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80–257 2013

HEARING ON THE STATE OF SOCIAL SECURITY’S 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SECURITY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

MAY 9, 2012

SERIAL 112–SS16 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Ways and Means 

( 

ii 

COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS 

DAVE CAMP, Michigan, Chairman 

WALLY HERGER, California 

SAM JOHNSON, Texas 

KEVIN BRADY, Texas 

PAUL RYAN, Wisconsin 

DEVIN NUNES, California 

PATRICK J. TIBERI, Ohio 

GEOFF DAVIS, Kentucky 

DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington 

CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR., Louisiana 

PETER J. ROSKAM, Illinois 

JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania 

TOM PRICE, Georgia 

VERN BUCHANAN, Florida 

ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska 

AARON SCHOCK, Illinois 

LYNN JENKINS, Kansas 

ERIK PAULSEN, Minnesota 

KENNY MARCHANT, Texas 

RICK BERG, North Dakota 

DIANE BLACK, Tennessee 

TOM REED, New York 

SANDER M. LEVIN, Michigan 

CHARLES B. RANGEL, New York 

FORTNEY PETE STARK, California 

JIM MCDERMOTT, Washington 

JOHN LEWIS, Georgia 

RICHARD E. NEAL, Massachusetts 

XAVIER BECERRA, California 

LLOYD DOGGETT, Texas 

MIKE THOMPSON, California 

JOHN B. LARSON, Connecticut 

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon 

RON KIND, Wisconsin 

BILL PASCRELL, JR., New Jersey 

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada 

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York 

Jennifer M. Safavian, Staff Director and General Counsel 

Janice Mays, Minority Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SECURITY 

SAM JOHNSON, Texas, Chairman 

KEVIN BRADY, Texas 

PATRICK J. TIBERI, Ohio 

AARON SCHOCK, Illinois 

RICK BERG, North Dakota 

ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska 

KENNY MARCHANT, Texas 

XAVIER BECERRA, California 

LLOYD DOGGETT, Texas 

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada 

FORTNEY PETE STARK, California 

iii 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Advisory of May 9, 2012 announcing the hearing ................................................ 2 

WITNESSES 

G. Kelly Croft, Deputy Commissioner of Systems and Chief Information Officer, Social Security Administration .................................................................... 7 

Valerie C. Melvin, Director Information Management and Technology Resources Issues, Government Accountability Office ............................................ 13 

Larry Freed, President and Chief Executive Officer, ForeSee Results, Inc. ....... 29 

William Scherlis, Ph.D. Professor, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University ....................................................................................................... 40 

Max Richtman, President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social 

Security & Medicare ............................................................................................ 50 

(1) 

HEARING ON THE STATE OF SOCIAL 

SECURITY’S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, 

Washington, D.C. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:44 p.m., in B–318, 

Rayburn Office Building, the Honorable Sam Johnson [chairman of 

the subcommittee] presiding. 

[The advisory of the hearing follows:] 

2 

HEARING ADVISORY 

Chairman Johnson Announces a Hearing on The 

State of Social Security’s Information Technology 

Wednesday, May 09, 2012 

U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R–TX), Chairman of the House Committee on 

Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced a hearing on 

the State of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) Information Technology. 

The hearing will take place on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, in B–318 Rayburn 

House Office Building, beginning at 2:00 p.m. 

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this 

hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization 

not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing. 

BACKGROUND: 

Information technology (IT) is critical to the SSA’s ability to serve the public. According to the SSA, in fiscal year 2011, the agency’s IT system supported the payment of more than $770 billion in benefits to 60 million people and the maintenance 

of hundreds of millions of Social Security numbers and related earnings records for 

nearly every American. The SSA’s computers also house the electronic medical 

records of millions who have filed disability claims and exchange over a billion data 

files annually among the SSA, Federal, State, and local government agencies and 

businesses in order to administer Social Security benefits and other programs. 

As of January 2011, the SSA had 22 internet-based electronic services available 

to the public. In Fiscal Year 2011, Social Security processed 15 million personalized 

online transactions, including 41 percent of retirement claims and 33 percent of disability claims. Based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index scores, the SSA 

has the three highest-rated online services in all of the Federal Government. According to the SSA, IT investments have helped increase the agency’s productivity 

by four percent in each of the last five years. 

To deliver services, Social Security relies on a complex and large IT system, including sensitive data bases, hundreds of software applications, large computer platforms and thousands of networked computers, printers, phones and other devices. 

The information technology is used by nearly 80,000 employees at the SSA and the 

state Disability Determination Services. 

Until January 2009, the SSA ran its nationwide computer operations from its 30- 

year old National Computer Center (NCC). Since then, a second state-of-the-art support center now runs approximately 35 percent of all its workloads. In February 

2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $500 million 

for the SSA to cover the cost of building a replacement facility for the NCC and part 

of the cost of equipping it. After a land acquisition and contractor bidding process 

that took longer than was initially projected in 2009, the current projected date for 

complete commissioning of the new facility is February 2015, slightly over one year 

behind the original schedule. However, the project is currently projected to come in 

significantly under budget, due to a lower-than-expected construction contract. 

Since 2007, reports by various oversight and advisory groups, including the National Research Council, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the SSA Office of the Inspector General and the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board have 

called for the SSA to establish a strategic vision for its information technology investments and develop a long-term plan to improve customer service. The Future 

Systems Technology Advisory Panel, a panel of public and private sector industry 

experts established by Commissioner Astrue in 2008 to provide independent systems 

technology advice, also recommended developing a ‘‘comprehensive, agency-wide 

3 

strategic systems development roadmap.’’ In April 2011, Chairman Johnson requested a report from the GAO to examine the current state of SSA’s modernization 

efforts and its plans for the future, which will be released at the hearing. 

In announcing the hearing, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson 

(R–TX) said, ‘‘Americans of all ages are increasingly using technology for 

their everyday needs—from paying their bills to buying their groceries. 

