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Running Head: RATIONALE & ANALYSIS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Rationale and Analysis for Social Security Administration
Lavinia J. Daye
PAD530: Public Personnel Management
10/15/2015
Rationale and Analysis for Social Security Administration
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Rationale and Analysis for Social Security Administration
Introduction
The Social Security Administration, mostly known as SSA acts an independent
governmental agency that controls the social programs. Typically, the United States Social
Security provides economical government welfare program to the citizen to assist them, for
instance, during retirement, unemployment and disability. Most of the funding for the United
States Social Security program comes from significant contributors, employers, employees
and business personals. The Social Security program works under three major categorizes.
These social security programs are social security retirement, social security survivors and
social security disability. To keep close observation and analysis, the Social Security
Administration (SSA) manages the distribution of benefits under these three programs. In
general category, citizens are entitled to apply for social security benefits once they reach the
age of 62 years old. Furthermore, the department of Social Security Administration
determines suitable policies for the citizen especially for the disability programs (Official
Social Security, 2015).
Within the major social security programs, the most significant program is Medicare.
It is the most popular social insurance program for the elders. Initially Medicare is a federally
administrated health program that provides assistance to elder citizen regarding health
payment issues. However, some parts of Medicare program also come under the social
security program because the major funding of this program initially comes from socials
security taxes. Furthermore, the SSA department is responsible for running this program.
Moreover, the social security programs are generally financed through general revenue,
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premiums and taxes. The department of the Social Security is directly governed by the United
States government, but every State has its own certain guidelines (DeWitt, 2010).
Under the working agency, the mission of the board is to provide social security
services to meet the needs of the people in time. To regulate the agency, a commissioner
controls the social security administration while the governmental agency itself operates
under the US Department of Health and Human Services. It is the biggest sector of the DHHS
(Department of Health and Human Services and compromise of nearly 62,000 employees
with total of 10 regional state offices and 1300 field offices. The headquarters is located at
the Baltimore, Maryland. Primary, the roots of the Social Security Programs stretches to the
1935 Act of Social Security on federal level. Before this act, the presence of social security
was felt at state level. After the formation of the Act in 1935, a Social Security Board was
established to control and monitor the program. The original name of the social security
board was changed to Social Security Administration in 1946 under President Harry S.
Truman’s Reorganization plan. Under the reports of 2014, it is evident that social security
welfare program of the United States is the largest public program with estimated 906.4
billion dollars net cost. This estimated net cost represents nearly 21% of the governmental
expenditure (Puckett, 2010).
Agency Functions
The Social Security Administration agency is a vast governmental public program.
The basic function of SSA is to formulate the policy according to the general health insurance
program. They negotiate the agreements with necessary intermediaries for the payment
process and clear the health facilities for participation in the program. They also notify the
health institute and hospitals that ensures health services. The second major function and
responsibility of the Social Security Administration Department is to create reimbursement
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plans for the healthcare facilities and agencies to cover the maximum payment. For this
purpose, SSA directly joins with Public Health Services to negotiate the terms and
conditions. The major SSA contribution in healthcare facilities is the Medicare and its
regulation formation under the SSA policy and procedural instructions. Since Social Security
Administration department is responsible for assisting citizens regarding financial
management, their most significant function is to record and process every data according to
the administration program. For this purpose, SSA collects and analyzes various documents
regarding cost and data to prepare future programs expenditure. The other secondary
functions of the Social Security Administration Agency are to formulate health insurance
programs and policies to enact the primary health care services and financial arrangement.
Moreover, under the administration, the social security board has numerous functions and
responsibilities regarding the substantial program. The administration also deals with the
various regional offices and contact stations throughout the country for the enrollment and
services instructions while continue to serve the general public with beneficiaries and directs
services (Purcell, Iams, & Shoffner, 2015).
Agency News
The analysis of the current two news events from the social security program
indicates certain implication for the agency especially in the personnel management. The
basic aim of the SSA is to cover certain amount of the medical payment under the Medicare
program, but recently the United States government increased the premiums for the Medicare
program with 50%. This indicates that social security citizens get maximum advantage under
the social security public policy. Furthermore, Social Security recipients will get low living
cost, but the health care facilities will be expensive. Similarly, the policies for the retirement
program also vary from age to age and that shapes the retirement years for an elderly person.
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These two events leads to implication for the Social Security Personnel management and can
further direct the potential social security candidates to other insurance programs that might
be expensive, but contain certain quality policies. Furthermore, social security department
policies have different retirement plans and elderly funds that are not suitable for some
individuals. This creates organizational and environmental implications for the agency
(Security, 2008).
Rationale of selecting Social Security Administration Agency
According to the reports of the federal government, the Social Security program has
been one the most successful household government programs for over 60 years. The Social
Security Administration policy provides economic protection of all the US citizens. The
Social Security is designed in such a way to provide maximum profit, income and services to
the individuals at the time of retirement, sickness, unemployment or even death. Initially the
rationale for selecting SSA governmental agency is that through this program or agency an
individual can get their eligibility for future benefits. These types of funds and trust have
transformed the Social Security in a very successful program, which contributes to provide
fair benefits to many Americans. Through social security program many individuals can have
maximum benefits even while working. The main purpose of selecting social security
administration agency is that the individual can easily get finance at the time of need. It can
be in any unfortunate situation or retirement. Some individuals live up their elder years
through social security system. Moreover, the money for the social security remains in flow
which ensures that each payroll tax collected in the system assists currently retirees and
needy individuals (Weathers, Silanskis, Stegman, Jones, & Kalasunas, 2010).
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References
DeWitt, L. (2010). The Development of Social Security in America. Social Security Bulletin,
70(3), 1-29.
Official Social Security. (2015). About Us. Retrieved October 13, 2015, from SSA:
www.ssa.gov
Puckett, C. (2010). Administering Social Security: Challenges Yesterday and Today. Social
Security Bulletin, 70(3), 27-78.
Purcell, P. J., Iams, H. M., & Shoffner, D. (2015). Education, Earnings Inequality, and Future
Social Security Benefits: A Microsimulation Analysis. Social Security Bulletin, 75(3),
15-33.
Security, U. S. (2008). Steven Greene Livingston. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Weathers, R. R., Silanskis, C., Stegman, M., Jones, J., & Kalasunas, S. (2010). Expanding
Access to Health Care for Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries: Early
Findings from the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration. Social Security Bulletin,
70(4), 25- 47.