Social Security is Turning 80 and Has Never Been Better!
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 6, 2023
The 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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Tags: my Social Security, my Social Security account, online services, social security, SSA
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Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
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James G.
You should ask your senators and congressmen. I think that they would tell you it has been paid back – in a way. They simply write I.O.U.’s. But how will they ever honor those if presented? Not a chance. Or perhaps they will. You know we can print our own currency. But then of course you would be looking at some serious inflation.
D T.
I understand that money has been borrowed or taken from SS in the past. Why has it not been repaid?? This is the money that hard working people like myself have paid to the program.
..
The assets of the larger trust fund (OASI), from which retirement benefits are paid, were nearly depleted in 1982. No beneficiary was shortchanged because Congress enacted temporary emergency legislation that permitted borrowing from other Federal trust funds and then later enacted legislation to strengthen OASI Trust Fund financing. The borrowed amounts were repaid with interest within four years. Please read our Trust Fund Frequently Asked Questions if you are interested in additional information.
B A.
Social Security was never meant to be enough to live on. It has always been part of a 3 legged stool – a base to be supplemented with savings and a pension. Defined pension plans are going away but 401Ks have been here for a long time now.
FICA taxes have not been raised since 1978 while everything else goes up. It is Congress’ lack of action that has put the system in the financial situation it is in today. They system will not go broke but will only be able to pay about the equivalent of 75% of the benefit it pays today.
The administrative costs of Social Security is less than 1%. Find any other organization that can do that. A big deal is made out in the news of erroneous payments but again the error rate is less than 1%. Who else can make that claim?
Without Social Security over 50% of the elderly population would be living in poverty.
James G.
You’re exactly correct. It’s too bad that so many people just don’t understand any of what you’ve said.
From reading the few comments I have here many people view SS as “their retirement”. They don’t seem to understand they the plan was for them to have saved some money during their working lives, or that they should have tried to keep a job long enough to earn some sort of pension. No, they don’t get any of that. Fewer have any concept of what the challenges are for Social Security in relation to money transfers etc. Or how about this. Social Security payments continue to rise but we have a shrinking work force. So fewer workers having to pay more to meet the demands. While the rate for the SS withholding hasn’t gone up they of course have had to increase the ceiling which is how much income you earn and still pay FICA. Understandable. I can still recall when a person would stop paying once they earned $7,800. It’s true. Those were the days.
John
Also that our greedy ass politicians have been stealing our money!!! They should be fired & put in prison!
Kevin v.
I’m writing just like so many other people who are retired or can’t work cause of heath matter that go to field office and get treated like I have did something to someone or I’m in wrong place. I guess the office people forgot who paid there’s bikes or who help them make aliving, my last visited I was treated so bad I don’t want to go back so I’m making my complaint here now so it could be heard and seen yes your office in Towson Md, need to have a field check to let them know they are there to help people not hurt them and make them not want to come that something might happen to them there a person who just want to be heard your truly a person who got treat bad not once but more than couple of time treated less then human. Oh yes please don’t stop by when they are talking about what happen in there life or nomal conversation you might get lock up for stopping by.
James G.
I guess I get the basic idea of what you are saying, but there were several things that frankly didn’t make any sense to me.
So you feel you were treated badly when you went to your field office.
Certainly some of the people who appear at their local offices arrive with something of an attitude. I’m not saying you did, but many do. So from the start they are at odds with the person they are talking with.
I think that when you go to the office, if you conduct yourself in a professional manner or just be polite like you would to most people you would find things differently.
Once you get to the window and exchange your hello’s they will undoubtedly ask you the purpose of your visit. At that point control yourself. Don’t go off on some rant about how they screwed up and now you’re in a bind. Simply, and clearly explain your problem. Bring whatever paper work relative to the issue with you. If you’re being underpaid for example explain it to them. Tell them when the change began.
I really don’t know what sort of issue you’ve had with people there but it’s my experience that if you conduct yourself in a reasonable and rationale manner you can get your problems resolved, or certainly receive an explanation as to why what ever happened, happened.
Give it a shot.
Paula m.
Mr. Graves,
I agree. You can see the attitude problem just by reading this one. Pkm
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..
Kevin, sorry you did not receive the level of customer service you expected. During your next visit, you can request to speak to a manager about any perceived misconduct issues. There are many Social Security transactions you can make without a visit to a local field office. Applying for retirement, disability and Medicare benefits; creating a my Social Security account; replacing a Medicare card; reporting a change of address or telephone number; and more options are available online anytime for your convenience. Social Security also offers assistance via a toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (Voice) and 1-800-325-0778 (TTY). Representatives are available between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday, but you will generally have a shorter wait time if you call later in the week.
