I got an email from the Social Security Administration today.

[TygrBright]

13. I don't like it, either. But at this point there are only two options for activating your Social Security -

- which also includes your Medicare:

1. You can spend 90 minutes on hold on the phone to your local Social Security office to set up an appointment with one of their ever-dwindling workforce to sign you up in person - an appointment usually several weeks out, and then be told that you need to go to their website ANYWAY to get a bunch of information about what documentation you'll need to supply. While you're there the website will let you know that if you don't want to create an online account to download your documentation, you'll need to call another number and work your way through a truly hellish phone tree to give them your personal information and a snail-mail address so that they can mail it to you. Which they will, but it won't arrive in time for your appointment, so back to the hold queue and change your appointment, or, if you're feeling really masochistic, show up for the appointment without all the deets you need and get gently scolded for wasting their time while they make another appointment for you and hint very broadly that if you established an online account you'd be all done with this by now; or

2. Give in and establish an account on the government website which is also annoying as it involves a couple of levels of authentication and security, but doesn't take nearly as long.

if you go with "2", giving them an email address is one of the requirements. They do use 2-factor identification when you're using their online services, but of course their email bots don't regard such things for the "helpful" communications and reminders the send.

informatively,
Bright