Celebrating 89 years of Social Security

For nearly 90 years, Social Security has provided income protection to millions of retirees, people with disabilities, their dependents and families who’ve lost a family member who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died. In addition to paying benefits, we issue millions of Social Security numbers each year, maintain wage records to make sure workers get the benefits they have earned, and much more.

The scope of what we do is enormous, and we are proud to serve the American people. Whether providing service online at SSA.gov, over the telephone or in person, our goal is to help you understand your eligibility for benefits and the best way to apply for them.

We also work to make sure our programs, particularly Supplemental Security Income (SSI), remain accessible to you. SSI provides monthly payments to adults and children with a disability or blindness, and to adults age 65 and older, who have limited income and resources. This year we announced that we are expanding SSI eligibility criteria by:

• Updating the public assistance household definition.

• Removing food from in-kind support and maintenance.

• Expanding rental subsidy nationwide.

Find more information about SSI at http://www.ssa.gov/ssi/. 

We are dedicated to protecting the well-being of the people we serve. It is important to us that every person who is eligible for benefits gets them timely and accurately. That is how we help secure today and tomorrow.

To learn more about the history of Social Security, visit http://www.ssa.gov/history. Please share this information with your friends and loved ones who may need it.