Social Security workers say the shutdown has them unable to help with benefit letters

Employees at Social Security field offices say the government shutdown has left them unable to carry out an important service for some recipients.

While the agency continues to disburse retirement and disability benefits, workers say they are unable to provide benefit verification letters to people calling in to request them.

These official letters act as a sort of income verification and are therefore key to obtaining aid like housing assistance, fuel assistance and help from nonprofits.

"Not only do people need these letters when they apply for those benefits, but they also often need to recertify to prove that they continue to have an eligible income level, and it often happens on a deadline," says Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on