Dhanraj Mane

Topic: What is Social Security? Keywords: social security, social security benefits, my social security, ssi, us social security administration, social security survivor benefits, oasdi, ssdi, social security website, apply for social security, ssi benefits. A brief overview of the Social Security program (OASDI program)? Social Security is the common termed used by Americans to describe about the OASDI (old age, survivors and disabilities insurance) program. It is one the largest welfare schemes operated by the United States government. Well in simplest of terms, it refers to the initiative of the United States of America’s government which involves in providing the following social security benefits in the form of SSI benefits or Social Security Income to the citizens of the United States of America: Main functions of the OASDI or the social security program- -Providing retirement benefits to the elderly population (which also happens to be its most well-known function) to make sure they have a decent standard of living under the SSI benefits (Social Security Income) program. As due to reduced income in the form of pension may adversely affect their standard of living. -Provides a fixed income for the disabled section of the society by a program known as as SSDI (Social Security Disability Income) also known as SSI benefits (Social Security Income). This makes sure that can lead a better quality of life and their disability does not result in them being dependent on other members of family. -Provides monetary support to the family members of deceased workers under the social security survivor benefits program. The social security survivor benefits program ensures that the family members get the monetary and moral support from the government for their day to day living standard. Approximately around six million people in the United States receive the social security survivor benefits. These functions can be therefore summed up to refer to the social security program as the OASDI (old-Age, survivors, and disability insurance) program. This has been referred to as among one of the most inclusive system to support citizens in the world. Also, in order to adjust the beneficiaries’ fixed income for inflation, periodic cost of living adjustments or COLAs are also made in the program since 1974. Without these adjustments, the inherent goal of the United States government would not have been achieved which was to support its deserving citizens. The total budget of this program is estimated to be around a whopping nine hundred billion dollars which constitute around twenty one percent of net expenditure of the Federal government. The US Social Security Administration- Social security website- www.ssa.gov Headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland it is chief federal agency in the United States to provide the citizens in the US with the social security benefits or SSI (Social Security Income). It is popularly known as the US Social Security Administration. Its main function is to ensure that the people who satisfy the required criteria for the SSI (Social Security Income) are indeed receiving the appropriate monetary compensation. All the applications for the social security benefits claims are dealt by the US Social Security Administration. Social Security Number (SSN): The citizens of the United States of America are generally issued a number known as the Social Security Number or simply as the SSN. It is a nine-digit number issued by the Social Security Administration of the United States. It was introduced initially by the federal government with the express purpose of keeping record of individuals with benefits under the social security program or those getting the SSI (Social Service Income) but in time started to be used an identity proof for filing taxes etc. How does the Social Security program get funded? The program like most other federal government programs is funded by taxes on income in the United States. Employees pay a certain amount of tax each year which goes towards funding the Social Security Program. It constitutes one of the most significant amounts of spending ever done by the government of United States -History of the US Social Security Administration This independent agency was formed in the year 1935 as initially the Social Security Board and acquired its present nomenclature in the year 1946. The head this agency has the title of Commissioner. The current head is Commissioner Andrew Saul (Since June of 2019). It was established by the then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the part of his New Deal program to support people in the country who suffered due to the Great Depression. Its aim at that time was that the government of the United States wanted to provide immediate relief to the suffering caused by depression to the middle-class families of America. Major milestones involved in the Social Security Program: 1935: Social Security Act is enacted by the Federal Government. 1939: First Amendment to change the benefits of the citizens. 1950: Social Security’s coverage is extended for the first time. 1957: Introduction of benefits under the program to the disabled workers. 1972: Cost of living adjustments introduced to make the program more feasible. 1983: Reforms of 1983 after Social Security fund got almost exhausted. 2000: Retirement earnings test abolished for people at or over the retirement age. In fact, most programs by the federal government and the states that provide Americans today with income security can traced back to that of the era of the Great depression. The significance of the program at the time of the Great Depression can be judged by the fact that almost around eighty percent of American citizens were on welfare via Social Security. A glimpse at the social security program and its evolution in various decades… 1930s 1935 The program is signed to a law 1937 first Social security cards issued 1940s 1940 first monthly benefit check issued. 1950s 1954 disability program added to the scheme 1960s 1960 Supreme court gave power to the congress to change the clauses of benefits 1965 Medical health care benefits added 1966 Introduction of Medicare taxes 1970s 1972 SSI is introduced. 1977 inflation adjustments recalibrated 1980s 1983 taxation introduced on payments. 1984 disability benefits reform act 1990s 1996 drug addiction or alcoholism removed from disability section 1997 the development of a fraud resistant social security card begins 2000s 2003 benefits on medicines introduced. 2009 social security for prisoners is ended via an act The Social Security program itself underwent many reforms since its inception. The amount of people covered, and the eligibility criteria was greatly extended to cover more citizens into this welfare scheme. Social security’s impact- Before the Social Security Act was signed in the year 1935, old people faced destitution while being into their old age. With no source of income or pension most many, the future looked bleak. Also, government had no structured program to implement welfare all over the nation under a single agency. American people suffered untold misery due to the great depression. Industrial production slumped to almost half the value before the depression. Millions of people were thrown out jobs creating unprecedented employment challenges. There are ample examples in the country where many people were able to get education and make a name for themselves due to the welfare by the social security program. For poor people, it has acted as not only a monetary support but also a moral support so that they can trust the US government and try to develop skills to join the middle class. An interesting fact about the US Social Security Administration is that it is one of the first federal agencies to have had its headquartered