On this day in Social Security History

On this day in Social Security Administration history:?

Side Note: January 1, 1933 marked the beginning of an era in which the United States would emerge from, "the height of the Depression in 1933," to become a dominant leader on the world stage. Continuing the quote it was a time when, "24.9% of the total work force or 12,830,000 people was (sic) unemployed" and (from another source) "hundreds of thousands had become homeless wanderers in search of work. The nation's industrial production had fallen by 44 percent since 1929. Millions of farmers faced foreclosure. Banks were failing by the score. Local governments were running out of money for relief programs."

Social Security, which would be signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, would become a key pillar of that recovery and the part of the lattice upon which today's economy remains resilient. It was part of, "The New Deal Roosevelt promised the American people [that] began to take shape immediately after his inauguration in March 1933."

1/1/1930 The California Old-age Pension Law, which was mandatory and Statewide in its application, became effective.?More from the Committee on Economic Security (CES), OLD AGE PENSIONS, by Edwin E. Witte https://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/ces/ces2witte2.html

1/1/1930 The census reported 6,634,000 persons (5.4% of the population) over 65.?

1/1/1931 The American Medical Association established its Bureau of Medical Economics indicating its growing interest in the economic problems of medical care.?More: https://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/schlabach4.html

1/1/1932 The American Federation of Labor endorsed social insurance.?More: https://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/hr35afl.pdf

1/1/1932 President Hoover recommended that the concentration of health education and recreational activities be incorporated into a single executive department.?

1/1/1933 The American Hospital Association endorsed hospital prepayment plans and established a list of essentials which should characterize such plans. This led to the establishment of Blue Cross.?

1/1/1933 Federal Rules and Regulations No. 7 defined policies and procedures under which medical care might be given to those receiving unemployment relief in the States.?

1/1/1934 The existing Vocational Rehabilitation program was greatly expanded to include operation under State principles approved by the Federal Security Administrator. Federal grants to States were to cover all administrative costs, costs of all services for war disabled civilians, and half the costs of services to other civilians.?

1/1/1934 Dr. Francis Townsend and Robert Clements set up the organization Old-age Revolving Pensions, Ltd.?More: https://www.ssa.gov/history/towns5.html

1/1/1934 Commercial insurance against the costs of hospitalization was first offered by private insurance companies.?

1/1/1934 New York was the first State to pass an Enabling Act permitting the establishment of nonprofit hospital service corporations under the State Insurance Commissioner.?

1/1/1934 The United States Government became a member of the International Labor Organization.? "John G. Winant who had become the first head of the new Social Security Board (SSB) in 1935, had already distinguished himself in public life as a three-term governor of New Hampshire and first American member of the International Labor Organization ... The International Labor Organization (ILO) was the only major part of the old League of Nations to survive into the modern era of the United Nations. It was a leading force in a movement in the early decades of the 20th century on behalf of greater economic opportunity and justice for the working classes of the world." More: https://www.ssa.gov/history/mywinantarticle.html

1/1/1936 An Informational Service was established under the Social Security Board.?

1/1/1936 The Federal unemployment tax of one percent became applicable to employers of eight or more, with a credit offset for contributions paid to State unemployment funds.?

1/1/1936 Miss Jane Hoey was appointed Director, Bureau of Public Assistance.?More: https://www.ssa.gov/history/janehoey.html

1/1/1937 Workers began to acquire credits toward old-age insurance benefits. Employers and employees became subject to a tax of one percent of wages on up to $3,000 a year. Lump-sum payments were first made payable to eligible workers, their survivors or their estates. The Federal unemployment tax payable by employers of 8 or more was increased to two percent of payroll.?

1/1/1937 The Technical Committee on Medical Care was established under the interdepartmental Committee to Coordinate Health and Welfare Activities. The Technical Committee was composed of staff members of the Children's Bureau, U.S. Public Health Service, and the Social Security Board.?

1/1/1938 The Federal unemployment tax payable by employers of eight or more employees was increased to three percent of payroll. Unemployment benefits first became payable in 22 States.?

1/1/1938 The Baltimore Federal Credit Union was chartered.?

1/1/1939 Unemployment benefits became payable in 26 additional States, bringing the total number of jurisdictions paying to 49.?

1/1/1939 The first Statewide prepayment plans for physician's services were established by the State medical societies of California and Michigan.?

1/1/1940 Monthly benefits first became payable under old-age and survivor's insurance to aged retired workers and their dependents and to survivors of deceased insured workers. The Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund was established as a separate account in the United States Treasury to hold the amounts accumulated under the old-age and survivors insurance program. Basic provisions for hearing and review instituted by the Social Security Board under authority to establish procedures, hold hearings, and take testimony in relation to determination of rights to old-age and survivors insurance benefits (Office of Appeals Council).?

1/1/1940 During the year, the first United States Social Security payments were made to 100 beneficiaries living abroad.?

1/1/1941 The Social Security Board first recommended the addition of disability benefits in its Annual Report to Congress for 1941.?

1/1/1942 The States turned over to the Social Security Board the operation of the State-administered employment offices to effect the fullest utilization of the nation's labor supply.?

1/1/1944 The Mexican social insurance act went into operation in the Federal District, It established a system of compulsory insurance covering risks of industrial accident and occupational disease, sickness and maternity, invalidity, old age and death, as well as providing for voluntary insurance of certain groups not included under the compulsory system.?

1/1/1946 The Committee for the Nation's Health was organized to promote the passage of the Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill.?

1/1/1946 The Health Insurance Council was formed by eight trade associations in the insurance field to serve as a liaison agency between the dispensers of health services, such as physicians and hospitals, and the underwriters.?

1/1/1946 The Association of Medical Care Plans, with the Blue Shield as an emblem, was created as a national coordinating agency for physician sponsored health insurance plans.?

1/1/1947 Grants to States for maternal and child health and child welfare services went into effect in the Virgin Islands.?

1/1/1948 UAW-CIO appointed a Social Security Advisory Committee and a Medical Care Advisory Committee.?

1/1/1948 The National Labor Relations Board ruled that pension, health and welfare plans were within the scope of collective bargaining. These rulings were sustained by action of higher courts in 1949.?

1/1/1950 A new plan for collecting taxes due under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act and under the income tax withholding provisions of the Internal Revenue Code became effective. The plan provided for consolidating the two collections and utilized a new form--Form 941-replacing Forms SS-LA, the Social Security reporting form and Form W-1 which had been used for reporting income taxes withheld from wages.?

1/1/1950 The old age and survivors insurance contributions rates were increased to 1.5 percent each for employers and employees.?

1/1/1951 The old age and survivors insurance contribution rate of 2.25 percent of earnings became effective for all self-employed. The new old age and survivors insurance payroll tax wage base of $3,600 also went into effect.?

1/1/1951 During the year, the first Social Security Administration Cooperative Point IV projects was begun in Egypt, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Mexico and Panama.?

1/1/1952 The Advisory Committee on International Activities was established by the Social Security Commissioner to obtain the views of national organizations on developing the Social Security Administration's cooperation in international social welfare.?

1/1/1954 Old-age and survivors insurance contribution rates increased to two percent each for employers and employees and three percent for the self-employed.?

1/1/1955 Effective this date, employees of the Federal Government were brought under the unemployment insurance system.?

1/1/1955 The wage base of $4,200 went into effect for the old age and survivors insurance payroll tax.?

1/1/1955 The Bureau of Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance took the first disability freeze applications.?

1/1/1957 The first disability payments were paid under OASDI, when benefits for this month went to retired or deceased workers' dependent children aged 18 or over, where a permanent and total disability had begun before age 18. The increase in OASDI contribution rates became effective; 2 1/4 % each for employers and employees and 3 3/8% for self-employed.?

1/1/1957 The Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance sent its first mission overseas to help administer benefit payments to persons residing in Poland.?

1/1/1957 The Committee of Social Security Actuaries and Statisticians was established, thus continuing the existence of an I.S.S.A. ad hoc committee which, in cooperation with the I.L.O., had launched the first International Conference of Social Security Actuaries and Statisticians (Brussels, 1956).?

1/1/1958 Violations Branch established in the Division of Claims Policy--for fraud control activities.?

1/1/1959 An increase in Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance contribution rates was raised to 2.5% each for employers and employees and to 3.75% for the self-employed. The OASDI wage base was set at $4,800.?

1/1/1959 Social security began receiving the Organization of American States Fellows for program planning and technical assistance.?

1/1/1960 An increase in OASDI contribution rates became effective as 3% each for employers and employees and 4.5% for the self-employed.?

1/1/1960 Occupancy began of the Operations Building of the Bureau of Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance in Woodlawn, Maryland, and tentative sketches for the Annex were completed.?

1/1/1961 The White House Conference on Aging sponsored by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, convened in Washington, D.C.?

?1/1/1961 The Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance began keeping its benefit rolls electronically. Under contract with RCA, the Bureau installed the first units in a complex of high speed, all transistorized electronic data processing equipment in its seven Payment Centers.?

?1/1/1961 District Offices first became involved in the transmission of data and administrative traffic via teletype Batch Data Transmission System (BDTS).?

1/1/1962 The social security payroll taxes rose to 3.125% for employee and employer, with the self-employed to pay 4.7%.?

1/1/1964 OASDI payroll tax rates of 3.625% each for employers and employees and 5.4 % for the self-employed went into effect.?

1/1/1965 The Report of the Advisory Council on Social Security on the Status of the Social Security Program and Recommendations for Its Improvement proposed hospital insurance protection for older people.?

1/1/1965 Housing and Urban Renew Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-117) was enacted. It authorized a rent supplement program which would provide private housing for low-income, disabled, and elderly people; expanded the public housing program to provide an estimated additional 30,000 new units of public housing for older people; lowered the interest rate in the direct loan program for building moderate income housing for the elderly.?

1/1/1966 States were authorized to set up new medical assistance and medical assistance to the aged programs, with the Federal Government to pay from 50% to 85% of the cost.?

1/1/1966 Persons receiving public assistance because of old-age, blindness or disability could have their payments made to a third person if they had physical or mental impairments which made them unable to manage the payments themselves.?

1/1/1966 Federal public assistance funds could be used for aged persons who were patients in institutions for tuberculosis or mental diseases or who, because of diagnosis or tuberculosis or mental disease, were patients in a medical institution. Federal aid could also be used for the needy blind and disabled persons who were in general medical institutions because of a diagnosis of tuberculosis or mental disease.?

1/1/1966 From this date on, any decision about a State's public assistance plans made by the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare which would have the effect of denying Federal aid could be appealed in Federal courts.?

1/1/1966 The Advanced Record System was introduced to District Offices. This provided SSA with a single, integrated telecommunications network.?

1/1/1967 Benefits for extended-care services following hospitalization became available to persons enrolled in the hospital insurance program under the Social Security Act.?

1/1/1969 The hospital deductible, for which the Medicare beneficiary was responsible, was increased from $40.00 to $44.00.?

1/1/1969 The increased tax rate for Social Security became effective. The rate was raised from 4.4% for the earnings base of $7,800 to 4.8%. The rate for self-employed persons was raised from 6.4% to 6.9%.?

1/1/1969 The Metropolitan Answering Service (MAS) was first established in Washington, D.C. and then extended to Los Angeles, California and to other cities during the year.?

1/1/1969 HEW Secretary Finch established a Secretary's Task Force on Medicaid and Related Programs. The president of the National Blue Cross Association, Walter J. McNurney, was made chairman; Arthur Hess was its staff director.?

1/1/1970 James Nease resigned as the Director of the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals.?

1/1/1970 SSA District Offices in several States began to develop non-medical evidence while State agencies were developing the medical evidence in disability cases.?

1/1/1970 The Social Security Administration's Claims Control System (SSACCS) was implemented. This was an inventory control, EDP originated, system for monitoring claims receipt and movement information.?

?1/1/1971 The 10% benefit increase became effective.?

?1/1/1971 H. Dale Cook, an attorney from Oklahoma City, became the Director of the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals.?

?1/1/1971 The Bureau of Data Processing and Accounts became the Bureau of Data Processing.?

?1/1/1971 The Bureau of Retirement and Survivors Insurance underwent a reorganization.?

?1/1/1972 Sumner G. Whittier, former executive director of the Michigan Medical Service (Blue Shield), became the Director of the Adult Assistance Planning Office, thereby absorbing the functions the Program Policy and Task Force staffs.?

?1/1/1973 The Bureau of Disability Insurance moved into the newly-completed Dickinson Tower.?

?1/1/1975 President Ford signs into law the Privacy Act of 1974. This law contains safeguards preventing the disclosure of information in government files if such disclosure would violate the privacy of individual citizens.?

?1/1/1975 Robert Tractenberg became the Director of the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals, succeeding H. Dale Cook who resigned to become a Federal judge.?

?1/1/1976 The Bilateral International Social Security Agreement between the United States and West Germany was signed.?

?1/1/1976 Elmer Smith, former Regional Commissioner, SRS, New York, became SSA's Associate Commissioner for Program Policy and Planning.?

?1/1/1976 William Rivers, Assistant Bureau Director of the Bureau of Disability Insurance, became its Bureau Director.?

?1/1/1977 The Medicare deductible went from $104 to $124.?

?1/1/1977 A new procedure introduced by SSA eliminated the use of the SS-5 (Application for Social Security Account Number) in the claims process.?

?1/1/1978 Beginning with the 1978 tax year, annual reporting of wages by employers replaced quarterly reporting, although State and local entities would continue to report on a quarterly basis.?

?1/1/1979 Dwight Bartlett, formerly senior vice president and chief actuary of the Monumental Life Insurance Company of Baltimore, became SSA's Chief Actuary.?

?1/1/1979 Don Wortman, Deputy Commissioner, left SSA for a post with the CIA.?

?1/1/1988 SSA's first strategic plan (2000: A Strategic Plan) is published.?

?1/1/1992 Child Care Center opened in the Operations Building at the Woodlawn complex.?

?1/1/1999 The percentage of beneficiaries receiving their payments by direct deposit hit 75%, with 15 States having rates over 80%. New beneficiaries are electing direct deposit at a rate in excess of 90%. (Eleven countries currently have international direct deposit of Social Security benefits, with an additional 25 countries planned for 1999.)?

More Social Security Administration history: https://lnkd.in/e7aYDjRe & #SSAHistGWC

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