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Social Security's 75th
anniversary: an eventful year
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[January 21, 2011]
Social
Security is the nation’s most successful domestic program. It’s
easy to look back at what a difference it has made over the past 75
years. And 2010, our diamond anniversary year, has been full of
accomplishments.
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We launched an important new
service in 2010: the online Medicare application. It allows people
reaching age 65 who opt to delay receiving retirement benefits to
apply for Medicare coverage from their computer in as little as 10
minutes. Also exciting is that we reunited the original cast of
The Patty Duke Show to promote the new application. Reunite with
the cast and go to the Medicare application at
www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.
Speaking of Medicare, a
“twist” in the law makes it easier for more people to qualify for
Extra Help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs
because some things no longer count as income and resources. Chubby
Checker, who made “The Twist” popular, helped make the announcement
with a public service campaign. Learn more, and watch Chubby twist
again, at
www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp.
We took great strides this
year to help speed up the disability process, helping people with
the most severe disabilities get their benefits faster as well as
reducing the number of people waiting for a hearing on their
appeal. The agency continues to make the disability hearings
backlog a top priority. Learn more at the Hearings and Appeals
website:
www.socialsecurity.gov/appeals.
At Social Security,
customer service satisfaction remains high. The agency took the
three top spots for customer service in the American Customer
Satisfaction Index. Social Security’s online Retirement Estimator
and benefit application remain in the top spots, and the Help
with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs application placed
third. We even beat Netflix in customer service satisfaction.
Social Security employees
are satisfied too. Employees rate Social Security as one of the
Best Places to Work in the Federal Government according to The
Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute
for the Study of Public Policy Implementation. If you’re thinking of
joining the team, visit
www.socialsecurity.gov/careers.
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This year, Social Security has
shown that transparency is as important to us as it is to President
Obama. In January, the agency made new data available to the general
public, supporting the President’s Transparency and Open
Government initiative. In February, the agency launched an Open
Government website at
www.socialsecurity.gov/open
and in April Social Security used that website to showcase the
agency’s Open Government Plan.
The 75th anniversary of
Social Security has been an exciting year, and not only because we
reflect back on a long history -- but because we have many great
things going on right now.
By Judith Bartels
Social Security District
Manager in Springfield, IL |
