My Reflections on Public Service
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: December 28, 2015
As we culminate our 80th anniversary celebration and end 2015, I find myself reflecting on our accomplishments. As part of the recognition of our 80th anniversary celebration, we asked our employees to share their stories of why they serve. A recurring theme was: I serve because I enjoy working with the public providing services that matter. Touched by this sentiment, I also looked back over my career and the reasons why I serve.
I have said many times that Social Security touches the lives of nearly everyone in this great nation, often during times of personal hardship, transition, and uncertainty. I’m not only speaking as the Acting Commissioner of Social Security but as someone who has also been on the receiving end. In several instances, Social Security provided support for members of my family.
When my brother was diagnosed with a disability, Social Security provided him the financial and medical support to live independently. Today, I am grateful my brother has a decent quality of life because of the benefits he receives and his access to healthcare. When my mother was ill in her later years, her retirement benefits, and support from our family helped to cover her living expenses and healthcare. The help she received from our agency enabled her to have a good quality of life.
I also felt the support of the SSA family when my son died at 34, leaving behind four small children. The agency embraced me in ways I cannot describe and helped me through a very difficult time in my life. Survivor benefits provided strong financial support for his children after the devastating loss of their father.
I have worked in public service for many years. Throughout my entire career, I have never seen employees provide services in a more caring and compassionate way than our employees. During my tenure as Acting Commissioner of Social Security, I have given many 30-, 40-, and 50-years of service pins to employees who dedicated their entire careers to public service. I know that these employees stayed that long because of a strong commitment to our mission.
Throughout my career, I have been drawn to serve those who have the least among us. From seeing the support my family received, to feeling passionate about helping others going through similar experiences, I cannot be more proud to have served SSA twice in my career.
Social Security is here today and will be here in the future. From retirement to disability, Social Security is there, providing benefits to children and families, and protection for the American worker. Our services matter. The work we do makes a difference in the lives of Americans, when they need it the most.
And this, I am proud to say, is why I serve.
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About the Author
Carolyn Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security
Acting Commissioner of Social Security (February 14, 2013 - January 20, 2017)
Comments
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Carolyn B.
I was put on disability for Cronic Migraines , and diagnoses by 3 Specialists with Cat-Scans. My husband has passed away in the year of 2001. I still have these terrible Migraines. Now the Medication they have me on is so high I’m having problems getting it. I can only take the BRAND NAME BY MY DOCTOR. Can you help me? cnbigelow@charter.net
Edgar J.
Thank very much you for your service, and for the service of those who work with you.
Gerald P.
Thank you for your dedication to the agency I also hold dear and for pointing out how it helped so many of your own family. I proudly served with SSA for 32-years, ending my career as District Manager in Fort Smith, Arkansas. As a traveling field representative and on into my management career, I often worked long hours, met with and spoke to groups at night and on Sunday afternoons, but my greatest memories are of those I helped in their times of greatest distress and need. My career was not only very gratifying but also very interesting. I know of no job that compares with working with SSA and serving the great people of this nation. I’m currently writing a book about my career with SSA, which–when finished and published–will be called “The Vicissitudes of Life: Memoirs Of A Social Security Man.” Many times during my career I was called “The Social Security Man,” and it’s a title I bore proudly. Again, thank you for your service.
carren
You aren’t serving me. I have been trying to find out why you took an over payment and joe you arrived at what I received for nearly a year now. I have not even gotten an acknowledgement of my request.
Julie
Thank you for the job you do! I understand totally. My ex-husband was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. I did not have any means at the time to support my daughter. I was very thankful for the benefits she received.
Michele B.
Thank you for your many years of caring service. The system has made a way for many of us during very trying times.
I have a concern however, and it is personal. I worked in a state education system that paid into Social Security and the district into a retirement system, as well. We relocated to another state that has the WEP ( penalty) in place. I received an annual statement estimating my monthly benefit if I should retire, based on the income I earned while paying into the system.
I retired from education last year and after my Medicare payment is taken out, my Social Security benefit is reduced to under $400.00. I’m not asking for anything I didn’t work for, I’m just asking for what I earned. Isn’t there a provision that can be put in place for folks like me to receive the benefits the earned paying into the system; rather than having them reduced (arbitrarily taken) by about 45%?
Please help. It limits or will limit the amount of good workers engaging employment in certain states and professions, when they understand how ithe WEP can affect their eventual financial bottom line.
Gerald P.
If a person is paid more than they were entitled to, the agency is required by law to recover the overpayment. Neither individual Social Security employees nor the Commissioner have anything to do with that; it’s a matter of law. If you get money you were not due, it must be paid back. Look at it this way, if for some reason your bank made a mistake and sent you too much money, would you be allowed to keep it? Of course not.
huh
Yes, there is a system by which you benefits will not be reduced “arbitrarily.” First, I note, this is NOT an arbitrary reduction, you are paying for health insurance.
Second, if you don’t want money for Medicare deducted from your SS benefits, don’t use Medicare. The private health insurance market is quite robust and competitive. You may find a cheaper option there. Alternately, you can decide to forego health insurance altogether. Although that would result in a tax penalty.
Paul B.
In a Perfect World, rules are created by different branches of Goverment, Industry, and Private Business. They are made, usually with good intentions for the people who have a need to use the service(s) they provide. And in a Perfect World, everything would work, just like it’s intended to. But being this IS NOT a Perfect World, much of the decisions and deals that are reached, are made by individual Human Beings, by their failing to consider and weigh ALL the options that exist in an issue. And by their NOT going from Point A to Point B and so forth, but SKIPPING steps that are written to follow, they jump from Point A to Point D, to Point ?, and decisions they make, all too often fail to Provide or to Prohibit, the assistance that people need. Some WORKERS, do their job responsibly, while others don’t, and it’s the needy, who suffer for it. In that Perfect World, people would know they would be treated FAIRLY. But the People who do teir jobs, in a shady manner, they collect PAY CHECKS, while those needing assistance, too often receive NOTHING.
