Social Security Video Appointments

What a Social Security Video Appointment Is

A social security video appointment is a live meeting with SSA staff over a screen. You see the person helping you, they can see you, and the business gets done without a trip to a field office.

SSA runs video service in two quite different ways, and it helps to know which one you’re asking for:

• Video from home. SSA calls this Social Security Video Connect. You use your own computer, tablet or smartphone, wherever you choose, and join through Microsoft Teams.
• Video at a partner site. SSA places video equipment in community locations it calls video service delivery (VSD) sites. You go to the site, sit at the screen, and an SSA employee in a field office handles your business remotely.

A third kind of video, for disability and other appeals, happens before a judge. It has its own rules, covered further down.

SSA says it has offered video service in its offices and at partner locations for more than ten years. The goal is to reach people who may not have easy access to a local office, a telephone or the internet.

Who Video Appointments Suit Best

Video is worth asking about if the nearest office is a long drive away, if travel is hard because of a disability, or if you care for someone and can’t spare half a day in a waiting room.

SSA describes its video service delivery centers as a way to make service more accessible in rural and reservation communities. SSA’s list of 90 video service sites reflects that, with tribal offices, health centers and small-town agencies among them. Examples from SSA’s own list include the Confederated Tribes of Siletz in Oregon, Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico, the Kickapoo site in McLoud, Oklahoma, Wind River Health Center in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, and the Alaska Aging and Disability Resource Center in Wasilla.

Other sites serve people who may lack a stable address or phone. In Houston, for example, SSA’s list includes a VA homelessness center and Healthcare for the Homeless. Senior centers and public libraries appear too, such as Tooele Senior Center in Utah and Norwalk Public Library in Connecticut.

Video from home suits anyone with a working camera and a quiet spot. It removes travel entirely, which matters most for people with limited mobility or a long commute to their office.

What You Can Handle by Video

When SSA announced Social Security Video Connect in May 2024, it listed these tasks:

• no-change replacement Social Security cards (U.S. citizens only);
• date of birth corrections (U.S. citizens only);
• benefit applications;
• redeterminations;
• overpayments;
• Medicare.

Even within that list, SSA decides case by case. When you ask for video, the representative judges whether it fits your situation. If it doesn’t, SSA will offer a phone interview or an office visit instead. The site’s do I need to visit an office tool helps you sort that out before you call.

How to Ask for a Video Appointment

Video appointments are booked through the same channels as any other appointment. There is no separate online booking form.

1. Call. Contact your local Social Security office, or call SSA’s national line at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). SSA lists the national line’s hours as 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
2. Say you want video. Tell the representative what you need done and that you’d like a video appointment. If you want to use a partner VSD site rather than your own device, say which site.
3. Give your contact details. For a home video appointment, SSA asks for your email address and phone number.
4. Watch for the link. SSA emails you a Microsoft Teams meeting link.
5. Join on time. At the appointment time, open the link SSA sent and connect.
6. If something breaks, such as Teams not loading or a schedule change, contact your local office or call the national line to fix or rebook it.

Not sure which office is yours? The office lookup by ZIP code shows the field office assigned to your address. The appointment guide covers booking in general.

What to Have Ready

• A computer, tablet or smartphone with a webcam and internet access, if you’re joining from home.
• A private, quiet room, so you can talk about personal details.
• The paperwork for your task, close at hand. Ask what to have ready when you book.
• Your phone nearby, in case the representative needs to call you if the video drops.

Video, Phone and In-Person Appointments Compared

	Video from home (Video Connect)	Video at a partner VSD site	Phone appointment	In-person at a field office
Where you are	Anywhere private you choose	A tribal office, senior center, library or other partner site	Anywhere with your phone	One of 1,231 SSA offices
What you need	Device with a webcam and internet	A way to get to the site	A phone	Travel time and any documents
How you book	Call your office or SSA’s national line	Call your office; ask about video options	Call your office or SSA’s national line	Call your office or SSA’s national line
Who you see	SSA staff on your screen	SSA staff on the site’s screen	No one; voice only	SSA staff at the counter
Best for	People with a camera who want to skip travel	Rural areas, reservations, people without home internet	Short tasks you can handle by voice	Tasks SSA says need a visit

The table shows the trade-off. Video gives you a face-to-face conversation without the drive. Phone is simplest when your task is short. An office visit is the fallback when the representative says video or phone won’t work for your task.

Finding a Video Service Site Near You

SSA publishes its list of VSD sites as open data, in the same release as its field offices and resident stations. That list was updated March 9, 2026. SSA also points people to an interactive map on ssa.gov to find a VSD site.

On this site, every office page lists up to three of those video sites within about 60 miles, when any exist. A few examples:

• The Yreka, California office page shows a video site at the Klamath Falls DHS office across the Oregon line.
• The Whiteville, North Carolina office page shows two sites in Myrtle Beach, at Palmetto Goodwill and New Directions.
• The Angleton, Texas office page shows three Houston sites, including the VA Homelessness Center.
• The Peekskill, New York office page shows Norwalk Public Library and Bristol Senior Center.
• The Villa Rica, Georgia office page shows a Salvation Army site in Atlanta.

