Q.1.1 What is the history behind the Social Security Service?
A: SSA has continually emphasized the fact that the SSN identifies a particular record only and the Social Security Card indicates the person whose record is identified by that number. In no way can the Social Security Card identify the bearer. From 1946 to 1972 the legend "Not for Identification" was printed on the face of the card. However, many people ignored the message and the legend was eventually dropped. The social security number is the most widely used and carefully controlled number in the country, which acts it an attractive identifier.
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Q.1.1.1 What are the prefix (eg. "W" or "A") letters in front of the social security number?
A: These indicate the reason benefits were paid to a living person; the relationship of the living person to the Social Security number holder is as follows:
- A = Worker
- B = Spouse (of an employed individual).
- C = Child of worker
- D = Widow/widower age 60 or older
- W = Disabled widow/widower age 50 or older
- E = Young mother/father with child in care
These are the common denotation. However, there are other letters for other classes of benefits: B, C, D, W, E's - all of these letters may or may not have a number after them, e.g., D - widow; D1 - widower; D6 - divorced widow - several others D2, D4, D9, etc - each has a particular meaning). B - wife; B6 - divorced wife, etc.
[The above parargaph(s) was received from: jatkisso@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Judy Atkisson)]
Q.1.2 Is the Social Security Records a public record?
A: With the exception of the restrictions imposed on Federal and some State and local organizations by the Privacy Act of 1974, organizations requiring a unique identifier forp urposes of controlling their records are not prohibited from using (with the consent of the holder) the SSN. SSA records are confidential and knowledge of a person's SSN does not give the user access to information in SSA files which is confidential by law.
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Q.1.3 I see commercial usages of Social Security numbers, how come?
A: Many commercial enterprises have used the SSN in various promotional efforts. These uses are not authorized by SSA, but SSA has no authority to prohibit such activities as most are not illegal. Some of these unauthorized uses are: SSN contests; skip-tracers; sale or distribution of plastic or metal cards; pocketbook numbers (the numbers used on sample social security cards in wallets); misleading advertising, commercial enterprises charging fees for SSN services; identification of personal property.
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Q.1.4 What is the meaning of each segment of the Social Security Number?
A: The Social Security Number (SSN) is composed of 3 parts, XXX-XX-XXXX, called the Area, Group, and Serial.For the most part, (there are exceptions), the Area is determined by where the individual APPLIED for the SSN (before 1972) or RESIDED at time of application (after 1972). The areas are assigned as follows:
| 000 | unused |
| 001-003 | NH |
| 004-007 | ME |
| 008-009 | VT |
| 010-034 | MA |
| 035-039 | RI |
| 040-049 | CT |
| 050-134 | NY |
| 135-158 | NJ |
| 159-211 | PA |
| 212-220 | MD |
| 221-222 | DE |
| 223-231 | VA |
| 232-236 | WV |
| 237-246 | NC |
| 247-251 | SC |
| 252-260 | GA |
| 261-267 | FL |
| 268-302 | OH |
| 303-317 | IN |
| 318-361 | IL |
| 362-386 | MI |
| 387-399 | WI |
| 400-407 | KY |
| 408-415 | TN |
| 416-424 | AL |
| 425-428 | MS |
| 429-432 | AR |
| 433-439 | LA |
| 440-448 | OK |
| 449-467 | TX |
| 468-477 | MN |
| 478-485 | IA |
| 486-500 | MO |
| 501-502 | ND |
| 503-504 | SD |
| 505-508 | NE |
| 509-515 | KS |
| 516-517 | MT |
| 518-519 | ID *Guam, American Samoa, |
| 520 | WY Northern Mariana Islands, |
| 521-524 | CO Philippine Islands |
| 525 | NM |
| 526-527 | AZ |
| 528-529 | UT |
| 530 | NV |
| 531-539 | WA |
| 540-544 | OR |
| 545-573 | CA |
| 574 | AK |
| 575-576 | HI |
| 577-579 | DC |
| 580 | VI Virgin Islands |
| 581-584 | PR Puerto Rico |
| 585 | NM |
| 586 | PI Pacific Islands* |
| 587-588 | MS |
| 589-595 | FL |
| 596-599 | PR Puerto Rico |
| 600-601 | AZ |
| 602-626 | CA |
627-699 unassigned, for future use
700-728 Railroad workers through 1963, then discontinued
729-899 unassigned, for future use 900-999 not valid SSNs, but were used for program purposes when state aid to the aged, blind and disabled was converted to a federal program administered by SSA.