Social Security, in my opinion, is one of the more capably run branches of the Federal Government that exists. Yet, they too have individuals that they count on, and sadlyPoliticians play a role, in decision making.
I’m 63 years old, and sadly come from a VERY DISFUNCTIONAL FAMILY. From my two biological families, I am the only child from them. Both remarried, 3 half-brothers and sister on HER remarriage, and one half-sister, on the other side. Yet, that means little, since I always was made to feel I was the reject of the bunch, but my getting older, a period of time I had with a COUNSELOR, finally made me realize, just how bent out of shape, I was EMOTIONALLY. It was from this assesment, the counciler helped me realize, just how WORTHLESS MY OWN SELF WORTH WAS, because of all the mannerisms I was subjected to, it made me feel WORTHLESS, and because of that, I became an individual I THOUGHT OTHERS WANTED ME TO BE, instead of being who I really am. I was living behind a mask, to hide the ugly person, I felt I was. This was almost 20 years ago, and this counciler helped me to NOW LIVE AS WHO I REALLY AM, NOT AS I THOUGHT OTHERS WANTED ME TO BE. And that has freed me, to be WHO I AM TODAY.
But this isn’t really about me, but about Social Security. The youngest of the 3 siblings from her remarriage, was a brother. And when he was born, I was 15 1/2 years old, but the Catholic Church allowed me to be his God-Father. Out of the 4 half-siblings, he was the one I felt the closest to. In the early 2000’s, he spoke with me and told me just how badly he hated OUR BIOLOGICAL MOTHER, for all the wrongs, she had done to him. I was shocked, to learn that he DESPISED HER, more than I did. Yet, he had married someone, who was a carbon copy of her. And really suffered from it.Some months back, of this year, my youngest brother died. He was 48 years old, and I found out, because of contacts with different funeral homes, that sent me email alerts. No one tried to contact me, maybe 9 miles of distance was too far for them to call me. The Funeral Home when I called, said VERY LITTLE to me about it, except when I asked to speak to our sister, I was informed mmy brother was open for viewing, so no one was there. You ask why didn’t I call them? Simply, everyone had eventually gone from land lines to cell phones, so I had no one’s number to call. His burial I saw, was the next day, so when I called back, I was able to speak to her, and from from what she said, my brother had been dead, for some time, and since his wife was the worthless piece of trash she was, shw wasn’t living with him at the time. Add to that he was CREMATED, the very first person in the family to have that done, I was stunned. She told little more, except no use my going see his ashes, he’d be soon buried. I contacted the Coroners Office, and was told that no autopsy had been done, but a toxicology was ordered, but unless my name was on his Death Certificate, I had to get the results from someone who was on it. I paid over $20 to the state FOR HIS DEATH cERTIFICATE, and when I got it, I saw nothing that would help explain what had happened to him. I knew this was a POWER PLAY by his wife and our biological mother, to prevent me from finding out something, they wanted to hide. I called Social Security, gave them all the indo I could, even his SS number, and asked them if I could find out what his wife had told Social Security, and what benefits she was getting. The worker said I could go into an area Social Security Office, and have with me proof of who I was, and how he and I were related. That said, the woman tossed at me, that his wife WAS ENTITLED to certain benefits, and I answered back, that I knew that, and whatever the law states as to what benefits she can have, I don’t want to stop her from getting it. What I want to stop, is her getting benefits from LIES she told, and that soon, I would go, and see what I can find out.
As I said, Social Security is a very good branch of US Government, but even they can be fooled, and I just want to make sure, his wife isn’t doing that. I may one day learn, the whole story of what happened to my brother, and maybe it’d be better, that I don’t. This is my ng with Social Security, for him, and I hope all my fears, are baseless. With that… God Bless.
Carole
Just let God handle it……
Dave
Go tell YOUR President that he stinks for stiffing us on our COLA. This is the first year of my 20 year Disability that I am getting less than the year before!!! If Bush had done this he would have been crucified by every DemocRat in the country. But Obummmer does it and no one cares. STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Any more about your accomplishments?????????????????
Collyn
Get an education, man! The President does not decide if you get your COLA.
Julie
Uhm yes please educate yourself on the government branches and see who it was that did not give us the COLA….That would be the house of representatives, NOT the President. Shake my head in shame for the lack of education.
Adina
SHAME on all the do-nothing Repubs in Congress. Thanks to them, NO COLA. Meanwhile, they continue to vote themselves raises for working less and one-upping their colleagues on who can hurt people the most. As it is, I wouldn’t be able to afford the rent in New Jersey on my SSI if it weren’t for Section 8. Just TRY living fully on less than $800 per month when the average rent on a one-bedroom apartment is over $1,000. That’s before utilities. Food has to be whole, nutritious, free of toxins and life-sustaining. Broadband internet, these days, is a necessity, as most communication is done through it. Clothing and shoes wear out. Electronics and kitchen appliances break down after a while. Appearance has to be kept up for self esteem, in order to be socially acceptable and not to be thought of as a “bag lady.” What I’m getting might have been ok back in the 1960s, but the demands and expenses of keeping up, connected and healthy are so much greater.
Selma
President Obama is not in charge of the COLA. Know your history.
Carole
I’m telling you, some one always has him looking the other way??
William L.
When I was severely injuried SS took great care of me. Cannot say the same for works’ comp. Long after being approved they finally approved.
As I aged I received calls from SS telling me how to receive best benefit from my SS. Cannot say enough how good SS was to me. THANK YOU.
lonnie p.
these vets served us with honor.and I feel it’s time to serve them back with no remorse.