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OasisDisability redesign update:recommendations approvedKiosk debuts in Albuquerque

Special 60th anniversary section:Social Security through the decades

Take a tour of the SSAHistory RoomSatellite broadcasts expandbeyond SSA audience

Commissioner’s message

Scanning Social SecurityRetirees

Letters to the editor

7 Anything can happen

This month we mark a significantmilestone-the 60th anniversary ofthe signing of the Social Security Act.Social Security has become the mostsuccessful domestic program in thehistory of the United States.

Because of Social Security, mil-lions of Americans can enjoy theirretirement years with some financialstability. Because of Social Security,millions of Americans with disabili-ties can lead more independent lives.because of Social Security, millionsof families can count on continuingincome when one parent becomesdisabled or dies.

As a tribute to Social Security,we’ve put together a special section,beginning on page 8, highlighting

the program through the past 60years. We’re also featuring a tour ofthe SSA History Room, beginning onpage 16. In the cover photo, Manage-ment Analyst Bob Krebs (far right)guides several employees throughhistory, as he describes some of theexhibits to, from l., Records Manage-ment Analyst Don Gombieski, OPLM;Administrative Assistant Chris Close,Federal Protective Service; and ClerkLakeesha Butler, OSI.

Other articles of interest thismonth include the latest in the dis-ability redesign process-page 4-and the premiere of the kiosk inAlbuquerque, N.M.-page 6.

Because we’re not able to printeverything that we receive, we’d like

to acknowledge all of those whowrote to us, expressing their feelingsabout the Oklahoma City tragedy.We received poems, condolences,thank you notes, even contributions(which, of course, we forwarded tothe relief fund specified). We heardfrom employees and retirees alike,and we thank them for writing.

As a final note, employees inOklahoma City asked us to conveytheir thanks for the many supportivegestures made on their behalf. Asthey pick up the pieces of their lives,they say they are grateful to be inthe SSA family.

Shirley S. ChaterCommissioner

Sheryl Morris AUGUST 1995 VOLUME 41 NUMBER 7Editor SSA Publication No. 03-010

Joan WainwrightAssociate Commissionerfor Communications

Published for the employees of the Social Security Administration.Contributions and inquiries should be addressed to the Editor,4-H-10 West Highrise, Baltimore, MD 21235. Phone 410-965-3909.cc:Mail address--Sheryl Morris at--S5R.

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Commissioner’s message

S ixty years ago, Americanfamilies had virtually noprotection against the eco-

nomic loss that is suffered whena family breadwinner retires,becomes disabled or dies. Mostsenior citizens lived in povertyPoorhouses dotted the land. Dis-ability insurance was unknown.Life insurance was meager formany and absent for most.

The Social Security Act of 1935provided a ray of hope whenPresident Roosevelt signed thenew act into law. That signatureset in motion historic changethat would forever alter the wayAmericans live and work and theway we think about retirementand our income security

For 60 years, Social Securityhas provided a foundation of eco-nomic security Today, nearly 30million retirees and their familiescount on a monthly Social Secu-rity benefit, and a productive andrewarding retirement is now anexpected part of life. About 5.6million disabled workers andtheir families receive benefitsfrom Social Security, and 7.4 mil-lion survivors get a Social Secu-rity payment each month.

For these millions of people,and the millions who have gonebefore them, 60 years of SocialSecurity history is 60 years of abrighter, more prosperous, moresecure America. On behalf of allthese individuals whose lives arematerially better because of Social

Security we celebrate the program’s60th anniversary

Social Security works becauseit speaks to a universal humanneed. Throughout history, peoplehave had to come to terms withthe problem of economic securityfor those who are no longer fullyemployed due to age or disability,or when a family breadwinnerdies prematurely

Social Security also enduresbecause it is founded on soundprinciples. In my view, the suc-cess of Social Security is rootedin four basic principles:.Social Security is an earnedright connected to work;.Social Security is part of apackage of protection;.Social Security is flexible andadaptable; and.Social Security is a compactacross generations.

All of this is not to say that theprogram faces no challenges in its60th year. We are faced with somemajor challenges.

Confidence in Social Securityis at a low ebb. Confidence in thefuture of Social Security is lowestamong young workers, many ofwhom expect they will receivenothing from the program‘

We need to educate the public.We need to tell them that theprogram is not in imminentdanger, that there is plenty oftime to make whatever changesare necessary to ensure a securefuture.