As the Areas assigned to a locality are exhausted, new areas from the pool are assigned. This is why some states have non-contiguous groups of Areas.
The Group portion of the SSN has no meaning other than to determine whether or not a number has been assigned. SSA publishes a list every month of the highest group assigned for each SSN Area.The order of assignment for the Groups is: odd numbers under 10, even numbers over 9, even numbers under 9 except for 00 which is never used, and odd numbers over 10. For example, if the highest group assigned for area 999 is 12, then we know that the number 999-04-1234 is an invalid number because even Groups under 9 have not yet been assigned.
The Serial portion of the SSN has no meaning. The Serial is not assigned in strictly numerical order. The Serial 0000 is never assigned.
Before 1973, Social Security Cards with pre-printed numbers were issued to each local SSA office. The numbers were assigned by the local office. In 1973, SSN assignment was automated and outstanding stocks of pre-printed cards were destroyed. All SSNs are now assigned by computer from headquarters. There are rare cases in which the computer system can be forced to accept a manual assignment such as a person refusing a number with 666 in it.
A pamphlet entitled "The Social Security Number" (Pub. No. 05-10633) provides an explanation of the SSN's structure and the method of assigning and validating Social Security numbers.
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Q.1.5 How do I know someone indeed had a Social Security Number?
A: [From SasiC@aol.com, original author unknown] The following chronology may help to determine that the none" in the SSN field of a death certificate, for example, may mean that the person never had one:
- 1935 - Social Security Act passed
- 1936 - Enrollment begins, first SSNs issued to covered workers
- 1937 - Payroll ("FICA") tax withholding begins (1% on first $3,000 in wages!)
- 1940 - Payment of benefits begins.
Initially, workers under age 65 in commerce and industry were covered. In
the following years, Congress made significant expansions of coverage: - 1950 - Regularly employed farm and domestic workers; non-farm self-employed
- 1954 - Self-employed farmers professions, except most medical and legal
- 1956 - Military and remainder of professionals, except
physicians (1965)
Some groups, such as government employees, firefighters, and clergy came in over longer periods, with coverage first being elective and later mandatory with limited exemptions. - 1965 - Mass enumeration of those over age 65 without social security numbers for Medicare entitlement purposes - this meant that many who had never had a number were now assigned numbers even though never worked. [The above parargaph was received from: jatkisso@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Judy Atkisson)]
Not until the mid-1970s, did SSA routinely assign SSNs as part of the benefit application process for dependents of the worker, such as spouses, widows, and dependent children without an SSN.Dependents had a claim number which was the worker's SSN plus a letter suffix.Thus, the husband's SSN sometimes appears on the death certificate of a wife or widow who never had one.
The Social Security Administration issued SSN's only to record earnings from which benefit amounts were calculated, and rather consistently resisted initiatives and trends to make the SSN a universal identifier.In the past two decades, that stance has been overwhelmed by the insistence of private entities, such as credit bureaus, and other branches of government (most notably IRS), for a unique identifier that could be used by computers for drivers' licenses, curbing tax evasion and welfare fraud.As one Rooter observed, most children born today have SSNs requested by their parents as an optional step in the birth registration process.
SSA has abstracted the data from SSN applications into its database, but does not release this or other information to other parties during the lifetime of the individual.Until the mid-1970's, the worker's actual SSN application was inserted into the claims folder, which, unfortunately due to the cost of storage, is generally not retained very long after the death of the worker or the last survivor goes off the benefit rolls.Most claims folders also include a copy (and translation, if necessary) of the beneficiaries' birth certificates or other proofs of age and relationship, not to mention a written explanation when Guy Rivers' papers show his name at birth as Jose Rivera.
When SS benefits were instituted in 1937, individuals claiming benefits had to document their births even if their states had not required birth registration.The 1880 and 1900 federal census enumerations were partially of fully indexed to help provide this documentation. Another methos was to file evidence as part of an application for a delayed birth certificate.