Rapid technological innovation defines the times we live in. Social Security’s ability to serve an increasingly tech-savvy public depends on its ability to develop a modernized long-term service delivery plan with the right 

investments of today.’’ 

FOCUS OF THE HEARING: 

The hearing will focus on the state of SSA’s IT system and the challenges it faces, 

IT modernization efforts to date and the return on these investments, IT management structure, and the effectiveness of the SSA’s IT strategic planning for IT investment and measures to track progress. 

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS: 

Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee 

website and complete the informational forms. From the Committee homepage, 

http://waysandmeans.house.gov, select ‘‘Hearings.’’ Select the hearing for which you 

would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, ‘‘Click here to provide a submission for the record.’’ Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information. ATTACH your submission as a Word or WordPerfect document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by the close 

of business on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Finally, please note that due to the 

change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings. For questions, or if you encounter technical 

problems, please call (202) 225–1721 or (202) 225–3625. 

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS: 

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing 

record. As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee. The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, 

but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines. Any submission 

provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for 

the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written 

comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will 

be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee. 

1. All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word or WordPerfect 

format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official 

hearing record. 

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. 

Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material 

not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use 

by the Committee. 

3. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose 

behalf the witness appears. A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the 

name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness. 

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. 

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202–225–1721 or 202–226– 

3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). 

Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above. 

4 

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World 

Wide Web at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/. 

f 

Chairman JOHNSON. This hearing will come to order. 

As our Nation ages, more Americans are depending on the Social 

Security benefits and services they paid for through their hardearned wages. According to the recently released 2012 annual report, the Social Security Board of Trustees projects that the number of people receiving benefits will increase 43 percent between 

now and 2025, growing from almost 60 million today to close to 80 

million. 

This long-predicted workload tsunami is placing an ever-greater 

pressure on Social Security’s ability to serve the public, which is 

why technology plays such an important role in Social Security’s 

ability to deliver services to America. 

Social Security’s computers have vast numbers of servers and 

databases containing Social Security numbers, earnings, personal 

health information, and demographic information on workers, beneficiaries, and their families. Social Security’s employees retrieve 

this very personal information through hundreds of software applications in Social Security’s local offices and teleservice centers via 

network computers, printers, phones, and other devices. 

As more of the public chooses to conduct business via the Internet, Social Security has seen its online traffic grow. In Fiscal Year 

2011, Social Security processed 15 million online transactions, including 41 percent of retirement claims and 33 percent of disability 

claims. 

Because of their importance, I take the technology needs of Social Security very seriously. I have toured the two facilities that 

house Social Security’s technology infrastructure, and, in addition, 

my subcommittee continues to keep close tabs on the progress of 

the new data center that will replace the aging National Computer 

Center at Social Security headquarters. At present, the completion 

date for the new facility is February 2015, a year behind schedule. 

In March 2011, the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board 

issued a report, ‘‘A Vision for the Future,’’ in which it said, ‘‘The 

Social Security Administration, like all of government, is under extraordinary strain to accomplish its core mission with smaller 

budgets and a smaller workforce, the immediate pressure to attend 

only to today’s tasks, and focus less on the future is understandable, but not acceptable.’’ I could not agree more. 

That is why I asked the Government Accountability Office, or 

GAO, to report on Social Security’s efforts to modernize its technology. Today our witness from GAO, Ms. Melvin—thank you—will 

present GAO’s findings, including the fact that for years experts 

have highlighted the importance for Social Security to have a strategic IT plan. As we will learn today, while some progress has been 

made, there is a long way to go. 

I am deeply concerned about the Commissioner’s decision to 

eliminate the Office of Chief Information Officer and reassign its 

responsibilities to the Office of Systems when this office was created specifically to develop the agency’s technology vision and manage the investment process in the first place. 

5 

Further, I was disappointed to learn that a future systems technology advisory panel, convened by the Commissioner and made up 

of outside experts, was disbanded after two years of work. 

Social Security’s Inspector General is now conducting an audit to 

tell us what actions Social Security took in response to the panel’s 

recommendation. From what I understand, they threw away all the 

paperwork. 

Americans of all ages are increasingly using technology for their 

everyday needs from paying their bills to buying their groceries. 

They expect government to keep up technologically. Rapid technological innovation defines the times we live in, including creative 

ways, new ways of doing business. 

If Social Security is to effectively meet future service demands, 

it must embrace change and design a future service delivery plan 

that, at its core, is driven by new technology. The public expects 

and deserves nothing less. 

I now recognize Mr. Becerra for his opening statement, and welcome aboard, sir. 

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. And to the 

witnesses, thank you for your patience in indulging us as we were 

on the floor voting. 

Mr. Chairman, the Social Security Administration does a difficult 

job well, and has had a number of information technology successes. At the same time, long-range strategic planning for largescale technology modernization, which can be a challenge for a 

large enterprise, presents a unique challenge for SSA, which handles over 32,000 new benefit applications, and serves 180,000 

Americans in person, and well over 300 Americans by phone each 

and every business day. 

I hope this hearing will focus on how SSA can best move forward 

and what we can do here in Congress to support that. 

For 77 years and through 13 recessions, the Social Security Administration has paid Americans their earned benefits on time and 

in full. In 2012, they paid Social Security benefits to over 55,000 

million Americans with an error rate of less than 1 percent. SSA 

maintains earning records for nearly 160 million current workers 

and handles more than 8 million new benefit applications each 

year. 

Last year, Social Security field offices served about 45 million 

visitors in person and 76 million people called SSA’s 800 number 

for help. SSA helped all those Americans while maintaining a customer satisfaction rating of about 80 percent. 

One of our witnesses today, Mr. Freed, will report that three of 

SSA’s most popular online tools outperform Amazon, the highestscoring e-retail website they have ever rated. That is why I could 

not support the House Republican budget that forced cuts to SSA’s 

budget in 2011, or the decision to under fund it again in 2012. We 

cannot expect Social Security to keep helping so many people with 

so few payment mistakes if they keep losing thousands of experienced employees every year and cannot replace them. 

