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The agency said it's reversing a decision to cut phone services for identity verification after a backlash from seniors.

The agency’s plan to curtail phone services, which was expected to send tens of thousands to its offices each week, had been widely criticized.

The Social Security Administration has backed off on its plans to make more older Americans travel to field offices when they apply for retirement benefits. The agency had planned to require anyone filing for benefits or changing bank account information to verify their identities in person instead of over the phone if they were unable to do so through the agency’s website.

The Social Security Administration reaffirmed its plan to reverse previously announced phone service cuts, telling Americans who benefit from the services that an “anti-fraud check” would be implemented instead.

Public outcry appears to have convinced the agency to abandon a plan that would have required in-person visits for some beneficiaries.

At the last minute, the Social Security Administration has announced it won’t be cutting phone services for seniors—a policy it had previously claimed would go into effect on Monday. Now, the agency has shifted its position,

Spokespeople from the North Dakota branch of AARP say residents can play a role in maintaining and improving Social Security services. They say public outreach to members of Congress helped stop a proposed plan to cut telephone services.