The individual applying had to submit a petition to the county court stating his/her name, address, birth date, birthplace, father's name, race, as well as evidence to support the facts presented.The evidence could be in the form of a baptismal certificate, Bible record, school record, affidavit from the attending physician of midwife, application for an insurance policy, birth certificate of a child, copy of an application for a Social Security account number, of an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts.
The delayed birth certificate lists vital information abstracted from the supporting evidence. Most states have delayed birth records, some of which are indexed and easily usable.Some delayed birth records have been filed for individuals born as early as 1840.These records are usually filed in the county where the individual applied and not in the county of birth. Though comparatively infrequent, these records provide information about the individual and his/her parnets when vital records were not widely kept.The records and testimony used as supporting evidence for the document will lead you to other information sources and also show which relatives were living at the time the certificate was applied for.
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Q.1.6 Did everyone who had a Social Security Number shows up in the Social Security Death Index?
A:
No. Only those whose names were reported to the Social Security Administration. Typically, such reporting would be done to receive a Lump Sum distribution for the benefits of the Social Security Number holder.
Q.1.7 When was the SSN first used for Income Tax Return purposes?
A:
In 1942 the use of a SSN was optional. In 1946 it became mandatory. However, in our experience the IRS will not release any tax information whatsoever to individual, regardless of the taxpayers' status (included long deceased).
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Section 2: How to use the Social Security Number of a deceased person for genealogical purposes?
Q.2.0 How can I obtain a Social Security Number of a deceased person?
A: The Latter Day Saints (LDS) Church of Jesus Christ maintains Family History Centers (FHL) throughout the U.S. and world wide. In most of these centers a computer program allows the user the search the Social Security Death Index (SSDI).
This index shows - if known - the deceased's first and last name, place of death (by Zip code locale only), date of death (sometimes just a year), and date of birth (sometimes this information is partial or missing). In addition, it provides the state in which the person had _obtained_ the Social Security Number, and the number itself. With this information, a genealogist or researcher can request the Social Security Administration for a copy or an extract of the original application for a Social Security Number (see below).
Link to
| Social Security Death Index On Line Search |
| Everton Publishers: emh.everton.com/ssmdi.html |
| Ancestryl |
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Q.2.0.0.5 Since when were most of the records in the Social Security Death Index?
Although some records were reported (see Q.1.6) since 1937 (See Q.1.5) when the SSA Act was put into effect, most are from 1962, when elctronic requests for benefits became commonly used.
If you are requesting any information about the SS-5 form of a deceased person, you should be able to identify the person with a SSN or with enough details as to avoid ambiguity. The SS Administration will not release an SS-5 if not enought details to identify the deceased are provided
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Q.2.0.1 What information can the Social Security
Adminstration give out to genealogist or family members?
A: Disclosure of information by SSA is governed mainly by the
Social Security Act itself, the Freedom of Information Act of 1974, the Privacy Act of 1974, and the Tax Reform Act of 1976. In general, information about a LIVING person MAY NOT be released to a third party unless the individual has signed a written authorization for release of that information. The fact of an individual's death, date of death, and place of death or burial may be disclosed to anyone. Any other information, other than tax return information, in a DECEASED individual's record MAY BE
DISCLOSED as long as any information in the record pertaining to other living individuals is deleted from the record prior to disclosure. The Tax Reform Act of
1976 prohibits disclosure of tax return information without the consent of the individual to
whom the record pertains. This prohibition continues even after the death of an individual.
Requests for tax return information for a deceased individual may be released to the legal
representative of the estate; surviving relative (spouse, parent, child); or heir at law, next of kin, or beneficiary of the deceased. Proof of one of the listed relationships must be provided with the request for information.
SSA originally maintained paper files of all applications for
original SSN's and applications
requesting a change in the record. In the 1970s, these files were
converted to an electronic
database. The application forms were microfilmed for retention and
the paper forms destroyed.
Current applications are microfilmed; the paper forms are retained
in the Federal Records Center
for 5 years and then destroyed.
There are 2 types of SSN application extracts which can be
furnished upon request.
(1) The Numident printout is a computer printed record which
contains all the information
on the original application form except the address and signature
of the applicant.
(2) A microprint is a print of the microfilmed application
form.
Either of these items may be furnished to anyone upon written
request and confirmation of
death where this is not detrimental to the estate and there does
not appear to be an unwarranted
invasion of privacy of a living person; i.e., the parents of the
deceased who are listed on the
application form.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by:
Barbara Bennett]
For cost for application information see Question no.2.1
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Q.2.0.2 How can I contact the Social Security Administration?
The phone number for the agency is 410-965-1727. I gave them a brief message and they returned my call today, I called yesterday. They looked up what they had sent me and checked their files while I was on the phone.
They stated there is still a wait up to 5 months as the backlog is tremendous. There is another phone number which may interest some:
The Federal Information Center, also in Maryland, 800-688-9889 This number connects you for information pertaining to the following: Taxes; Jobs; Social Security Benefits; Veterans; Savings Bonds; Passports; Selective Service and Student Loans; and Government Publications.
[forwarded with permission of writer: Elaine Behrendt laneyb@chatlink.com]
The address of the Freedom of Information Offices is:
Social Security Administration Office of Central Operations - Genealogy 300 N. Greene Street Baltimore, MD 21235 also its $16.50 if you don't know the SS#, not $16 as you have it...
Note: The address below is outdated
This old address is no longer valid, as of October, 1996: Freedom of Information Office4-H-8 Annex Bldg
6401 Security Blvd
Baltimore MD 21235
USA
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Q.2.1 "It's a very basic question - once I have the information I need from the Social Security Death Index, what do I do with it?To whom and where do I go to next and what kind of information should I expect to receive?" (From Roots-L@mail.eworld.com)
A: The information you get from the SSDI is step one in tracing that person back. You apply, with theSocial Security Administration Office of Central Operations - Genealogy, 300 N. Greene Street , Baltimore, MD 21235 ) for a COPY of the SS-5 form of that individual. This form, now commonly used, too, is the application for SS number form. In it there is some relevant genealogical information such as place of birth, DOB, etc.
With the Social Security No., taken from the SSDI, the cost is $7 for a COPY of the form, while it is $16.50 without the number (and results are not assured).
Note that I emphasized on requesting a COPY (not an "EXTRACT") of the form. This gives you maybe a little work in terms of reading a sometimes not-so-clear copy, but also gives you a real document, with your ancestors' signature et al. An Extract, beside of being a typed, partial information document, may also contain mistakes of the extracting person.
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Q.2.1.3: I filed the L-997 form requesting a copy or extract of the SS-5 form. What should I fill in the "Taxpayer Signature" line? The person is dead...
A:
Put the person's death date and write "Deceased". If you have any proof of death (obituary, preferably with the newspaper's full page & title; death certificate or other proof, attach it to your request).
Note: If you are requesting any information about the SS-5 form of a deceased person, you should be able to identify the person with a SSN or with enough details as to avoid ambiguity. The SS Administration will not release an SS-5 if not enought details to identify the deceased are provided. See also: Q.2.2
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Q.2.1.5: What if the deceased person died outside the USA?
Sometimes you would see a code XXnnn where nnn would be some postal code. This is an indication of a foreign country where an SSN holder died. See also Q.2.3.1
Q.2.2 Can I write a letter to the SSA or should I use a form?
A: A letter is sufficient. See Q.2.1 for the address and the information you should include. However, for those interested in formal form of request (although almost all SS offices I called had never heard of that form...;-), see Q.3.5) the form to request a copy/extract of SS-5 application is form SS-L-997. You can request that form (L-997) and with it apply to a copy/extract of form SS-5. If you are using that way, don't forget to cross off the word "EXTRACT", too.
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Q.2.3 What will the copy of the SS-5 form include? [From SasiC@aol.com, original author unknown]
A: A very helpful tool for genealogists is using social security records. If you have a relative who was working any time after 1935 they probably had social security.When they applied for their account they had to fill out an application form called an SS-5.The form consisted of:
The applicants full name
The applicants address
The applicants age and birthday
Their place of employment
Their place of birth
The names of his/her parents including his mothers maiden name
Their sex
Their race
The date of application
Their signature
And for applications before 1947, their employment information, too.