The 60th anniversary of theSocial Security Act is, of course,

a celebration of the program it-self, and of the men and womenwho gave us this important leg-acy But it is also a celebration ofthe institution that breathed lifeinto the ideas embodied in theSocial Security Act.

It is a celebration of the thou-sands of dedicated men andwomen who work for SSA andwho have done so over the years.I fully understand that o u r em-ployees are our most preciousresource.

I am confident that if we con-tinue the legacy, the Americanpublic will continue to supportSocial Security and derive itsmany benefits for another 60years. And the Commissioner ofSocial Security in the year 2055will be able to reflect on 120 yearsof proud history and marvel atthe genius and the hard workof the President, Congress andSSA employees who crafted andcarried out such a successful andenduring program

s month, we celebrate the 60thsary of the Social Securitye program which todayvirtually all jobs, continuescertain basic characteristicsn the original program;

eligibility is earned throughn covered jobs, participa-generally compulsory, thet of benefits is related tod earnings, the program ised to provide a base of pro-

on, and benefits are financedprimarily through dedicated pay-roll taxes paid by workers andtheir employers.

Yet, while the program funda-mentals have remained the sameduring the past six decades, muchhas changed. As American workand life patterns have changed, sotoo has Social Security been adaptedto meet current expectations.

The following pages highlightthe major changes in the historyof Social Security as it has evolved

8 August 1995

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August 14, 1935--Social Securitybecomes a reality when PresidentFranklin Roosevelt signs the actinto law. In addition to severalprovisions for general welfare,the new act created a social insur-ance program designed to payretired workers age 65 or older acontinuing income after retirement.

Another provision of the actestablished an independent SocialSecurity Board reporting directlyto the President. The originalmembers (in photo, top right)were Arthur Altmeyer (1.); JohnWinant, Chairman; and VincentMiles. Their task was to provideemployers, employees and thepublic with information on howearnings were to be provided andt o undertake all necessary activi-ties to implement the new pro-gram. Sites for field installationshad to be chosen and personnel tostaff the offices had to be selectedand trained.

From 1937 until 1940, SocialSecurity paid benefits in the formof a single, lump-sum payment.Payment of monthly retirementbenefits began in January 1940.But, even before the first paymentwas made, the 1939 amendmentsto the Social Security Act author-ized benefits for aged wives orwidows of retirees, their childrenunder age 48 and surviving agedparents.

efforts on fighting World War II,the Social Security program re-mained essentially unchanged.Nevertheless, the program grewin importance both to the agedand to the economy The numberof beneficiaries grew from about222,080 at the end of 1940 to morethan three million in 1949. Averagemonthly benefits grew slightly-from $22.60 for a retired workerin 1940 to $26 at the end of thedecade-less than the rate ofinflation.

Under President Harry Tru-man’s Reorganization Plan of1946, the Social Security Boardwas abolished and replaced withthe Social Security Administra-tion (still under FSA); ArthurAltmeyer became the first Com-missioner of Social Security

Be low, l e f t : I da Fu l l e r , f i r s t Soc ia l Secur i t ybenef ic iary ; r ight : Ar thur A l tmeyer . At r ight ,field office employees take applications.

B A S I S 1 0 August 1995

Disability coverage was the focusof the decade. Amendments tothe Social Security Act providedmonthly benefits to permanentlyand totally disabled workers,their spouses and children,. andto adult children of deceased orretired workers, if disabled beforeage 18. By the end of the decade,559,000 people were receivingdisability benefits, with the aver-age benefit amount being around$80 per month.At left, Secretary of Health, Education and Wel-fare Arthur Flemming lays the cornerstone f o r

the new headquarters complex in Woodlawn.Below, electronic data processing equipmentis used to update earnings information.

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“Compassion and reason dictate that this logical exten-sion of our proven Social Security system will supply theprudent, feasible, and dignified way to free the agedfrom the fear of financial hardship in the event of illness.”

. Lyndon B. Johnson

Major changes to the Social Secu-rity program occurred during thisdecade. The administration’s newWoodlawn headquarters openedas the workforce grew.

The most significant adminis-trative change was the signingof the Medicare bill on July 30,1965. SSA became responsiblefor administering a new socialinsurance program that extendedhealth coverage to almost allAmericans aged 65 or older.Nearly 20 million beneficiariesenrolled in Medicare in the firstthree years. The Health CareFinancing Administration as-surned responsibility for Medi-care upon its creation in 1977.