Now 1 in 4 American families receives income from Social Security. That day-to-day mission of providing Americans with their 

earned benefits is so vital that SSA does not have the option of 

shutting down even for a day or two while they install new systems 

6 

or retrain the nearly 80,000 workers who help deliver Social Security every day. 

For those who think Social Security could shut down for a day, 

what are you going to tell the 32,000 Americans who plan to apply 

for Social Security benefits today, the 72,000 Americans who had 

to request a Social Security number today, or the 80,000 Americans 

who would have gone to Social Security’s offices for help today? Or 

what about the 300,000 people who would have called Social Security’s 800 number or a local Social Security office today? All in just 

one day. That is what Social Security does. Let us know if you 

think we can handle that if Social Security has to close. 

SSA has other challenges, too. Even though Americans will pay over $730 billion into the Social Security system in 2012 alone, 

SSA has to come to Congress every year to ask for money to operate Social Security. It is hard to fund long-term investments in 

technology or anything else when you do not know what next year’s 

budget will be, especially when your last couple of budgets did not 

even come close to covering your day-to-day costs. 

SSA’s current systems are a complex patchwork quilt of old and 

new technologies. Seven hundred different software applications 

that generate over 160,000 million computer transactions a day. eGovernment offers great promise for modern customer service and 

greater efficiency, but SSA serves a diverse population, and not everyone has the technology and the skills needed for self-serve government right now. For example, 70 percent of adults in urban 

areas have high speed Internet access at home, but only 50 percent 

of those in rural areas do. 

There is longstanding concern about SSA’s record of strategic 

planning and investment for IT modernization. The Government 

Accountability Office will tell us this morning that SSA’s methods 

for measuring the progress and cost-effectiveness of IT investments 

are inadequate. 

Finally I want to better understand SSA’s recent change which 

merged a separate Office of the Chief Information Officer with the 

Office of Systems. Typically a CIO office focuses on long-term strategic planning and investment, while the systems office has the 

challenging job of making sure those 700 software applications and 

hardware in thousands of different offices keep functioning every 

day. 

Deputy Commissioner Kelly Croft, who now wears both of those 

hats as the chief information officer and head of systems, is here 

today to talk about how he juggles those two critical responsibilities. 

When Social Security began in the 1930s, a French industrial expert hired to advise the U.S. government concluded that the recordkeeping and data management needed for the new Social Security 

System was impossible. Just the weight of the original paper 

records, for example, would be so massive that no building in 

Washington had ever been built with floors sturdy enough to hold 

the paper. 

But Social Security persevered, and in 1937, IBM invented the 

077 collator, a punch card tabulating system that is the ancestor 

of modern computers. That was done just for Social Security. More 

recently, in 1993 SSA started using predictive modeling software to 

7 

increase the efficiency of their programming integrity work which 

is how they prevent fraud and payment error. Reviewing cases targeted by computer models more than triples the savings from this 

work. 

Social Security has done other projects that have shown that you 

can actually use technology to not just help Americans, but to save 

American people money. And I look forward, Mr. Chairman, to 

hearing how we can work with the SSA to make sure that using 

technology, everyone moves forward with a better SSA. 

I yield back, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. As is customary, any member 

is welcome to submit a statement for the hearing. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Before we move on to our testimony, I 

want to remind our witnesses to please try to limit your statement 

to 5 minutes. However, without objection, all the written testimony 

will be made a part of the hearing record. 

We have one witness panel today. Seated at the table is Kelly 

Croft, our Deputy Commissioner of Systems and Chief Information 

Officer at Social Security, Valerie Melvin, Director of Information 

Management and Technology Resource Issues at the Government 

Accountability Office, Larry Freed, President and Chief Executive 

Officer of ForeSee Results, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan, William 

Scherlis, Ph.D., Professor, School of Computer Science at Carnegie 

Mellon in Pittsburgh, Max Richtman, President and CEO of the 

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. 

Thank you all for your attendance today. 

Welcome, Mr. Croft. You may proceed. 

STATEMENT OF G. KELLY CROFT, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF 

SYSTEMS AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 

Mr. CROFT. Thank you. Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member 

Becerra, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for having me 

here today. Appreciate it. 

I have worked at Social Security for 30 years and currently do 

serve as the Deputy Commissioner for Systems and CIO. In short, 

I am responsible for delivering agency-wide IT services and for protecting the information assets of Social Security. 

We are a very large and highly automated organization, and our 

systems are available to end users over 99.9 percent of the time. 

Our Internet applications for the public are thoughtfully designed, 

highly rated, and allow us to maintain high and improving service 

levels, even with rising workloads. Just last week we began providing Social Security statements online. Over 150,000 people have 

already successfully used the service. 

We have extensive internal controls and continually invest in IT 

security. In recent years, our most significant security risk was our 

inability to quickly recover IT services with any prolonged disruption at our Maryland data center. That is no longer the case. Earlier this year, we successfully tested fast and assured recovery if 

we ever experience a serious problem at the Maryland center. 

We currently have a number of IT projects that are critical for 

improving our efficiency and quality of service. Just to name a few, 

we are building a new case processing system for State disability 

8 

determination services, building a visitor intake system for our 

field offices, adding better systems capabilities in our hearing offices, and building more online services for public use. 

Our most important project over the next few years will be to 

transition IT operations from our aging Maryland data center to a 

new facility. GSA has purchased the land, selected a builder, and 

the design phase of the work is underway, and we are grateful to 

the subcommittee for your support with this project. 

Social Security has a number of IT strengths. For example, we 

have a superb technical workforce. We have consolidated most aspects of IT to benefit from economies of scale, and we are very good 

at technical project management. That said, during an annual process where we assess future IT investments, we always have far 

more needs and good ideas than expected resources, so we must 

prioritize what we work on. 

We are in a continual state of IT modernization, and given the 

long computing history and size of our enterprise, we always will 

be. We have over 700 software applications that combined routinely 

generate over 160 million computer transactions a day. 

