Social Security Advisory Board Announces Release of its Annual Report and New Website
Washington, DC – The Social Security Advisory Board (“Board”) announces the release of its 2019 annual report and a new public website. The Annual Report summarizes Board work during fiscal year 2019 and provides detailed information regarding Board accomplishments.
In 2019, the Board continued its work on representative payees by assisting and funding an independent study, submitting comments to the Federal Register, and publishing key themes from a September forum. The Board also published a report on Social Security’s death information collection, reporting and dissemination process and a Supplemental Security Income Statement detailing the complexity of dedicated accounts for children.
During this year, the Board-commissioned, independent Technical Panel on Assumptions and Methods released its final report on the assumptions and methods used in projecting the finances of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance trust funds. The Board also appointed an independent Information Technology Systems Expert Panel to review Social Security’s efforts to modernize its systems.
Finally, in 2019, the Board worked to respond to Congressional and Social Security Administration (SSA) requests. In May, in partnership with SSA, the Board held a policy forum on microsimulation modeling. The Board also began work to respond to two requests from Congress to examine the impact of Social Security’s decisions to close field offices on the quality and accessibility of services received by the public as well as improvements to the initial and reconsideration levels of the disability determination process.
Upon the report’s release, Kim Hildred, Board Chair, said:
“Our sincere thanks to the Commissioner of Social Security, Andrew Saul; SSA employees; Congressional staff; and the many stakeholders and experts who provided their valuable expertise and insights in support of the Board’s efforts. We also recognize and appreciate all our staff has done to help us achieve our mission.”
The Board will use its new website to make this and other information accessible in its effort to increase public understanding of the Social Security system.
The Board’s mission is to provide the President, Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security advice and guidance with respect to matters of policy and administration of the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs.