Satish Mehra tried to log into his Social Security account. But he was locked out.

To access his information, Mehra needed an authentication code required under a new security measure put in place at the beginning of August. When seniors or other recipients tried to log into their online account, the Social Security Administration offered to text the code to their cell phone. Once they entered that code into the agency’s website, access to their user accounts was restored.

The problem: Mehra doesn’t use text messaging. So his Social Security account was off limits.

“Why should I be forced to use texting for Social Security when I don’t use texting for anything else?” said Mehra, 69, a business professor at the University of Memphis.

Other Tennesseans found themselves in the same predicament. Members of the state’s congressional delegation said they’ve received complaints from seniors who wanted to access their “my Social Security” account, but couldn’t.