John
LMAO!!! What a joke! Customer service!!! The greedy politicians are stealing our money! What manager do we go to to complain about that? All politicians should be fired & put in prison!
Paula m.
I sincerely hope there are many people who realized that S. S. Was not meant to provide all of our living expenses when we retired. I consider my benefit a privilege. After all, we should have planned for the future. PK Moeller
James G.
I couldn’t agree more with what you are saying. I responded a moment ago to a person who was complaining about not being able to live alone on his Social Security benefit. I did explain to him that the program was never intended to be your full retirement. You were supposed to have saved, and hopefully earned some sort of retirement from you job. I also suggested that he look at his earnings statement and actually see what he paid in. I guarantee you that he is getting many times more than he ever paid into the program.
But it seems there are a lot of people who have very little knowledge about any of this. They simply see a problem they have getting by and then blame Social Security for not paying them more.
kevin
AAbsolutely plan ahead, save your money, invest. All sounds great but when 70% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck trying to raise a family and trying to afford to put them through college because they did not qualify for assistance because they make too much (haha). I would like to see how much the people who make decision for the rest of us make and let’s also include their cost of medical expenses in a year and compare to the rest of us and tell us how we are supposed to save and invest. Maybe if they would REALLY raise minimum wage to meet the cost of living and lower the cost of college maybe families could get ahead and our future Americans will be better educated and start solving other real issues to get our American off the street and into homes they can afford. And we talk about obesity in this country yet the most expensive thing in the grocery store is fresh fruit and vegetables. What about pollution and global warming? The most expensive cars are the electric cars. So is congress really trying to help their fellow Americans or hurt them? Social Security a supplement to whatever you have left when your health has gone and your home is falling apart because for your life you had to buy the cheapest things in the grocery store not the healthiest to feed your family, pay for medical cost because of high cholesterol and high blood sugar and to pay for high prices for gas and try when you can to assist your kids to get ahead because you could not get the help you needed to pay for college. And all the while Uncle Sam could rely on getting his cut. Who do the senior citizens have to rely on?
Victoria
Amen Kevin I agree with you! What you said is all true about most Americans these days! Living paycheck to paycheck. SSI was meant to supplement but that was back in the day when there was a company pension given upon retirement , which basically does not exist today! Very few companies pay a pension to supplement the SSI.
Ed H.
Never better? What a laugh! Anyone who believes that crap should have their head examined! SS is going broke, thanks to the robbers of congress. If our confiscated “contributions” had been invested properly, we would be receiving 3 times as much as we are. Even Chile does a better job than you clowns. All we have are congressional “promissory notes” in the lockbox of insanity. Fortunately my children are not counting on SS to even be alive when they retire. The 15% ripoff is just stolen by Uncle Greed.
Taxmanreeves
There will always be SS & Medicare but with pay out reductions & more restrictions. Why the SS Administration & Congress address the upcoming funds shortage now instead of later is fool hardy.
John
There will always be SS & Medicare!!! What drugs are you on???
Carl S.
Our government is talking about closing SS. Where is money going?
James G.
Really? I would like to see the documentation stating that the government wants to close Social Security. From time to time politicians have talked about allowing individuals the latitude to invest a small percentage of what they would contribute to Social Security in some investment vehicles. You couldn’t invest in Vito and Vinny’s stromg arm collection agency either. There is a list of investments that most federal employees have the ability to invest in. These are all very conservative by any standard. But again, the politicians were only talking about investing a small part of your contributions not all of it and thus Social Security would NOT be going away.
John
In their damn greedy pockets!!! Where else?
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The T.
“Never Been Better” . . . What drugs are they on? Millions of taxpayer dollars are wasted yearly by the SSA making payments to non qualified recipients (dead people, illegals, etc, etc). Like all government run agencies they aren’t accountable nor responsible. They thrive on ‘OPM’ (other people’s money).
Bob Y.
If not drugs, then it is the “air” that one breathes when working in the D.C. area. While SSA individuals may mean well and have the best of intentions, politicians can and will screw up the best laid plans.
Julia
It is also the abuse of the system, I know a 45 year old on disability for the past 10 years, literally building porches/patios on his own, enjoying free medical (fixed everything that was ever wrong with him), a paycheck, handicapped parking, (fishing and hunting, (?)) and now getting ready to have a lap top and books and education for a managerial position (when he has never worked a day as a manager) paid by DES. Everyone working with my husband (husband included) can barely move around from the lifetime of working/serving their country, and they still work. This guy telling us that he could work there if he wanted to, but it is the lowest form of life (an aircraft fueler for example) . He has been reported, but writes a letter to Senator, and get’s his way. There are thousands like him!