SSA’s responsibilities were ex-tended by the Federal Coal MineHealth and Safety Act. Under thisact, the agency was directed toprocess claims and gay benefitsto disabled coal miners who have‘“black lung” disease and to theirdependents or survivors.

Below, headquarters complex opens. At right,miners covered for “black lung” disease. Inset,President Johnson signs Medicare bill.

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A new program, SupplementalSecurity Income, brought newresponsibilities to SSA. The agencywas chosen to administer the newprogram because of its reputationfor successful administration ofexisting social insurance programsOur nationwide network of fieldoffices and large-scale data proc-essing and recordkeeping opera-tions also made SSA the logicalchoice to perform the major taskof converting over three millionpeople from state welfare pro-grams to SSI.

At the start of the program in4974, there were 3.2 million SSIbeneficiaries receiving an averagepayment of $114 per month.

To cope with the influx of newbeneficiaries, SSA hired approxi-mately 10,000 new employeesand opened several hundred newfield offices. In addition, the SSAData Acquisition and ResponseSystem, a new nationwide com-puter network that providedonline data retrieval and file up-dating capabilities, was installed.

of 1980 made many changes inthe disability program. Most ofthese focused on various workincentive provisions under bothSocial Security and SSI.

It was determined that theSocial Security program faced aserious long-term financing crisis.The Greenspan Commission,appointed by President Reagan,studied the finance issues andmade recommendations for legis-dative changes. The final bill,signed in 1983, made numerouschanges in the Social Security andMedicare programs, including thetaxation of Social Security bene-fits, the first coverage of federalemployees under Social Securityand an increase in the retirementage in the next century.

Throughout the decade, SSA’sSystems Modernization Plan wasprogressing, marked by the open-ing of the new National Com-puter Center at headquarters. TheMetro West Building in down-town Baltimore also was officiallydedicated.

SSA also faced a major down-sizing, cutting almost 25 percentof its staff over a five-year period.

At right, President Reagan signs the 1983amendments ; f i e ld o f f i ce emp ioyees beg intaking claims with computers; and theNational Computer Center opens.

"With an independewe are reinventingoperations so that Ibetter.”

William J. Clinton

Shirley S. Chater (inset) joinedSSA as the 12th Commissioner.

Thanks to the Social SecurityIndependence and ProgramImprovements Act of 1994, SSAbecame an independent agencyonce again on March 31, 1995.President Clinton signs the legi-slation in photo below.

Al Gore (in photo at left) be-came the first Vice President tovisit SSA headquarters.

Fifteen SSA employees, oneoffice volunteer, and 21 officevisitors were killed when a bombexploded outside the OklahomaCity Okla., District Office onApril 19, 1995 (photo, far left).SSA employees across the countryquickly responded to help survi-vors and the families of victimscope with the tragedy.

As of today SSA's 61,315full-time permanent employeesadminister benefits to more than42 million beneficiaries.

Learnin ast

Avisit to the SSA HistoryRoom on the ground floorof the Altmeyer Building

at headquarters is a step back intime as well as a dynamic viewof the future of SSA.

“The History Room holds awealth of information importantto our agency and our plans forthe future include updating theexisting displays and organizingthe reams of information we havein our archives,” said SSA Histo-rian Larry Dewitt. “One of mykey goals is to renovate the His-tory Room to make it more dy-namic.”

Larry, who took over the posi-tion of historian in February hasseveral other goals, including-.starting an oral history projectto capture the sense of changethrough the careers of individualemployees;.publishing a book-lengthhistory on SSA highlighting thechanges in program administra-tion, operations and legislation;and.making the history archivesmore accessible and similar to areference library

The first project for Larry andManagement Analystwas the booklet, A Brief History ofthe Social Security Administration,issued on the occasion of SSA’sindependent agency ceremony onMarch 31. Copies of the booklet

are available through the Histo-rian’s Office at Room G-36 Alt-meyer, 6401 Security Blvd.,Baltimore, MD 21235. Copies alsowill be available through stand-ard ordering procedures, becausethe Office of Communicationsprinted additional copies fordistribution in August to regionalpublic affairs officers, field officesand tefeservice centers.

A tour through the HistoryRoom offers exhibits from thepast to the present. The room wasestablished in 1969 under thedirection of SSA's first historian,Abe Bortz. Memorabilia in theHistory Room relating to pioneersocial insurance programs datefrom the 18th and 19th centuries.There are copies of a pamphlet byThomas Paine in 1795 advocatingold-age pensions, and a letter con-cerning a speech made by KaiserWilhelm I to the Reichstag in1881, proposing a program ofsocial legislation.