Some of our software is state of the art with graphical user interfaces that rival the best systems of their kind in the world. On the 

other hand, some of our software is much older with green screen 

user interfaces. However, with proven software, old does not necessarily mean dysfunctional. All of our older software works. It is 

regularly updated and maintained, and it accurately reflects the intricacies of Title 2 and Title 16 statute and policy. This legacy software also represents a multi-billion dollar investment by taxpayers. 

We do want to modernize our older systems, and we do so whenever we are rebuilding them because of new business direction, or 

if we determine through annual review that an important system 

is at increasing risk for technical failure. 

Managing a large IT organization does require planning. We routinely develop detailed multi-year plans in specific technical areas, 

for example, to change our storage infrastructure. At a higher level, 

we have recently updated our information resources strategic plan, 

and we are in the process of updating our enterprise architecture 

roadmap. 

We assess agency IT in a number of ways. For example, we analyze cost, schedule, and functionality with all our major investments, and we post that information on the Federal IT Dashboard. 

We also do extensive industry research and benchmarking, and 

closely track things such as systems availability and satisfaction 

scores. 

Finally, because IT enables all aspects of SSA operations, the ultimate measure of our success is reflected in the overall performance and high year over year productivity gains of the agency. 

Thanks again for having me here today, and I will do my best 

to answer your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Croft follows:] 

9 


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10 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.002

This T0YStill10flY is ErTibarQcled Until 9th at 2:00 PM 

Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Becerra, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for 

this opportunity to discuss the state of Social Security inl(lrmation technology. 

I have worked at SSA f<Jr 30 years and currently serve as Deputy Commissioner for Systems 

(DeS) and Chief Information Officer (CIO). I am responsible for delivering cost-effective IT 

services, and for protecting the ini,wmation assets ()f Social Secutity. 

We arc a highly automated, mostly paperless agency, and our enterprise systems are available to 

end-users, with good response times, over 99.9 percent of the time. Our 'Intcrnct applications for 

the public and businesses are thoughtfully designed, highly rated (by the independenlAmerican 

Customer Satisfaction Index and our o'Wn surveys), and allow us to maintain high and improving 

service levels even with rising workloads. Just last week we began providing a new service for 

the public to get a Social Security Statement online. Over J5{),OOO people have already 

successfully used this service. 

OUf electronic services arc highly rated because we carefully select appropriate transactiotls for 

online development; we think tllruugh an entire business process and conduct rigorous uscrcentered design; we pay aUention to IT security; we carefully test our software before placing it 

in production; we make OUT electronic services accessible, including to people wilh disabilities; 

and we closely monitor the perionnance and satisfaction of each electronic service and regularly 

improve our sofnvarc. 

Othcr examplcs of recent Social Security IT advancements include an innovative system 

designed to reduce improper payments with Supplemental Security TncDme (SST); expanded 

decision support software for making policy compliant disability decisions; Spanish versions of 

our popular online Retirement Estimator and our retirement iCiaim application; a completely redesigned system il)r processing Social Security card requests; and many improvements to our 

automated notices. 

To protect our extensive data stores and all key systems, we have tight internal controls and 

eontinuaily invest in rr security where we blend new security technologies with classic concepts 

such as continllous monitoring, situational risk awareness, deiiomse-in-depth, and least-privilege. 

In recent decades, our most significant security risk was our inability to quickly recover IT 

scrv.lc.es with any prolonged disruption at our Maryland data center. That is no longer the case. 

Earlier this year we successfully tested and proved fast and assured recovery if we ever 

experience a serious problem at the Mary land cenler. 

We currently have a number of in-progress IT 1l1itiativcs that arc critical for improving our 

efficiency and quality of service. Just to name a few, we are building a new case processing 

system for State disability detennination services; building a national visitor intake system for 

our tield offices; adding more advanced systems capabilities in our hearing offices; converting 

our mastcr-fi les to DB2 databases; increasing the usc Df video for appeals and operational 

workloads; modernizing our earnings record solhvare; building m(lre agile data exchange 
11 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.003

ThiS Until 9th ~!:oo Pfvl 

programs; and building m(}re (}nline services that will utilize (}ur new "My Social Security" 

pmtal and authentication process. 

Recognizing the changing service desires of the American public, we are carefully considering 

use of mobile technology. We have done thorough research, considering things such as industry 

trends, security, guidelines for mobile suitability, design best practices, and retum-on-investment 

potential. We p"lan to build a transactional mobile application for SSI wage reporting latcr this 

year. Wage repOliing is a reoccurring lask l{lr a segment of beneficiaries and lheir flunilies, and 

it one of the main causes of improper paymenls. 

Our most important project over the next few years will be to transition IT operations from our 

aging Maryland data center to a new facility. The General Services Administration has 

purchased the land, selected a builder, and the design phase of the work is underway. We expect 

to begin installing IT equipment in the new building in 2015 and arc doing extensive transition 

and budget planning. We arc grateful to this Subcommittee for unfailing support for this project. 

We strive to be good partners with other Federal agencies, and with State and local govemment 

entities-in particular because ofthc need to collaborate on our ever-growing data exchange and 

information verification workloads such as cVerify. Another example of our close collaboration 

with agencies is our ongoing work with the Veterans Administration and the Department or 

Defense to support Wounded Warriors. We lully support all government-wide IT initiatives 

directed by the Office of Management and Budget and sponsored by the federal Chief 

Infarmation Officer Council. 

Social Security has a number of IT strengths. For example, we have a superb technical 

workforce; we have consolidated most aspects of agency IT in order to benefit irom economies 

of scale; and we are very good at user-centered design and tech.nical project management. Th.at 

said, during an annual process where we assess future IT investments, we always have tar more 

agency needs and good ideas than expected resources, so we must prioritize what we wi II work 

on. All SSA components are active players with the IT department in this process because they 

recognize the importance oflT to the agency. 

We are in a continual state ofTT modernization-and given the long history and size of Our 

enterprise, we always will be. For example, we have over 700 sollware applications that 

combined, routinely generate over 160 million computer transactions a day. Some of our 

software is state of the art, with modern graphical interfaces that rival the best systems of their 

kind in the world. On the other hand, some of our sollware is much older, with green screen user 

interlaces. 

However, with proven software, "old" docs not necessarily mean dysfunctional. Most of the 

older software (that we are gradually phasing out as resources allow) is robust; all of it is 

regularly updated and maintained; and it accurately reneets the intricacies of complex Social 

Security and SSI statute and policy. This "legacy" software represents a multi-billi(}n dollar 

investment by taxpayers. We a'lso do carctullT workforce planning to ensure that we always 

have adequate numbers offully trained statfto operate all the technologies we use. 

2 
12 

f 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. We appreciate your presence. 

Ms. Melvin, welcome. Please go ahead. 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.004
13 

STATEMENT OF VALERIE C. MELVIN, DIRECTOR, INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES ISSUES, 

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 

Ms. MELVIN. Good afternoon, Chairman Johnson, Ranking 

Member Becerra, and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you 

for inviting me to participate in today’s hearing on SSA’s information technology. As you have noted, the agency depends heavily on 

IT to deliver services that touch the lives of nearly every American, 

and during the last Fiscal Year, spent nearly $1.6 billion on its IT 

efforts. 

As its systems have aged and its workload has increased, SSA 

has committed to investing in technology needed to update its infrastructure and deliver services more quickly and efficiently. In 

addition, it had recently aligned its IT governance structure, including the responsibilities of a CIO, as you have noted. 

At your request, we recently completed the study of the agency’s 

IT modernization efforts, the results of which are found in our report that is being released today. Our study examined three areas: 

SSA’s progress at modernizing IT, the effectiveness of its modernization plans and strategies, and whether the CIO realignment 

allows it to effectively oversee and manage its modernization efforts. 

To summarize briefly, we found that SSA has spent about $5 billion since 2001 on many modernization projects that have impacted 

all of its main program areas. However, SSA’s efforts have not been 

guided by the kind of strategic approach that we have identified as 

crucial to ensuring successful modernization outcomes. 

Specifically, SSA has not developed comprehensive and quantifiable performance measures, or conducted post-implementation reviews of all of its completed projects, making it difficult to measure 

the progress that it is making, or determine if its projects are costeffectively supporting its modernization goals. 

Also at the time of our study, SSA lacked an approved IT strategic plan that included key elements to specify how its IT investments support overall agency strategic goals, and fit together to 

provide the kind of modernized technology environment needed to 

carry out its mission. 

As has been noted, SSA has issued a new plan earlier this week, 

and we have begun to assess it. To be a meaningful tool, it is important that this plan provide a clear and comprehensive picture 

of what the agency seeks to accomplish, identify the IT strategies 

SSA will use to achieve desired results, and provide results-oriented goals and performance measures that permit the agency to 

determine whether it is succeeding. 

Further, if appropriately implemented, SSA’s recent consolidation of the CIO’s responsibilities and to its Office of Systems could 

provide for effective management of its IT. However, this realignment was undertaken without adequate planning, including an assessment of its impact on staffing roles and responsibilities. 

In addition, the new governance structure had not been reflected 

in SSA’s internal guidance on managing IT investments, which is 

critical to ensuring effective oversight. 

As highlighted in our report, SSA has completed many modernization projects that have delivered tangible benefits. We also 

14 

note, however, that the agency still has major modernization efforts 

underway, as Mr. Croft has alluded to. These include completing 

the conversion of its legacy database management system and modernizing its Title 2 processing system. The significance of these efforts highlights the need for a more strategic approach to modernization that SSA currently lacks. 

Our report contains recommendations to SSA for establishing 

such an approach. In addition to updating its IT strategic plan to 

help ensure that its investments effectively support broader agency 

goals, we also recommended that SSA develop comprehensive performance measures, and post implementation reviews to better 

measure progress, and to further define its enterprise architecture 

and IT strategic vision, as well as to clearly define the roles and 

responsibilities of its Office of Systems staff in light of the CIO realignment. 

Until SSA has a more strategic approach to using IT to supports 

its mission, it risks investing in technology that does not meet future needs of the agency or the public in the most optimal manner. 

Further, SSA will continue to lack a meaningful mechanism for 

oversight bodies, such as your subcommittee, to gauge its progress 

in meeting modernization goals. 

This concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to respond to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Melvin follows:] 

15 


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GAO 

For Release on DelivE'ry 

Expeded :1l2:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 9, 2012 

GAO·12·723T 

Embargoed Until Tuesday, AM 

United States Government Accountability Office 

Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on Social 

Security, Committee on Ways and Means, 

House of Representatives 

SOCIAL SECURITY 

ADMINISTRATION 

Technology Modernization 

Needs Improved Planning 

and Performance Measures 

Statement of Valerie C. Melvin, Director 

Information Management and Technology Resources 

Issues 

GAO 

Accountability 01" Integrity'll: Reliability 
16 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.006

Err!bargc)ed Until Tuesday, AM 

Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Becerra, and Members of the 

Subcommittee: 

Thank you for inviting me to participate in today's hearing on the Social 

Security Administration's (SSA) efforts to modernize its information 

technology (IT) systems and environment. As you know, SSA is 

responsible for delivering services thai touch the lives of virtually every 

American, and Ihe agency relies heavily on IT to do so, lis computerized 

information systems support a range of activities, from the processing of 

Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income payments to the 

calculation and withholding of Medicare premiums, and the issuance of 

Social Security numbers and cards. Last fiscal year, the agency spent 

nearly $1.6 billion on IT. 

As SSA's systems have aged and its workload has increased, the agency 

has committed to investing in the capacity and modern technologies 

needed to update its strained IT infrastructure. In addition, the agency has 

recently undertaken a realignrnent of its IT governance structure, 

including the responsibilities of its Chief Information Officer (CIO). 

At your request, over the past year, we have been examining SSA's 

modernization efforts. The specific objectives of our study were to (1) 

determine SSA's progress in modernizing its IT systems and capabilities; 

(2) evaluate the effectiveness of SSA's plans and strategy for 

modernizing its systems and capabilities; and (3) assess whether the 

realignment of the agency's CIO responsibilities allows for effective 

oversight and management of the systems modernization efforts. 

Our report documenting the results of the study is being released today. 1 

As agreed with your office, my testimony statement summarizes the key 

findings in our report. In preparing this statement, we relied on the work 

supporting our report. The report contains a mare detailed overview of the 

scope of our review and the methodology used. The work upon which this 

statement is based was conducted in accordance with generally accepted 

government auditing standards from May 2011 to April 2012. Those 

standards require that we plan and perform audits to obtain sufficient, 

appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and 

1 GAO, Social Security Administration: Improved Planning and Performance Measures Are 

Needed to Heip Ensure Successful Technology Modernization, GAO-'i2-495 (W.a::;hingtO!i, 

D.C.: Apr. 26,2012) 

Page 1 GAO-12-723T 
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Background 

SSA Relies on IT to Deliver 

Servi,ces 

AM 

conclusions. We believe that the evidence obtained provided a 

reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit 

objectives. 

SSA's mission is to deliver Social Security services that meet the 

changing needs of the public, The Social Security Act and amendments 

established the programs that SSA administers, which include 

the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program: Commonly 

referred to simply as "Social Security," this program is one of the 

nalion's largest entitlement programs and provides monthly benefits to 

retired and disabled workers, their spouses and children, and the 

survivors of insured workers who have died; and 

the Supplemental Security Income program: This is a needs-based 

program financed from general tax revenues that provides benefits to 

aged adults, blind or disabled adults, and children with limited income 

and resources. 

According to SSA, in fiscal year 2011, about 54 million people received 

benefits from the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability program, and over 8 

million people received benefits from the Supplemental Security Income 

program. CollectIVely, about 155 million people work and pay Social 

Security taxes. The agency's fiscal year 2011 expenses totaled about 

$12.4 billion to support its programs. 

SSA relies extensively on IT to administer its programs and support 

related activilies. Specifically, its systems are used to, among other 

things, 

handle millions of transactions on SSA's toll·free telephone number, 

maintain records for the millions of beneficiaries and recipients of 

SSA's programs, 

evaluate evidence and make determinations of eligibility for benefits, 

issue new and replacement Social Security cards, and 

process earnings items for crediting to workers' earnings records, 

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Office of Systems Oversees 

SSA's IT Systems and 

Investments 

Until ·Tuesday. AM 

However, as the agency's systems have aged, SSA has faced challenges 

in carrying out its increasing workload. Specifically, many of SSA's 

existing systems software were developed in the 1960s and 1970s and 

are written in older computer programming languages or are past their 

designed life cycle. While the agency has made technical and functional 

upgrades throughout the years, it continues to face challenges because 

of the need to store, process, and share increasing amounts of data and 

to transition to Web-based, online access for SSA data and services, 

among other factors. 

Accordingly, in its most recent Agency Strategic Plan, SSA has identified 

IT as a key foundational element to achieving success in meeting its 

goals. Recognizing the challenges facing its IT environment, the agency 

has stated that it plans to, among other things, develop and implement a 

common system for processing disability cases, increase its use of online 

services for access to benefits and information, and automate its 

processes for reporting information. 

SSA's Office of Systems is responsible for developing, overseeing, and 

maintaining the agency's IT systems. Comprised of eight component 

offices and approximately 3,300 staff, the Office of Systems has 

responsibility for the agency's IT. 

SSA uses its capital planning and investment control process to manage 

its software development projects. This process is intended to meet the 

objectives of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996' by providing a framework for 

selecting, controlling, and evaluating investments in IT to help ensure that 

they meet the strategic and business objectives of the agency. This 

process requires a series of reviews by executive oversight bodies, 

including the agency's StrategiC Information Technology Assessment and 

Review board, to ensure that IT projects are selected that best meet the 

agency's goals; that, once selected, they are performing within expected 

schedule and cost parameters; and finally, that once implemented, these 

projects are delivering results_ 

2The Clinger-Cohen Act (see 40 U.S.C. §§ 11301-11331) provides a framework for 

effective IT management that encompasses systems integration ptanning and investment. 

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SSA Has Undertaken 

Numerous 

Modernization Efforts 

but Lacks Effective 

Tools for Measuring 

Progress 

Err!bargc)ed Un!illuesday, AM 

In June 2011, in an effort to increase efficiency, the Commissioner of 

Social Security announced the realignment of CIO functions and 

associated personnel. As part of this realignment, the Office of the CIO 

was eliminated, and most of its responsibilities for managing IT, along 

with the IT budget, were reassigned to the Office of Systems. Previously, 

key duties of the CIO were to select and prioritize IT investments and 

oversee the review and approval of the annual IT budget, while the Office 

of Systems was responsible for managing the acquisition, development, 

and maintenance of IT projects. Under the realignment, the Deputy 

Commissioner for Systems-who heads the Office of Systems-assumed 

the major responsibilities of the CIO. 

Since 2001, SSA has reported spending more than $5 billion on the 

development, modernization, and enhancement of its IT systems and 

capabilities. SSA officials identified 120 initiatives undertaken from 2001 

to 2011 that the agency considered to be key investments in 

modernization. These comprise a subset of the hundreds of projects and 

modernization activities SSA undertakes yearly, which vary greatly in 

level of effort, scope, and cost. These initiatives affected all of the 

agency's main program areas: 

According to managers within SSA's Office of Disability Systems, in 

an effort to reduce backlogs of disability hearings, the agency 

implemented a process for creating electronic "folders" for each 

applicant, to replace the existing paper-based process. This initiative 

included capabilities for electronically viewing an applicant's folder, 

electronic screening for faster disability determinations, and Internet 

access to information on disability hearings and determinations. 

The Office of Retirement and Survivors Insurance Systems took steps 

to improve outdated legacy systems and respond to legislation or 

other mandates requiring new system functionality. These efforts 

included integrating stand-alone "post-entitlement" processes, 

facilitating online application for benefits. and conversion of a key 

database to a more modern. industry-standard one. 

Managers from the Office of Applications and Supplemental Security 

Income described initiatives to modernize large legacy databases and 

facilitate data sharing to streamline the claims process. These 

included enhancements to the electronic death registration process 

Page 4 GAO-12-723T 
20 


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AM 

and the development of a Web application enabling access to data 

from multiple systems. 

SSA officials described initiatives in the area of electronically 

exchanging data with external partners, including states and privatesector partners such as banks and credit bureaus. 

SSA also noted efforts to streamline the process for administering 

Social Security cards, such as introducing safeguards against 

counterfeiting and replacing its legacy printers. 

In addition to these initiatives, SSA undertook a project to establish a 

disaster recovery capability at a secondary computing site. This project 

provided for continuity of operations, continuous processing of SSA's 

workload. and backup of the agency's IT assets, among other 

capabilities. 

While these improvements have yielded benefits, SSA still has a number 

of other major efforts under way to continue the modernization of its IT 

environment. These efforts involve 

completing the conversion of the agency's legacy Master Data Access 

Method database system (used to support the storage and retrieval of 

SSA's major program master files) to a modern, industry-standard 

database system; 

transitioning from its legacy system for processing retirement and 

survivors' claims to a single, unified system that integrates initial and 

post-entitlement actions; 

streamlining operations and reducing duplication in disability 

databases and transitioning from multiple and fragmented applications 

to a Single, unified case processing system; 

enhancing and refreshing telecommunications equipment and 

ongoing improvement of connectivity and bandwidth for data, voice, 

and video communications; and 

supporting enhancements to SSA's Medicare initiatives, including 

changes required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 

which are intended to improve the process for verifying the name, 

Social Security number, and other data on Medicare earnings reports. 

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AM 

SSA officials noted that the agency faces several challenges in 

successfully carrying out these modernization efforts. These include 

planning for system changes within a single fiscal year budget cycle, a 

practice that limits the agency's ability to make long-term modernization 

plans: devoting significant resources to the maintenance of existing 

legacy systems because of large quantities of legacy code; and diverting 

resources frorn long-term projects to shorter-term immediate 

requirements, such as those arising from legislative changes, 

Compounding these challenges, we found that SSA has not fully 

established performance measures or a post-implementation review 

process that would allow it to determine the progress it is making in its 

modernization efforts_ Federal law requires agencies to identify 

performance measures for their IT investments,3 and we have previously 

reported that comprehensive measures are essential for gauging the 

progress and benefits of IT investments 4 However, while SSA developed 

performance measures for most of its 17 major modernization 

investments for fiscal year 2010, it did not identify any measures in one of 

four management areas identified by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for 3 of these investments.' Moreover, the measures SSA 

developed did not always allow for assessments of each project's 

effectiveness in meeting agency goals. For example, these measures did 

not always (1) identify how each project is to contribute to expected 

benefits; (2) include measures of investments' effectiveness in meeting 

goals, requirements, or mission results; or (3) provide the means for 

measuring progress toward specific modernization goals. 

3The Paperwork Reduction Act requires federal agencies to establish peliormance 

measures that depict how effectively the management of information resources, which 

includes IT, is supporting their business needs In addition, the Clinger-Cohen Act requires 

agencies to establish performance measures, such as those related to how IT contributes 

to program productivity, efflciency, and effectiveness, and to monitor the actuaf~versu$­

expected performance of those measures. 

4GAO, fnformatfon Technology Management: Governm$ntwide StrategiC Planning, 

Performance Measurement, and Investment Management Can Be Fiirther Improved, 

GAO~04-49 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 12, 2004) 

SThese four areas are mission and business results. processes. and activities, customer 

results, and technology. See OMB, Federal Enterprise Architecture: Consolidated 

Reference Model Document, version 2. 3 (WaShington, D.C.: October 2007). 

Page G GAO-12-723T 
22 


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Modernization 

Approach Is Not 

Guided by Key 

Practices 

Until 'Tuesday, AM 

In addition, SSA has not conducted post-implementation reviews of its IT 

projects or systems, as called for by OMS guidance. Such a review 

should confirm the extent to which planned benefits were achieved, 

determine the cost-effectiveness of the project, and identify lessons 

learned and opportunities for improvement. While SSA conducts 

assessments of completed initiatives, these assessments lack key 

elements called for by OMS that would provide assurance that 

modernization and other IT projects are delivering expected benefits at 

acceptable costs and that SSA is making progress in meeting its goals. 

Comprehensive strategic planning is essential for successfully carrying 

out large-scale efforts such as SSA's IT modernizations. Key elements of 

such planning include developing an IT strategiC plan and an enterprise 

architecture that, together, outline modernization goals, measures, and 

timelines. 

An IT strategic plan serves as an agency's vision and helps align its 

information resources with its business strategies and investment 

decisions. As such, it provides a high-level perspective of the agency's 

goals and objectives, enabling the agency to prioritize how it allocates 

resources; proactively respond to changes; and communicate its vision 

and goals to management, oversight bodies, and external parties. The 

enterprise architecture helps to implement the strategic vision by 

providing a focused "blueprint" of the organization's business processes 

and technology that supports them, It includes descriptions of how the 

organization operates today, how it intends to operate in the future, and a 

plan for transitioning to the target state. It further helps coordinate the 

concurrent development of IT systems to limit unnecessary duplication 

and increase the likelihood that these systems will inter-operate. 

SSA developed an IT strategiC plan in 2007 to guide its modernization 

efforts; however, the plan is outdated and may not be aligned with the 

agency's overall strategic plan. Specifically, because it has not been 

updated since 2007, the plan contains elements that are no longer 

relevant to SSA's ongoing modernization efforts. For example, the plan 

discusses projects that have largely been completed, does not reference 

current information security requirements, and does not reflect current 

staffing needs. Further, it does not reflect the way in which modernization 

decisions are driven by the agency's StrategiC Information Technology 

Assessment and Review board. 