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Q.2.3.1: In the transcript there are codes like CYL, COD etc: What do they stand for?
A:
For more information, look at: http://www.ssa.gov/statistics/ff96/ff96toc.html
http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/article.htm
http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/bluebook/toc.htm
| CYD | CYcle Date, the day on which a new social secuiory card is printed/issued/sent out. My guy had three of them...one in the 40s and the others recently.... knowing what CYD meant cleared up a lot of stuff for me. |
| DOC | District Office Code. example: was DOC:180, or Bridgeton, NJ |
| ETC | the Ethnic Code (and there are scads of them....) |
| FMC | : is the code for the person/group/org that requests a SS card. 1 is
for the applicant himself, 6 is for the hospital in which the kid was born, etc. |
| IDN | IDentifaction number, the code for the ID the applicant showed to get his papers. |
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Q.2.3.2 I haven't heard from the Social Security Administration! Should I call? Should I write? What to do?
A:
Although calling is not a tested method, please try it and if it's successful let me know... Otherwise, before taking any action, consider this: the rule of thmb for SSA "turn around" in the SS-5's application is six to twelve months (yes!), which make your research progress slow. Nontheless, because every request is assigned a sequencial number which gives it priority in the queue, and because you don't get a conifrmation from the SSA about your place in the "queue" (or the reference number assigned to your request,) writing to the SSA will (a) Slow the system further because "someone" has to stop whatever they are doing and go find your request, possibly take it out of the queue and reply with the estimated time of response. (b) As described, by asking of the status of your request you you might get your request even more delayed in the SSA. If at least one year had passed since your check was cashed (which is pretty much your only confirmation that your request has been through the initial step of the process,) then write to the SSA, providing a copy of your cancled check and asking politley for your request's status at the SSA. Write to the SSA at the same address as you did when making the request for a SS-5 copy.
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Q.2.4 What to do if the form does not show all the information I wanted or the printout is partial?
A: The form does not provide a place to indicate which type of extract you want, so enter the following legend on the form: "Microprint Required, Printout Not Sufficient". The form also does not include a place to indicate that you are requesting information on a deceased individual. I would annotate the form with a statement that the individual is deceased. Attach proof of death, if you can, to expedite the request. Information about the death of an individual has not been maintained on the Social Security Number records, so your request may be delayed or denied if it is not obvious that the person is deceased. It will take from 4-8 weeks to receive a response to your request.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
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Q.2.5. How does the Social Security Adminstration finds the correct copy of the SS-5 Form? What if I only know some information?
A: The 9 items above are the same information you would provide if you went to apply for a social security number or a replacement card. Here's how the SSN system works (much simplified) - there are 2 major files: the numerical identification file which contains the information sorted by SSN; and the alphabetical identification file which is sorted by name. If an SSN is provided, the numerical file will be queried and the printout compared to the information you provided. If an SSN is unknown, the name file must be queried. The information you provide is compared to the information for each person with that name and a score is assigned based on which information matches or doesn't match, and how closely the information matches. For example, if the year of birth is within 5 years it will score lower than an exact match but higher than if they were 10 years apart. Possible SSNs will be identified based on the score. Someone must look at all the printouts for the possible SSNs to determine which record if any is the one you requested. The more information you provide, the more chance you have of getting the information you want. After all, there have been about 320 million SSNs assigned since Social Security began in 1937. SSA assigns about 500,000 new numbers each month.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
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Q.2.5.1 Is there a SS-5 form for a spouse receiving benefits from another person's Social Security Benefits?
A: There is no SS-5 form for a spouse receiving benefits under another persons S.S. number. They have no records, at least on my request, on a person dying in 1969.
There would be a SS-5 form for a person receiving benefits on another person's record. This is particular true if the person received payments in 1965 and after. Most dependents before that date had no need of a social security number if they weren't employed, so for those a SS-5 was probably never completed.
[The above parargaph was received from: jatkisso@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Judy Atkisson)]
[Forwarded with permission from: Elaine Behrendt
laneyb@chatlink.com]
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Q.2.6 Can I read the Social Security Administration and Social Security Death Index On Line? How?
