September 2019
A New my Social Security Feature Your Clients Can Access Today
There’s never been a better time to open or access your my Social Security account. my Social Security is your client’s online gateway to Social Security and we’ve recently added a new feature.
The Message Center in all my Social Security accounts now allows you to opt out of getting agency notices by mail that are available online. This includes annual cost-of-living adjustments and the income-related monthly adjustment amount increases. The Message Center is a secure, convenient portal where your clients can receive sensitive communications we don’t send through email or text. It is important to note that unless your clients opt out of receiving notices by mail that are available online, they will receive both mailed and online notices that are available in Message Center.
my Social Security account holders will still be able to request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of their Social Security application, set up or change direct deposit information, get a proof of income letter, change their address, and more.
Let your clients know they can plan for their future and manage their present with a my Social Security account today at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
Back to School with Social Security Life Lessons
Many of your clients have children or teens going back to school or even to college. There’s no better time to share our educator’s toolkit with people who educate students about retirement and saving for their future.
The goal of our educator’s webpage is to provide you and your clients with a toolkit full of the information and resources to develop engaging and informative lessons on Social Security and the importance of planning for the future.
Encourage your clients to check out the resources we have at www.socialsecurity.gov/thirdparty/educators.html. They are free to share online with colleagues who may find them helpful.
September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
The Compassionate Allowances program (CAL) is a way for Social Security to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Security's standards for disability benefits. These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children.
This past August, Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul announced four new Compassionate Allowances conditions: CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, Primary Peritoneal Cancer, and Richter Syndrome. “Social Security’s highest priority is to serve the public and we are committed to ensuring Americans with disabilities receive the benefits they are eligible for,” said Commissioner Saul. “For over a decade, our Compassionate Allowances program has helped us accelerate the disability process for people who are likely to get approved for benefits due to the severity of their condition.”
By incorporating cutting-edge technology, the agency can easily identify potential Compassionate Allowances to quickly make decisions. The Social Security Administration uses the same rules to evaluate CAL conditions when evaluating both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
You and your clients can view the entire CAL list as well as get more information at www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances/conditions.htm.
New Electronic Consent Based Social Security Number Verification Service
Section 215 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, Public Law (PL)115-174 directs Social Security to modify or develop a database for accepting and comparing fraud protection data provided electronically by a permitted entity. In response to this statutory directive, Social Security is creating eCBSV, a fee-based Social Security number (SSN) verification service. It will allow select financial institutions and service providers, called “permitted entities” and their subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, subcontractors, or assignees, to verify if a person’s SSN, name, and date of birth combination matches Social Security records. Social Security needs the person’s written consent and will accept an electronic signature in order to disclose the SSN verification to the permitted entity. eCBSV returns a match verification of “Yes” or “No.” eCBSV does not verify a person’s identity.
The Social Security Administration has selected the first group of potential participants for its new electronic Consent Based Social Security Number (SSN) Verification (eCBSV) service. The agency will roll out the service to these users in June 2020, and plans on expanding the number of users approximately six months after the initial rollout.
For more information, see www.socialsecurity.gov/dataexchange/eCBSV/.
Celebrating Our Diversity — National Hispanic Heritage Month
Generations of Hispanic Americans have positively enhanced and enriched our nation. Every September, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a time to recognize America’s diversity and acknowledge how it makes us stronger.
Social Security works hard to provide world-class customer service and information about our important programs and benefits to millions of Americans. If Spanish is your client’s primary language, they can visit www.segurosocial.gov, our Spanish-language website. It includes hundreds of pages of important information on topics such as how to get a Social Security card, plan for retirement, apply for benefits, and manage your benefits once you’re receiving them. Many of our offices have Spanish-speaking staff members who can assist your clients. Another option is to call 1-800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and select the option for Spanish.
Spanish-speaking individuals wishing to apply for retirement, disability, survivor, and other benefits, as well as Medicare, can request an appointment for an in-person interview or telephone claim with a bilingual representative.
Your clients can learn more about what Social Security offers at www.socialsecurity.gov/people/hispanics. And they can also access our Facebook and Twitter pages in Spanish at www.facebook.com/segurosocial and twitter.com/segurosocial.
Social Security and OIG Establish New Anti-Fraud Units
The Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced the expansion of its successful anti-fraud initiative, the Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Program. CDI Units identify, investigate, and prevent Social Security disability fraud. Three new statewide offices recently opened in Bismarck, North Dakota; Boise, Idaho; and Helena, Montana. In addition, the Puerto Rico office has expanded their investigative scope to include cases in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The CDI Program helps to resolve questions of potential fraud before benefits are ever paid. The innovative initiative continues to be successful, bringing together personnel from Social Security, its OIG, State Disability Determination Services (DDS), and local law enforcement agencies to investigate and analyze suspicious or questionable Social Security disability claims. CDI Unit efforts assist disability examiners in making informed decisions, ensure payment accuracy, and generate significant taxpayer savings, for both Federal and State programs.
The CDI Program consists of 46 units covering 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Social Security and OIG have opened several units in the last few years as they work together to provide CDI coverage for all 50 states by 2022.
Since 1997, when Social Security and OIG established CDI, its efforts have contributed to $4 billion in projected savings to Social Security’s programs, and $3 billion in projected savings to other Federal and State programs. For more information, please visit the OIG website and Social Security’s anti-fraud website at www.socialsecurity.gov/antifraudfacts.
