Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that runs the country's largest social insurance program. It manages retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for millions of Americans, funded through payroll taxes. The agency was born out of the Social Security Act of 1935, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. Initially called the Social Security Board, it took its current name in 1946. Today, the SSA is led by Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who oversees a sprawling operation that touches nearly every American family.

With about 60,000 employees, the SSA operates 1,200 field offices, 10 regional offices, eight processing centers, and 37 teleservice centers. Its headquarters sits in Woodlawn, Maryland, just west of Baltimore. The agency's reach is staggering: in fiscal year 2022, it paid out $1.2 trillion in Social Security benefits to 66 million people, plus another $61 billion in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to 7.5 million low-income individuals. Field offices, which served 43 million people in 2019, closed for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened on April 7, 2022.

The SSA is more than a bureaucratic machine; it's a lifeline. Most workers pay Social Security taxes on their earnings, and their benefits are tied to their contribution history. Need-based programs like SSI provide a safety net for those who haven't paid in enough. The agency's employees, represented at headquarters by the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1923, work to keep this massive system running smoothly. [edit]