A: a. Yes you can. If you have a World-Wide-Web (WWW) browser, a service that is now preovided with many commercial services, you can reach the Social Security Administration on line by using the URL:
http://www.ssa.gov
b. If you'd like to search the Social Security Death Index, you can reach SOME of that index on line by using the WWW browser at this URL:
http://www.familyhistory.com
or more spefically:
http://www.familyhistory.com/fhdata.htm
This service is provided by the LDS's Family History Center.
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Q.2.7 Q.2.7
A: It depends if the person was married at the time. If she went by Jane Doe at the time of marriage, she'd be required to use Jane Doe and use her maiden name under "other names you might be known as" (well, not that language but you get the idea). If she went by Jane Smith (her 'maiden name') she'd fill it under Smith.
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Section 3: Other services from the Social Security Adminstration
Q.3.0 ("Motivation question") Why does the Socail Security Adminstration have this a service to locate a missing person, and can I use this service for genealogical research?
A: Regulation No. 1 of the Social Security Act does not permit SSA to disclose information about the whereabouts of a missing person except as provided for the Parent Locator Service (service for locating a parent who has skipped out on child support payments). However, circumstances may arise when it would be proper to inform the missing person of information about which he would want to know. Where strongly compelling circumstances of this nature exist, SSA may forward a letter to him/her. The letter forwarding policy is restrictive because:
(1) the inquirer can be helped only if the addressee replies to the letter. It would serve little purpose to forward a letter to an individual unless it contains information that he/she could reasonably be expected to want to receive and which would cause him/her to reply. This excludes requests which are primarily for the benefit of the requester rather than the missing person.
(2) SSA does not want to burden employers. Most letters must be forwarded through the last employer of record. Some large employers have asked SSA not to send letters to the employees in care of the company.
(3) If all requests to forward letters were honored, the volume would significantly interfere with normal SSA operations.
(4) The addressee may consider receipt of the letter as an unwarranted invasion of his/her privacy.
A letter will not be forwarded unless the following conditions are met:
(1) There are strongly compelling reasons for wanting to get in touch with the missing person such as: a close relative of the missing person is seriously ill, is dying or has died; a child is left without parental care because of the death or incapacity of the remaining parent; a defendant in a felony case is seeking a defense witness; a parent wishes to locate a missing son or daughter; the consent of the missing person is needed in connection with an adoption proceeding for his/her child; the missing person is the beneficiary of an estate and the executor is trying to locate him; other instances where the missing person is due money or valuable property; a doctor or hospital wishes to contact a missing person for health reasons.
(2) The missing person would want to know about the contents of the letter.
(3) The missing person's disappearance occurred far enough in the past that SSA could reasonably expect to have a usable mailing address (wages are reported by employersnly once a year, so the most recent information SSA has will be at least a year old).
(4) All other possibilities for contacting the missing person have been exhausted.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
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Q.3.1 Can the Social Security Adminstration tell you about living relatives?
A: No. The SSA is obliged to keep its records on living people confidential. However, there are provision in the SSA adminstrative manual that allow ordinary people to request help in contacting family members. A "Letter Forwarding Service" is one way.
This service allows anyone - provided they show a substantial need for the SSA to preform such a service - to request that a letter be forwarded to an adressee with whome contact has been lost. The letter may be sent to the adresee's last known employer or to their last known address. However, some employers, especially large companies, request that letters to their employees and former employees not be sent via their business address.
When you request a letter forwarding service from the SSA, a few points should be kept in mind: Does the recepient have any interest in receiving your letter and making contact with you? Will the recepient be embarrsed in any way if someone else opens your letter? Is there a compelling need for you to reach the recepient?
You will have to address these question in an open cover letter to the SSA. Along with it, enclose a stamped envelope with your return address. The stamped envelope should include the letter to the missing person (preferably, address to "whom it may concern"). The stamped envlope should NOT be sealed so the SSA personnel can inspect the content of the letter you are requesting to be forwarded.
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Q.3.2 Does Letter forwarding cost any money?
A: No fee is charge for forwarding a letter for humanitarian purposes. The current charge for forwarding letters involving a monetary or valuable consideration is $3 per letter. Contact your local SSA office if you want to have a letter forwarded to a missing person.