VSD sites belong to partner organizations, not to SSA. Before you travel, call your local office and confirm the site can host your appointment.

SSA also says tribal and community service locations can now use Microsoft Teams on their own equipment to connect people with SSA staff. If you work for one of these organizations, your local Social Security office handles questions about becoming a video partner.

Video Hearings for Appeals

If you’ve appealed a denied claim and asked for a hearing before an administrative law judge, video is one of four ways to attend. SSA’s hearing pages list them as in person, by audio over the phone, by agency video, and by online video. A federal rule made all four standard options on November 23, 2024.

Agency Video Hearings

You go to an SSA site, and the judge appears on a monitor from somewhere else. The site may be a hearing office or another SSA building, such as a local field office. SSA says agency video locations may be closer to you than a hearing office.

After you request a hearing, SSA mails a “Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing.” If you don’t want agency video, return form HA-55 within 30 days. If you don’t, SSA may schedule you by agency video. SSA sends the notice with the time and place at least 75 days before the hearing date. If you must travel more than 75 miles to a hearing office, SSA can reimburse certain costs.

Online Video Hearings

You join from any private place with a secure internet connection, using a camera-enabled phone, tablet or computer, through Microsoft Teams. You see the judge, and your representative if you have one. Medical experts, vocational experts and interpreters join by phone.

Online video works the other way round from agency video: SSA schedules it only if you agree in writing within 30 days of the notice. If you miss the deadline, SSA extends it when you show good cause. You can withdraw your agreement any time before the hearing starts. If you object to both phone and agency video and don’t agree to online video, SSA schedules you in person.

Your hearing office is named on your field office’s page. Some cover wide territories, where agency or online video can spare you a long trip: the Billings, Montana hearing office serves 18 field offices and the Fargo, North Dakota hearing office serves 12. Browse all 168 on the hearing office directory, or read the hearing office and appeals guide for the full appeal path.

Keep Your Video Appointment Safe From Scams

Scammers copy SSA’s name, use real employee names and send official-looking pictures. A fake “video appointment” invitation is an easy hook.

• SSA says it never asks for sensitive information through social media, email or text. Treat any unexpected message asking for your Social Security number or bank details as a red flag, even if it mentions an appointment.
• Only use a Teams link for an appointment you booked yourself through your office or the national line.
• Anyone who pressures you to act fast or asks for gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or cash is not SSA.
• If you doubt a message, hang up or ignore it, then call your local office using the number on its office page or the office finder by ZIP code. Report scams to SSA’s Office of the Inspector General.

If your office has closed or moved and you’re weighing video instead, see the guide to what to do when an office closes or moves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need a Webcam for Social Security Video Connect?

Yes. SSA asks for a computer, tablet or smartphone with a webcam and internet access. A phone with a front camera works.

Does SSA Email the Video Link?

Yes. When you choose a video appointment, SSA asks for your email address and phone number and then emails you a Microsoft Teams link. Use only the link SSA sent for the appointment you booked.

Can a Representative or Family Member Join My Video Hearing?

Your appointed representative, if you have one, can join an online video hearing from a separate location. Witnesses you bring to an agency video hearing sit with you at the hearing site.

Is an Interpreter Free at a Video Hearing?

Yes. SSA provides interpreters free of charge, including American Sign Language. Contact your hearing office and say which language you need. At online video hearings, interpreters join by phone. See the interpreter and accessibility guide for field office visits.

Can I Change My Mind About an Online Video Hearing?

Yes. You can withdraw your agreement to appear by online video at any time before the hearing starts.

Will SSA Ever Ask Me to Pay to Book a Video Appointment?

No. Appointments with SSA are free. Anyone who asks for gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or cash to arrange a meeting is showing the signs of a scam that SSA warns about.

Keep Reading

• Make an AppointmentHow to schedule an office or phone appointment with SSA and what to have ready
• Office Closed or MovedHow to find the office that serves you now after a closure, move or emergency closing
• Hearing Offices and AppealsThe appeal steps that lead to a hearing and how SSA's hearing offices work
• Card CentersWhat SSA's card centers handle, where they are and when to use a regular office
• Interpreters and AccessibilityFree interpreter services, sign language and accessibility help SSA provides
• Office Security RulesThe security screening at SSA offices and what you can and can't bring in

Sources

1. SSA Blog: Social Security Video Connect, Connect with Us from Anywhere (May 21, 2024)
2. SSA: Social Security Expands Video Services to Tribal and Community Service Locations (September 22, 2023)
3. SSA: American Indians and Alaska Natives
4. SSA Open Data: Field Office, Resident Station, and VSD Site Information
5. SSA: Ways to Attend Your Social Security Hearing Before a Judge
6. SSA: Online Video Hearings
7. SSA: Agency Video Hearings in SSA Facilities
8. eCFR: 20 CFR 404.936, Time, place, and manner of appearance for a hearing
9. Federal Register: Setting the Manner of Appearance of Parties and Witnesses at Hearings (August 26, 2024)
10. SSA: Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams