Equity
Equity in Every Tongue: Social Security’s Long-Term Commitment to Language Access
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Social Security has supported people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) for decades. The agency’s longtime policy has been to ensure that people have access to services regardless of their ability to communicate in English. In 1992, Social Security issued a report that addressed the gap between the public’s need for more language services and its […]
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Social Security Is Improving Our National 800 Number and Reducing Call Wait Times
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Social Security launched a national 800 number in October 1988. Today, our agents answer more than 28 million phone calls a year. Our new telephone platform makes it even easier to connect with us. Why use our 800 number? For more than 35 years, our toll-free number has been an easy way to contact Social […]
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Social Security is Translating More Materials in Native Languages
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The loss of Native languages in this country is a direct result of the Indian Boarding School System run by the federal government for 150 years. (Federal Investigative Report findings.) In October 2024, President Joe Biden issued a “long overdue” formal apology for the abuse suffered by Native children forced to attend Indian boarding schools. […]
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A Joint Commitment and a Call to Support Children in Foster Care
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Today, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a call for public input on ways to improve outcomes of foster children who are eligible for – or already receive – Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both. Our goal is to make sure that all children, especially […]
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SSA Releases $1.1 Million to Supplemental Security Income Recipients Who Are Terminally Ill
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Social Security recently paid more than $1.1 million in payments to 400 people with terminal illnesses, thanks to an underused Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rule. SSI is for people who have limited income and resources and have a visual impairment, a disability, or are age 65 or older. These 400 people were approved for SSI because […]
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Supplemental Security Income for Children and Youth With Disabilities
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Nearly 1 million children who have disabilities and limited income and resources receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) every month. That’s money that helps pay for basic needs like food, rent, clothing, and medicine. The maximum federal SSI payment in 2024 is $943 a month. The amount may be lower based on a child’s income and […]
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Service Delivery on Pine Ridge – Meeting the Oglala Lakota People Where They Are
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During my year as a White House Fellow at Social Security, I have worked to address the negative impact of income and health inequities on the Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. More than 50% of the Oglala Lakota population lives below the federal poverty line. Average life expectancy on […]
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Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency
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August 12 marks the 24th anniversary of Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.” At its core, the order acknowledges a fundamental principle: The federal government must be able to understand and communicate with all people in the United States, including those with limited English proficiency (LEP), to keep […]
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Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General Releases Scam Report to Congress
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Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released its quarterly Scam Report to Congress. The report provides information about scam trends in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 (January 1 — March 31, 2024). “As public servants, we must use every tool at our disposal to raise awareness and protect the American […]
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Progress with Timely Delivery of Payments to People Receiving SSI
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We are dedicated to improving service to the American public by prioritizing the delivery of payments to individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). We are proud to share our progress with more timely release of underpayments. Watch Commissioner Martin O’Malley’s message about SSI underpayments. SSI underpayments In 2023, a monthly average of 7.4 million people […]
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