. I submitted proof of being the applicant along with passport and details. And USCIS tells me they cannot confirm I have "any action pending" - while I'm holding their own notice with my name on it. Their response literally says "This mailbox is not monitored for incoming messages. Please do not reply." So I cannot file online because they never sent me access codes. I cannot get help because they claim they cannot verify I am myself. I cannot reply to their message. And when I mailed my response via FedEx, their building was marked "closed" by the carrier even though federal offices operate normal business hours. USCIS collects $2,840 in fees (filing + fraud prevention + premium processing) then makes it impossible to actually complete filings. They create bureaucratic obstacles at every step, provide no support when issues arise, and hide behind Privacy Act excuses when you try to resolve problems with YOUR OWN CASE. This agency serves no one. They collect fees, create obstacles, and blame applicants for systemic failures.

Four stars because it wasn't open until 10 am so we have to wait outside, it's an easy process,…read morejust fill your form at home, keep your form at hand and an ID when you're inside.

Wow, this IS the worst office ever- they're even rude and unresourceful over the phone!!!?!?!read more

This is a pretty good office. Like any other local Social Security office, they are of course…read moreoverwhelmed. But Ms. Watson and Ms. Batista have been nothing but pleasant when I have called and have given me the information I have requested when they can access it. Mr. Bradshaw, the manager, can be difficult to reach. In one case, in a 3 month period I left him 7 voicemails, 1 message with his colleague for him to call me and sent 2 faxes requesting he contact me with no success. But when you do get ahold of him, he is relatively helpful. Overall, probably one of the better offices.

Ist timer, walked in to a clean, bright and orderly office, before being professionally and warmly…read moregreeted by a jubilant front desk staff member, who in between helping me print out the appropriate ticket and section, assured me I would be out in less than ten minutes, and he was right!!! Ms. Monroe, and her associate, Mr. Ko, worked efficiently and effectively to answer my questions and review my documentation, turning what seemed like a complex issue into a simple form. They clearly knew how to navigate their systems, and constantly communicated with one another to ensure a seamless process. Best governmental experience in NYC ever - other agencies should take note.

Racist workers. I came here with my mother to inquire about…read morea SNAP balance issue. The woman at the counter was not only rude, but because I came to translate for my mother, she said to me, "Quickly! Tell me what she is saying, I don't have all day. There are other people waiting." I noticed that she was quite friendly to the woman who was there before me (probably because they were the same ethnicity), but was quite rude to me and my mother. She spent roughly 10 minutes speaking to the previous customer but started rushing me to translate while interrupting my mother about 4 minutes into handling our case. I think there is definitely racism going on in here. She refused to look at my mother's case past 3 months and mentioned "You should have came earlier. I won't look at something in the past. Just call 311 if you want this looked at." Needless to say, we left without resolving anything.