SSA – Social Security Administration
Although the Social Security Administration seems to have been around for a long time, it has only been around since 1935. The agency has seen a number of changes since its inception, as it has taken over a number of different agencies and has been at the center of a number of controversies due to suggestions on how it should be funded. Nonetheless, the SSA continues to be a vital part of the government, with almost 7% of the gross domestic product going to its budget.
One area that the Social Security Administration has changed is its adjudication of disability related benefits. With more than 75% of its adjudication cases having to do with those with disabilities, the SSA has even changed the name of its in-house adjudication department to reflect this, to the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. In order to better serve the various elderly, disabled, and survivors, a manual called the HALLEX has been developed in order to ensure that they are served by the principles of the administration, along with the proper procedures for almost all of the SSA\’s functions.
The SSA will continue to be a major part of the government. Although there are numerous and differing accounts of its potential demise, it is so much apart of the establishment that there is some debate whether or not the welfare system as we know it should be incorporated into the Social Security
Administration. Although it is hardly one of the most ancient programs that the United States government sponsors, it seems so because the Social Security Administration is such a part of the establishment, and one that people see the necessity for, even as they question why it should still exist, giving the program something in common with some of those that it supports.