The acting head of the Social Security Administration says he rescinded and apologized for an order that would have required Maine parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office rather than the hospital.

Lee Dudek, the acting Social Security Administration commissioner, said in a statement that the agency was “correcting” a decision to change the policy.

Maine officials at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention began notifying providers that the federal government had suspended the in-hospital application process. They said parents will now have to apply in-person at a Social Security office.