[Portion Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
As a genealogist you should know to keep your sources going. So, if your letter is forwarded to the right person and the desired contact is made, you should probably write a thank you note to the SSA. Although it may not reach the officer who handled your case (and she or he may notremember your request,) it may still show positive results to the organization as a whole.
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Q.3.2.5
What information should I give to the Letter Forwarding Service?
A: In order to forward a letter, SSA must have sufficient information to locate the missing person's record. The name and SSN are needed for this. The letter to be forwarded must be submitted in a plain unsealed, unstamped envelope bearing only the missing person's name and SSN. If the SSN is unknown, you must furnish as much identifying information as possible. The letter will be reviewed by SSA personnel to ensure that it is not inflammatory or derogatory, contains no obscene language, and will not cause embarrassment if opened by someone other that the addressee. SSA cannot be sure that the letter will reach the missing person or that he/she will reply. If SSA attempts to forward a letter, SSA cannot inform you of the results of that attempt. Subsequent letters for the same purpose will not be forwarded.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
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Q.3.3.1 Will I hear from the SSA once my letter is received?
Q.3.3.2 I have requested a letter forwarding service from the SSA, and have not heard from them. How long should I wait?
A: Don't wait. The SSA can neither confirm nor deny the results of your request. Adminstrativly speaking, the Letter Forwarding Service is defined as a 'black hole': the SSA is not supposed to confirm to you, in any way, the results of your request. Practically, the SSA is probably not set to do such a job, in terms of follow up and correspondance. Therefor, you should not expect any reply from the SSA. Sometimes, however, when there is no compelling evidence that your request should be even considered by the SSA, your letter and materials will be returned to you.
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Q.3.3.3 I know that when someone applies for SSN, they have to provide documents as proofs. Do any of these documents remain with the SSA?
Q.3.3.4 Could these documents (3.3.1) be obtained for genealogical purposes?
A:Yes. See Q.1.5 for more details.
For Q.3.3.2 : This is still an untested method. Any results from such at attempt will be greatly appreciated if shared.
However, lately we have receievd this report from Anita H.
Generally when you get an SS-5, a letter comes with it stating that if the individual died more than 5 years ago the file was probably destroyed, and they'll charge you the search money whether they find anything or not. Naturally, I was reluctant to throw away $14 dollars. But I decided it was worth a shot for my grandfather's file, who had died only 4 years previously. What they sent me was worth the price. I received a copy of his death certificate, his application for Social Security Benefits, and his Naturalization Certificate, complete with photo.
Older applications for benefits (filed over 5 years old ago) will have
supporting documents in them to establish age, citizenship, relationship,
etc. Social Security Administration is now mostly electronic which means
documents are no longer retained in most files - a claims representatives
certifies that a document was seen but no document is retained in the file.
95% of the time anymore, a file will have an application only completed.
Documents have never been retained with the application for a social
security card.
[The above parargaph was received from: jatkisso@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Judy Atkisson)]
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Q.3.4.1 REQUEST FOR SOCIAL SECURITY EARNINGS INFORMATION - What and how can I use it for genealogical purposes?
Q.3.4.2 Can I get employment information from the Social Security?
A: Contact your local Social Security office and request form SSA-7050. Yearly totals of earnings will be provided free of charge. However, for genealogical purposes, you will want detailed earnings information. Detailed earnings information includes periods of employment or self-employment and the names and addresses of employers. A fee is charged for the detailed earnings information because you want it for purposes NOT directly related to Social Security. The fee chart is included on the form and varies, depending on the number of years for which you request information. The minimum fee is $15 for 1 year, and the maximum fee is $92 for 52 years. The fee can be waived if you show that giving the information to you will benefit the general public. You must attach an explanation of why the fee should be waived to the form. (If you are requesting your own earnings information, there is no fee if you have reason to believe that your record contains incorrect information. If this is the case, please contact your local office and discuss your problem with them. They will help you resolve any discrepancies in your earnings record.)