outside the city of Washington DC. Where do I get information to apply for social security? The details can either be found on the social security website or by reaching out to the nearest social security service centre. It has six Service centres all around the country to increase its accessibility for its beneficiaries. They are as follows: Centre Name or Location within the United States Designation City State North-eastern Program Service Centre Queens New York Mid-Atlantic Program Service Centre Philadelphia Pennsylvania South-eastern Program Service Centre Birmingham Alabama Great Lakes Program Service Centre Chicago Illinois Mid-America Program Service Centre Kansas City Missouri Western Program Service Centre Richmond California Are there any more centres for other purposes? Yes, of course there are. We have several types of centres to process and distribute social security checks under the welfare program. Processing centres: Office of Earnings and International Operations Baltimore Maryland Office of Disability Operations Baltimore Maryland Payment centres: They are available all around the United States of America. The location of those nearby you can be found out in the list of payment centres on the social security website. How to check for my social security coverage status? Well for that you can always refer to the Social Security website. As to describe that briefly here, most of the government employees are covered under the Social Security program for their pension after retirement. Almost all the civilian work force in the United States is covered by the Social Security welfare schemes. It was not the case when it was first introduced in 1935. Gradual amendments made it possible to cover the total workforce As for the social security survivor benefits, potential beneficiaries can be -Parents of the deceased can get these benefits if they fit the criteria specified for eligibility. Either one or both parents can avail benefits under different set of rules if they were financially dependent on the deceased directly. In case where both the parents are eligible for the benefits then they are provided with seventy five percent of the pension the deceased would have drawn. -Ex-husbands or ex-wives of the deceased can collect their share of benefits if the marriage lasted for more than ten years before the spouse’s untimely death. In case the surviving spouse remarries before the age of sixty years, his or her claim won’t be accepted but if the marriage is annulled the they are again eligible to claim their share of the survivor benefits. A more comprehensive set of rules can be found on the social security website. (www.ssa.gov) How to apply for Social security benefits? As for regarding how to apply for social security benefits, you should first check the eligibility conditions for your case in detail at the social security website. Also, even though the application just around fifteen minutes still it’s advisable to keep your application ready before doing to reduce the chances of error. After that you can follow any of the given methods: -By using your phone: You can complete the whole application process just via your phone by calling-. Although the SSA (Social Security Administration) recommends filing an online application through its website. -Online using the official website It’s the recommended method by which you can easily file your social security application. Using this method will also save your time to visit a nearby social security office. But please remember your application number allotted to you as you will need it as a reference for future clarifications with the agency. Also you can find the information required and the necessary documents in the list given below. Information needed to apply for Social Security benefits- -Employment status and information / self-employment details -Any source (if there) of additional income. -If applied previously for any of the SSI programs. -If applied to programs like Medicare -Date by which you want the benefits to begin -Other basic information like date of birth. Some documents which need to be digitally uploaded include- -A proof of your date of birth. -Your social security card. -A proof of your US citizenship. -Copies of most recent W-2s or self-employment forms. It is advisable to have a printed copy of the application form for future references. In case of any further clarification required a representative from the agency will promptly contact you for further information. As for queries and doubts you can always call-. Your application’s status is kept updated on the website. Critique of the social security act- Critiques of the social security act give following reasons by which they try to justify the burden exerted by this form of welfare. High cost of the program- It has been argued that the massive budget of the welfare program has placed an enormous drain on the country’s resources and has been cited as a major contributing factor in slowing the growth of the American economy. This has also been raised as a concern in other developing countries of Europe as well. Reduces the incentives for the population to work The greater amount of benefits paid to the unemployed significantly reduce the motivation for the general population to take up paid jobs. Thus, promoting anti-social values which tend to harm the economy by going against the market principles. There social security has been blamed for not only its high cost, but also for the significant proportion of unemployed workers / professionals. Improper payments and Fraud Critiques argue that social security costs the United States government billions of dollars of its taxpayers’ money when ineligible claims are awarded to people. They are listed as improper payments and frauds by the federal agency. Improper payments: Is defined as when funds are deposited by the social security agency into wrong accounts for wrong reasons. Six types of improper payments have been recognised by the welfare agency. They are as follows- Not enough documentation occurs when payment is made before enough documented evidence is collected from the applicant. Not an authentic eligibility when the applicant succeeds in fooling the reviewer by using some clever manipulation trick Personnel or administrative error while processing claims Medical records error Data verification failure when the data given by the user is improperly verified and agency proceeds to pay the applicant Glitches or bugs in program design or structure when an applicant is able to figure out a loophole in the system such type of errors occur. Fraud in the social security system Critiques argue that social security fraud costs the United States government billions of dollars of its taxpayers’ money. It is said that between the years of 2004 and 2017 these fraudulent claims have cost the agency almost 1.3 trillion dollars. That’s quite a lot money involved. Acts used for committing fraud in the welfare are- Presenting false statements: in the application to misguide the employees constitutes fraud. Concealment of events and facts: to avoid termination of payments is also a part of various types of Social security frauds. Misuse of received benefits Black market trade of social security numbers: has been a major concern for the agency since the beginning. It is one of the most serious issue currently faced by the welfare program. Employees of agency collaborating with the fraudsters The illegal corroboration of an employee with an applicant is also an issue that is yet to be resolved. Bribing the employees of the agency Typical of the fraud committed in government agencies. It takes a huge toll on the taxpayers’ funds. Worker’s compensation fraud Misuse of grants Misuse of social security numbers for committing acts of terrorism is also considered by the government as fraud.