..
Thank you for your concern, Julia. Social Security takes fraud very seriously, so if you suspect fraud, please report it to us!
John
Hey Lorenzo!!! You government scum created the system & you want us to be the police for you lazy jerks!!! Get rid of social security & let us invest it! All politicians do is screw everything up that they get their hands on! Politicians should be jailed for failing us!
Thomas P.
all of the illegals for the last 75 years we’re not here drawing benefits, and/or unaccounted for working and using up the resources in Andaman for real estate rental and otherwise! and not to say for the demand for schools in all public services, life would be a lot better for all of us!!!!!?
Camille
I am 68 yrs old and have to work part-time to survive. I have to live with my daughter because I can’t afford to live on my own. I worked all my life and this is how I ended up. social security is not enough.
James G.
I’m sure you’re not alone in your struggle to get by on a day to day basis. I appreciate what you are saying. But I think it’s really important to understand that Social Security was NEVER met to be one’s sole income once they retired or were injured. This plan was a supplement to your savings and other assets.
I think it’s unfair for people to complain about not being able to get by because Social Security doesn’t pay enough.
This plan envisioned people saving money for their retirement over their working lives and then getting SS to help out. Add to that people would stay in a position long enough to earn a retirement when they finally did reach retirement age.
So the bottom line is that Social Security probably is paying you considerably more than you ever paid into the program. Some say that they would have done better if they had invested that amount that was withheld. Perhaps, it’s a possibility, but only with a lot of luck and determination. If you weren’t able to save any money over your working life then how exactly would that person save the amount that would have been set aside for them in the program, let alone be lucky enough to find the right investment vehicles.
So sure, you would like to have more money each month, but don’t blame Social Security for this.
You might want to check your statement and just seeing how much money YOU actually paid into the program. I think you will be surprised to see that you are getting back far more than you paid in.
Sharon S.
Amen!!!!
Peter
social security should not be your total income and in most cases people did not plan correctly for later life. i myself do not feel sorry for people in this situation and to just give more money the system will be under funded for people that did plan for the future.
cheryl
I understand what you are saying about it being the total support but sadly alot of people lived on walfare or mostly walfare there whole lives then moved to social secrity and so it dosen’t pay enough but it does pay way more than A LOT of people pay in as for myself it will pay me if I live very long past retirement more than I payed in But not understanding ecomomices and being on the lower end off the pay scale my whole life I wasan’t able to save a whole lot will have a small pension check to go with the smallest social security check I feel for some of the people in my like condition. I have been working in a school systum feeding the student for 25 years
John
Hey Peter!!! If our crooked politicians didn’t MUCK with our money we would have social security! I might not have any social security when I retire!!! Our wonderful politicians aren’t under our same social security system! They screw you too!!!
disgusted
Amen.. All politicos on capitol hill are only concerned with themselves. They cannot get along with eachother,they represent only those who donate to their re-election. So why do we need them?
Angela A.
The disability trust fund will no longer be able to pay full benefits in 2016, and if money to shore up the shortfall is appropriated from the retirement trust fund, then both funds will be depleted by 2033.
In what way is this better than ever?
Thank you,
Angela Allen
Tony S.
