General, Online Services

Social Security is Turning 80 and Has Never Been Better!

June 29, 2015 • By

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Last Updated: November 6, 2023

A cake that has the 80th Social Security seal frosted on itThe Social Security program is turning 80 years old this year, but age has only made us stronger, wiser, and more agile! We are pleased that, through the years, we continue to provide our best customer service to you, the American public, by innovating with the latest technology.

In August of 1935, our mission started by offering retirement programs to assist the most vulnerable members of the public. Everything was done by hand — paper forms were filed and calculated for every person in the United States. Other agencies donated employees to help with our new mission. Today, we have about 60,000 dedicated and compassionate employees, and our services are digital, mobile, and secure through our many online applications. In fact, July 19-25 is National my Social Security week. We will host numerous events and activities across the country to raise awareness about the benefits of opening a personal my Social Security account.

With a personal my Social Security account, you can verify your earnings history, see your future benefit estimates, and much more from the comfort of your home or office. The convenience and safety of doing business online is another way we’re meeting the changing needs and lifestyles of our customers. As we said, turning 80 has only made us quicker on our feet.

As we work to expand online services for those who prefer that flexibility, we continue our commitment to providing you with top-notch, face-to-face assistance in field offices across the nation or through our nationwide toll-free telephone service. Our frontline employees offer world-class service to millions each day.

We’ve come a long way and are proud of our strong history of service to you. We look forward to making the next 80 years just as great with continued professionalism and innovation!

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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

Comments

  1. Joyce c.

    Please help me get my stimulus money,

    • Vonda V.

      Hi Joyce, thank you for your question. Please visit the IRS Economic Impact Payments Information Center to answer your questions about eligibility, payment amounts, what to expect, when to expect it and more. If you are unable to find the answer, call the IRS hotline at 1-800-919-9835. Thanks!

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  3. Roy B.

    That’s a lot of baloney! SSA takes money away from people if they take an early retirement if they earn over $12,500 or some such. People have to pay their bills of household and living expenses! To take money away from people is like stealing money that we have paid into the SSA fund account! When SSA beneficiaries die, SSA pays $250 for funeral benefits and then the benefit disappears, living a surviving spouse helpless to pay living expenses! SSA benefits are a farce!!

  4. Ian

    The Social Security program is the greatest legislation ever passed ! Too bad, like income tax, that high income earners don’t have to pay on the money they earn over $118,500. They sure do line up to collect later in life! (Mind you the money they put in is paid out in a few short years.)
    Perhaps, looking down the road, a tiered system could be established, allowing a chosen benefit level based on contributions. The fund COULD grow if loans for homes were established at a fair interest rate. This way the fund could make some money while supporting the participants.

  5. Robbie

    Wham bam thank you, ma’am, my quesitons are answered!

  6. S T.

    Service in local offices is not wonderful. You cannot just walk in and see someone, as this blog entry makes it sound. Appointments are made for days later, and there is still a long wait to be seen. I recently had to visit an office to present a death certificate – that’s all that was needed, since the claim was done by phone – and I waited four hours. The claims rep had actually gone home by time a kind person at the front desk asked if he could help me. He made a photocopy, and I was able to leave. The time it took to make a photocopy was the time I should have been there, not four hours. The staff shortages make the concept of service impossible, and the burden of work on any one claims rep is just too much, no doubt the reason my claims rep forgot I was waiting. Still, the result is very bad service, so that no blog entry should suggest going in person to a local office.

    • James L.

      We appreciate your feedback and apologize for the long wait and level of service you received. We strive to provide the best service possible. If your wait is long the next time you visit one of our offices, please ask to speak with a supervisor.

  7. MaryP

    Surely you jest ! How do you figure social security is better than ever? Fortunately, I don’t have to depend solely on SS but a lot of seniors 85+ do ! And the pathetic COLA doesn’t help at all, especially that segment of seniors because when they were paying into the system, salaries were much lower. Their COLA doesn’t even make up for the increase in Medicare, therefore, they struggle to get by.

  8. Elissa F.

    I was forced to take my ss at age 62 (divorced) as I was back home in New York City in 2008 when the stock market fell and Obama was elected. I could not get a job in the city and I needed to rent an apartment. Divorced, bankrupt and unemployed I was told I was shorted hundreds of dollars by going in at 62 – I had started working in high school and worked while I was married with a child. – but I had no choice as I was living in a shelter while waiting to get section 8 so I could afford an apartment. in the big apple. My complaint is I think the increases should be a little more than they have been as the job market is not very good – it is especially difficult for seniors over 60.
    I did get some of my ex-husband’s social security when he turned 62 which helped a great deal. He was an engineer and earned a lot of money over the years in two big corporations. I think some people are depending on social security as it is their ONLY INCOME and that is just a fact.Tthere are not as many jobs available to seniors with all the college grads taking jobs we would take because they cannot get jobs in their field – I think the Feds have to take a long hard look as a lot of people do not have access to IRAs and pensions – and the problem is getting worse – we may have to change how social security is taken out of our salary and the high paying people maybe should be paying in for the future generations who will need ss when they retire. It is not the same economic situation as when ss first came into being.

    • HunterSThompson

      Curiosities ..
      1) why live in one of the HIGHEST cost of living areas ? Go south a state or 2 and be better off
      2) What does the election of a President have to do with your situation ? Let alone an economic crisis that was years in the making ?

  9. Former E.

    As a former SSA claims representative who recently retired from the agency, I can testify that SSA has never been worse! Since Ronald Reagan’s time, their operating budget has been frozen or sharply restricted numerous times in a strategy which conservative politicians have themselves called “starving the beast.” The result has been an agency crippled by shortages of experienced staff, most of whom have now retired. This has led to service cutbacks in the form of office closings, reduced hours to serve the public, increased work backlogs and longer wait times for the public. Then the same politicians in Congress who created the problem criticize SSA for not doing its job! Such hypocrites. They are like the Biblical Pharaoh telling his slaves to make bricks without straw, then calling them lazy and unproductive.

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