Outreach to Vulnerable Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: April 2, 2021
Last week, over 1,500 people joined me on a national conference call to learn how their organizations can help the Social Security Administration assist our most vulnerable populations during COVID-19. Participants included representatives of the non-profit community, health care organizations, private industry, Federal, State, and local government, and Congress. The response was nothing short of extraordinary and serves as an example of the public service spirit that unites us all.
Now, more than ever, it is vital that we join together to serve our most vulnerable populations. People who struggle with low-income, limited English proficiency, homelessness, or with mental illness, have historically relied on meeting with us in person at our local offices to get the help they need. With our offices currently unable to accept walk-in visitors to protect both our beneficiaries and our work force during the pandemic, it is essential that we continue to engage with the public online, on the telephone, and by appointment for limited, critical situations.
To address the challenge of continuing to serve those who need us most, we’ve joined with external partners to launch a new national outreach campaign. The goal of the campaign is to connect eligible individuals to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The SSI and SSDI programs provide critical financial assistance, including life-saving access to healthcare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in many cases.
Key components of our outreach campaign include:
- Working with community-based groups that can assist with taking applications for SSI and SSDI.
- Launching a national advertising campaign on TV, radio, and social media, with emphasis on children with disabilities.
- Adding a number of new online tools and informational pages, including:
- Online resources for People Helping Others access our services.
- Online Outreach Materials for Vulnerable Populations for partner groups to use.
- Updated information for Faith-Based and Community Groups, including a new toolkit and fact sheets about SSI and SSDI.
I want to thank the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for working with us and sharing our website and products with their national network of faith and community leaders.
I also want to thank members of the claimant advocacy community for their collaboration on this campaign. We will feature their perspectives on serving vulnerable populations on this blog site over the coming weeks.
Please be sure to subscribe to this blog so that you receive alerts whenever we publish new articles from our partners. We will also share the latest information about our national outreach campaign here.
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Tags: COVID-19, Disability, People Facing Barriers, Social Security benefits
See CommentsAbout the Author
Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Commissioner of Social Security Administration (June 17, 2019 - July 9, 2021)
Comments
Comments are closed.
Amber R.
Yes I am a recipient of ssi and ssdi but yet my snap benefits were cut off in December due to failure to recertify then in jan when I reapplied I received notice of my telephone interview the day after it was scheduled to take place so I have been paying for my groceries out of pocket and I was under the impression that the recertification process was suspended due to the pandemic … who do I need to contact about being recertified…
V.V.
For your security, Amber, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can call your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Carol M.
I do not believe that Commissioner Andrew Saul has the best interest of anyone other that himself in mind. He was a Trump appointee, all of which have been grifters, thieves and liars. I do hope he won’t mess up Social Security like the Post Office has been. I write to Senators ever day to rid the Biden Administration of these crooks!!!!!
Sarah
Why has SSA waited an entire year to start addressing this critical issue?
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Yes, 2020 was bad year for us and 2021 is too. So we build all bangla newspapers to read all Covid information.
noston
thanks you soo muck good information
Willie T.
Thanks for important information.
I am understanding many needs of susceptible groups and creating employments need for SSI, SSDI, Veterans & children.
Josh D.
How do you manage to reach to a big population? Luxury Houses
Mr T.
Please issued pay my benefits of retirement plan.gov on 04/15_30/2021 start services overseas in Thailand my address 201/9,village,banphan,phonnakaie district,sakonnakon,Thailand 47230 send by direct express card of my benefits! and my due time running 67ag ,birth year 1954!please do not delay my time pay for!
Christie B.
I think part of the efforts during COVID should be channed in helping our senior population to get comfortable with anddiscover telehealth services which will provide care in the comfort of their homes either virtually or through home visits. That way, we reduce the incidence of COVID in our vulnerable senior population.
Holly
Any help is good help. Please do the right thing and help people struggling as if it were you. Especially in this time I think we all realize how easy you can lose everything and how quickly plans can not work out. Without help no one can succeed. Resources, health care and just basic necessities are a lot harder to get than one might assume. Most people have no internet or phone because they can’t even pay the bill so can’t access these sites. It needs to be given to homeless shelter employees this information and they should have the responsibility to pass it on, post it or give directions to a library or computer and told there is Help. Most shelters I’ve seen are a disgrace and I wish people knew how little help is received. It not only costs more in the long run to not help or provide resources and jobs etc but even more to keep people sick and in and out of hospitals than it is to just help the first time and do it right. People want to get back up. They just might need help getting there. Thanks to all those who think of others and can put yourself in someone else’s shoes.