Like most people of retirement age, scared of winding up with $666 for petitioning with a disability beneficiary, I agree this article implies a discrimination against disability by an SSA on the brink of conviction for deprivation of relief benefits under 18USC246. I was mulling over if I should discontinue this subscription that seems to have arrived when the USDA stole my garden and food stamp benefits along with a wrong number telephone message from someone claiming to be from SSA. I am inclined to say that SSA came through in friendly fashion, but government statements without legal citation are morally and scientifically dubious as propaganda, and not having received a polite written response to my Free DIRT and OASDI WILL Act, the working draft of which was stolen by what appears to be the kleptomaniac USDA discriminating heavily to the tune of $500 billion against disability insurance, incited by SSA’s number of beast, I don’t want to be played for a fool, like my severely mentally ill friend, Burgher King consumer in violation of a boycott and assailant. I am going to have to agree that the insipid writing in this blog is disturbing as a conspiracy against rights politically at odds with the USDAs deprivation of rights under color of law but along communist worker lines has perpetuated several heavily enforced crimes of the Farm to School “wagon” parked on their old greenhouse for want of chains to remove their Secretary, truck and dismantled hut. The USDA is klepto. The deprivation of rights with which this blog seems to have conspired is the tablet article to commemorate the computer hacking that caused me to buy a new computer, so I can give this old one, that now seems to be working on friendly wifi, to my friend, Farm to School has not paid for the damages, nor responded. Second the state disability insurance asset haven from food stamp deprivation seems to have been politically manipulated to cover up the fact that states make laws against that extremely low asset amount, not investment accounts, and that the USDA is coming up positive for running ground cover for numerous well documented “frauds” discriminating mostly against the looming insolvency of the DI trust fund. But for the freedom and vast size of the American forest, It’s almost as bad as living in a homicidal home in the eyes of fraud – megalomaniac government bureaucrats ignoring the truth. Third, the welfare fraud needs to prosecute deprivation of relief benefits. to be fair and should change the name of what they study to welfare theft to ensure the equal protection of SSA from theft, because welfare fraud is synonymous with the reduction of TANF benefits from 14 million to 4 million and furthermore fraud is often a jury trial and jury coordinators kill computers, at least when enforcing USDA or SSA misconduct. Without legal citation every article in this blog is probably political shenanigan, but this subscription seems to have been harmless alternative to stealing. Like you I wish it could respond to my prayers and not the curses of any agro homicidal communist lender who completely deprived more than a million people of their relief benefits since October 2013: SSA must protect their bureaucracy against the sexist (bubble headed bleach blond) false personation of missing, possibly dead or in this case of Farm to School coup, severely mentally ill office politic losers, Where is my SSA social worker and email from the Actuary?
Free Disability Insurance Reallocation Tax (DIRT) Act
To immediately amend the DI tax rate from 1.80% to 2.30%, from 0.90% to 1.15% for employees and from 0.90% to 1.15% for employers under Sec. 201(b)(1)(S) of the Social Security Act 42USC(7)II§401 and amend the OASI tax rate from 10.60% to 10.10%, from 5.30% to 5.05% for employees under 26USC(C)(21)(A)§3101 (a) and from 5.30% to 5.05% for employers under 26USC(C)(21)(A)§3111 (a) to avoid depletion of the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund in 2016 without increasing the overall 12.4% OASDI or 15.3% OASDI and Hospital Insurance (HI) tax-rate under 26USC(A)(2)§1401.
To amend the DI tax rate again in 2018 to 2.20% from 2.30%, from 1.15% to 1.10% for employees and from 1.15% to 1.10% for employers under Sec. 201(b)(1)(S) of the Social Security Act 42USC(7)II§401 and amend the OASI tax rate from 10.10% to 10.20%, from 5.05% to 5.10% for employees under 26USC(C)(21)(A)§3101 (a) and from 5.05% to 5.10% for employers under 26USC(C)(21)(A)§3111 (a) without increasing the overall 12.4% OASDI or 15.3% OASDI and Hospital Insurance (HI) tax-rate under 26USC(A)(2)§1401 to maximize efficiency until a deficit appears in the OASI Trust Fund in 2020.
Without Income Limit Law (WILL) Act
To abolish the maximum taxable limit on DI contributions in 2016 and OASI contributions in 2017 and repeal Adjustment of the contribution and benefit base Section 230 of the Social Security Act 42USC(7)§430.
To require the Social Security Administration to pay for SSI Costs beginning in 2017.
To share profits in excess of social security program costs to the general fund of the U.S Treasury on a sliding scale beginning in 2017 DI 50/50 prioritizing the $22 billion + 2% annual growth cost of USPS, and OASI 10/90 to eliminate the federal budget deficit. In 2020 OASI would share at negotiated rates an estimated 25/75, in 2025 OASDI would share 50/50 and by 2030 75/25 and at 2035 OASDI would take all to pay for peak in costs of Baby Boomer generation and might need to raise the overall OASDI tax rate.
George
How can they get away with DISCRIMINATION OF AGE??? They deny me due I’m NOT 50 yrs old. I have alot of problems & EMPHAZYMA, on OXYGEN NIGHTS & at times daily. They deny me. I paid into it should be able to use when I need it. I really think that if I could work then I would rather work. I wouldn’t try to get SSD/SSI since the AZZHOLES keep denying me. They say I can work but, every DAMNED job I tried to get don’t want the LIABILITY of my coughing spells, breathing treatments 3-4 times daily nor allow me to take unscheduled breaks if needed. What the HELL wrong with the SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION/JUDGES to get away with DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AN AMERICAN & HIS/HERS AGE?????
GOVERNMENT REALLY SCREWING US AMERICANS EVERY CHANCE THEY GET. I can continue on my health problems that doesn’t allow me to work but, WHO REALLY CARES & APPARENTLY NOT OUR SSD/SSI PEOPLE.
GEORGE