“If that’s the only way I had to do it, how would I do it?” Veronica Taylor asked while speaking to an Associated Press reporter in Welch, W.Va., about requirements set to go into effect March 31 for interacting with the Social Security system.

At the end of this month, recipients will no longer be able to verify their identity to the Social Security Administration over the phone. Those who are unable to verify using the “My Social Security” online service will be required to visit an agency field office.

But in pockets of the country — rural Appalachia, for example — an aging population, limited internet access and long distances from those field offices will present a challenge.

Taylor, for example, told the Associated Press she is 73, housebound, does not even know how to turn on a computer (forget about the internet), and lives in a remote enough community that it takes an hour for someone to help her get to the grocery store.

Many who were at the McDowell County Commission on Aging Senior Center when the AP visited were in the same boat.

It puts community leaders in some of those areas in a difficult position.

“I’m not anti-Trump — let me say that,” said Donald Reed, who runs a local nonprofit that operates two senior centers. “I think the general public greatly supports looking for waste in government. I do not think the general public understands the consequences of the current actions of the government.”

To keep McDowell County as the example, approximately 30% of the population there gets Social Security benefits, while 20% lack broadband access. Grant money to provide transportation to those who need rides to medical appointments, the grocery store or the senior centers is already stretched too thin.

(By the way, that county’s last local newspaper had to shut down in 2023, so locals are also having a difficult time keeping up with rapid state and national changes.)

These are vulnerable but proud people.

“If I ask people more than two times to take me somewhere, it’s like begging. And I don’t beg nobody to do nothing for me,” Taylor said. “I’m independent like that. I don’t beg nobody for nothing.”

And they are not alone. Counties across West Virginia are full of residents who will have similar challenges.

Our representatives in Washington, D.C., must redouble their efforts to ensure broadband access is treated like the necessary utility it is, and brought to as many Mountain State residents as possible. They must also insist on transportation and training efforts that help seniors navigate changes that could drastically affect their lives.

Meanwhile, the rest of us must help where we can. Check in on someone you think might need help navigating the system, or a ride to the local field office. Help them stay up to date on news that will impact them. Be the help they need — even if they don’t like to ask.