Much of the collection is fromthe 1930s and focuses on the peo-ple who administered the earlydays of the program. The collec-tion documents the developmentof ways to satisfy the growingneeds of an aging population andthe resulting legislation and reor-ganization of the agency, empha-sizing changes as the programevolved.

A montage from the 1930sportraying the mood of the nationduring the years of the GreatDepression includes pictures ofthe unemployed, bonus marchers,victims of drought, squatters’shacks and soup lines. Dr. FrancisTownsend’s plan to provide a flatmonthly payment ($200) to allolder citizens is on display, asis a copy of President FranklinRoosevelt’s executive orderestablishing the Committee onEconomic Security. The groupreport became the basis for theSocial Security Act of 1935.

There is a television screenmounted on the wall that offersa 15-minute video on the historyof the program. PresidentRoosevelt’s words as he signedthe Act are preserved on the film.So are comments of PresidentsLyndon Johnson and Harry Tru-man at the signing of the Medi-care legislation and PresidentRonald Reagan at the signing ofthe 1983 Social Security amend-ments. Also included are Presi-dent Clinton’s remarks at thesigning ceremony for the inde-pendent agency bill.

The desk used by Social Secu-rity Commissioners, from ArthurAltmeyer to Robert Ball, is on dis-play It holds Commissioner Alt-meyer ' s letter opener, a silvercigarette box he used for paperclips, in- and out-baskets with

OASIS 16 August 1995

documents from the period anda '30s-style telephone.

Posters and leaflets were usedto explain Social Security to thepublic, and History Room visitorscan see a copy of the first posterurging people to get Social Secu-rity cards.

Displays also include picturesof prominent people such as theoriginal members of the SocialSecurity Board, Presidents sinceSocial Security’s inception andCommissioners of Social Security.

“Perhaps the most importantartifacts on display in the SSAHistory Room,” said Larry “arethe pens used by PresidentRoosevelt to sign the originalSocial Security Act into law in‘I935 and by President Johnsonto sign the Medicare legislationin 1965. And, in 1994, PresidentClinton used the same pen asPresident Roosevelt when he signedthe independent agency bill.”

The latest display in the HistoryRoom depicts the ceremonies andevents leading up to the creationof SSA as an independent agency.

“The History Room welcomesvisitors and tour groups,” Larrysaid. “Our official visiting hoursare from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and thehours will be extended this month.

“If employees or retirees havephotographs or other materialsthat might be of interest or suit-able for display, I would be happyto receive them, either as dona-tions or short-term loans,” headded. “We plan to continue tomodernize, update and refine ourdisplay of artifacts, pictures andpapers to meet the needs of thosewho have a view of history andan eye on the future of SSA.” 9

Reminiscences

(The Social Security program - and the agency that adminis-tered it-was fortunate to attract men and women of characterand vision. A retired employee who remembers two examplesof leadership from the mid-1930s wrote OASIS the followingletter.)

I n January 1936, I came aboard as TechnicalAdvisor to the Social Security Board. I want torecollect for present employees some inspiring

examples of honorable public service from that era.John Gilbert Winant, formerly three-time gover-

nor of New Hampshire, was in 1935 the Chairmanof the first Social Security Board. In September 1936,he took his letter of resignation to PresidentRoosevelt in order to be free to defend the SocialSecurity programs against disinformation in thepresidential campaign. President Roosevelt pointedout that, as a political appointee, Winant need notresign to campaign. His response was somethinglike this: “Yes, I know, but the Social Security pro-grams have not been politicized, and I am notgoing to start that.”

Frank Bane of Virginia was the first ExecutiveDirector of the Social Security Board. About the

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same time, he provided us with another exampleof withstanding political pressure, although hehad two children about ready for college. One ofhis boyhood idols was a senator from his statewhom he had once campaigned for as a collegestudent.

A lady with no professional training had appliedfor a position in the Bureau of Public Assistance.She did not meet the position specifications, butwent to the senator to intercede for her. The senatorcalled his long-time friend, Mr. Bane, to see that shewould be employed. After checking into it, Mr. Banetold the senator that the lady was not eligible foremployment. That so shocked the senator that hewent to the floor of the Senate and had FrankBane’s salary reduced by $500. (That seemed likemore money then.)

These examples of public service inspired usand set the standards for employees in all thebureaus, including the Bureau of Federal OldAge Benefits.

Maurine Mulliner (Ret.) 9

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