You can request earnings information from the record of a deceased person if you are the legal representative of the estate, a survivor (spouse, parent, child), or an individual with a material interest who is an heir at law, next of kin, beneficiary under the will or donee of property of the decedent.Proof of death must be included with your request. Proof of appointment as representative or proof of your relationship to the deceased must also be included.
You may have to wait a while for the information. Once the employer identification numbers and years worked have been obtained from the master earnings file, someone will have to sit at a microfilm reader looking at employers' quarterly and annual wage reports to find the individual.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
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Q.3.5. I called the Social Security Office and they didn't know what I am talking about, what should I do?
A: Please be aware that the situations described in these messages are not run of the mill requests that offices deal with all the time. The person you talk to may not be aware that disclosure of the information is allowed or may not be familiar with the procedures involved. If the employees at the SSA office refuse to give you the information, saying it isn't allowed, ask them to look it up in the manual. If all else fails, as a last resort, you can write to your congressman, describing your contacts with the local SSA office, andinclude a copy of your request. Congressional inquiries get special treatment, but the local offices don't like them.
Anytime you have questions about Social Security issues, or need help with a Social Security matter, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE call your local office. You will get the best information from them. Please don't waste time speculating or asking neighbors or friends (unless they work for SSA). I can still remember being on the receiving end of "but my Uncle Joe says" or "so-and-so told me thus-and-so and he ought to know because" and not being able to convince them that Uncle Joe and so-and-so didn't know what they were talking about. The Social Security Law is quite complicated andencompasses much more than just retirement benefits. No one can know it all, but your local office is the place to get official information. That's what they are there for. End of sermon.
Each office should have a copy of the Social Security Laws and Regulations and the POMS manual (operational instructions to implement the laws & regs). These manuals, except for portions related to security procedures, should be available for you to use at the local office. I would think that all law libraries would also have copies of the law and regs and possibly the operations manuals.
[Forwarded by: Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org, written by: Barbara Bennett]
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Q4.1: Not directly related to SSA, can the Census Bureau be of any help other than 1800s through 1920?
A:
A branch of the Census Bureau will assist researchers in obtaining census records from the 1930-1990 Federal returns for any person from whom you can supply proff of death. "Age Search will, for $25, search any two (2) census records. The search is limited to the person for whom you are requesting information, but you may ask for other family members to be included for a $2 per person fee. The full line of information from the census return will be provided with payment of a $6 fee. The basic fee includes ans official document stating the person's name, age, place of birth, citizenship and relationship to the head of the household. Form BC-600which is required may be obtained fromany local Social Security Office or by writing : Bureau of The Census
"Age Search"
PO Box 1545
Jeffersonville, IN 47131
[The section above was made availble by Roots-L@rootsweb.com on 97-06-12 03:44:19 EDT] For more information regarding the census, see question 1.5, towards the end.
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Links to related sites
Social Security Death Index On Line SearchA Very Helpful (and Official) Security Web Site
A useful Ancestry Article
SSA History Page
National Archives
Everton Publishers
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Copyrights Notice and Disclaimer
All quoted messages are provided with permission. This information message is not guarnteed to be accurate. Compilation author is not affiliated with SSA. No Liability implicit, explicit, special or otherwise is rendered. Loading this document from a web site is a consent to the Copyrights notice and Disclaimer. 1996-1998 © Yigal RechtmanChanges Log:
Version 4/98 Question Q.2.0.2 was updatedQuestion 2.1 was updated
Question 2.2 was updated
Question 4.1 was added
Version 2/97
Question Q.1.4 had changed to table format (HTML 3.x)
Question Q.2.1.5 was added
Question Q.2.3.1 was added
Version 11/96
Link to: A Very Helpful (and Official) Security Web Site was added.
Question Q.1.5 Was modified.
Question Q.1.1.1 Was added.
Question Q.2.5 Was modified.
Question Q.3.3.3 Was modified.
Links to SSA related sites were added.
Version 9/96
Questions 2.2.0.2 and 2.5.1 were added.
Version 7/96
Question 2.6 was added.
Changes in Version 3/96
Questions 2.0.1,2.4,2,5,3.0,3.2,3.2.4,3.4,3.4.2,3.5
Were either added or revised according to input. Most of these
came from Barbara Bennet,
forwarded by Linda.Edwards@genesplicer.org].
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