Pa.ge 7 GAO-12-723T 
23 


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AM 

The currency of the IT strategic plan is further called into question by the 

fact that the agency updated its overall Agency Strategic Plan in 2008 

and again in 2012. Thus, the IT strategic plan may no longer be aligned 

with the agency's broader goals. In the absence of an updated IT 

strategic plan, SSA has relied on a number of program activities to guide 

its modernization efforts, such as identifying and prioritizing IT 

modernization investments during its annual investment review process 

and developing high-level descriptions of projects in each of the agency's 

portfolios. However, these activities are based on short-term budget 

cycles and do not provide a long-term strategic vision with detailed steps 

and milestones. SSA officials stated that they are updating the IT 

strategic plan; however, it has yet to be finalized or approved. 

In addition, SSA has developed an enterprise architecture, but it is 

missing key components. Specifically, the architecture captures certain 

foundational information about the current and target states of the 

organization, such as current business processes and business 

outcomes. to assist in evolving existing information systems and 

developing new ones. Nevertheless, the architecture lacks important 

content called for by federal CIO Council and OMS guidance that would 

allow the agency to more effectively plan its investments and achieve its 

vision of modernized systems and operations, Specifically, the 

architecture lacks key elements that would establish the specific steps 

and direction to reach its vision of modernEzed systems by 2016. In 

particular, the agency has not developed a service-oriented architecture 

road map that would, among other things. articulate the changes and 

growth in IT capabilities over time and provide a conceptual plan that 

establishes a basis for developing more detailed project plans. Further, 

SSA has not conducted an enterprise gap analysis to identify the 

differences between its current and target states to enable the 

development of a plan for transitioning from the current to the target state. 

SSA also has not developed quantitative performance expectations for 

the target state or analyzed the flows of information among the agency's 

business processes, Without a long-term strategic vision and an 

enterprise architecture that provides details on how this vision is to be 

executed, SSA lacks assurance that Its modernization initiatives will 

effectively and efficiently support its goals and mission. 

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24 


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CIO Realignment 

Allows for Effective 

Oversight and 

Management but Was 

Implemented without 

Adequate Planning or 

Updated Guidance 

AM 

As mentioned earlier, in 2011, SSA realigned the functions of its Office of 

the CIO, consolidating major responsibilities for the management and 

oversight of IT in its Office of Systems. Federal law, specifically the 

Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, requires the heads of executive branch 

agencies to designate a CIO with key responsibilities for managing an 

agency's IT resources. As we have previously reported, to carry out these 

responsibilities effectively, CIOs require sufficient control over IT 

investments, including control over the IT budget and workforce. 6 

Under the realignment, key responsibilities of the CIO and Deputy 

Commissioner for Systems were merged into the Office of Systems. 

Specifically, this arrangement gave the Office for Systems responsibility 

for, among other things, 

oversight and management of IT budget formulation; 

systems acquisition, development, and integration; 

the IT capital planning and investment control process; 

workforce planning and allocation of resources to IT projects; 

IT strategic planning; 

enterprise architecture; 

IT security; and 

IT operations. 

If implemented appropriately, this organizational structure should allow for 

effective oversight and management of the agency's systems and 

modernization initiatives. However, we found in our review that the 

realignment was undertaken without the benefit of an analysis of the 

impact of this significant organizational change. Specifically, SSA did not 

develop a management plan that would describe the challenges 

associated with the realignment or strategies for addressing them, along 

with time frames. resources, performance measures, and accountability 

6GAO, Federal Chief Information Officers: Opportunities Exist to Improve Role in 

Information Technology Management, GAO-11-634 (Washington, D_C Sept 15, 2011). 

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SSA Needs to Take 

Actions to Help 

Ensure the Success of 

Its Modernization 

AM 

structures. Further, SSA did not analyze the roles and responsibilities 

needed to support the allocation of functions under the realignment 

Without such an analysis, it cannot be determined whether the 

reassignment of staff that occurred as a result of the realignment 

represents an optimal allocation of resources. 

In addition, SSA has not updated its capital planning and investment 

control guidance to reflect the realignment. This guidance sets forth the 

process and responsibilities for managing the selection, control, and 

evaluation of SSA's IT investments. However, under the realignment, 

certain elements of the existing guidance are obsolete, such as the 

requirement for independent CIO reviews of IT investment proposals. 

SSA officials stated that the guidance was being updated and would be 

reviewed internally: however, they could not provide a time frame for the 

approval and implementation of the revised guidance. Having updated 

guidance is critical to ensuring that responsibilities for management and 

oversight of the agency's IT investments are being carried out effectively 

under the realigned organizational structure. 

In our report, we made a number of recommendations to SSA to address 

the challenges it faces in carrying out its IT modernization efforts. 

Specifically, we recommended that SSA: 

Ensure that performance measures are established for IT investments 

in each of OMB's four management areas and that they allow for 

measurement of progress in meeting modernization goals. 

In updating the agency's IT strategic plan, ensure that it includes key 

elements, such as results-oriented goals, strategies, milestones, 

performance measures, and an analysis of interdependencies among 

projects and activities, and is used to guide and coordinate 

modernization efforts. 

Establish an enterprise architecture that includes key elements, such 

as a service-oriented architecture road map, a gap analysis, 

performance targets, and descriptions of information flows and 

relationships. 

Define roles and responsibilities of realigned IT staff and develop and 

clearly document updated investment review guidance. 

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Contact and 

Acknowledgments 

(3109:85) 

AM 

In commenting on a draft of our report, SSA neither agreed nor disagreed 

with our recommendations. However, the agency provided responses to 

each of the recommendations, as well as more general comments on our 

report's findings, SSA described steps it is taking that would address 

elements of the recommendations related to planning, enterprise 

architecture, and IT oversight, while it took issue with other elements of 

the recommendations, including the level of detail that an IT strategic plan 

should contain and the need for more comprehensive measures, We 

continue to believe these recommendations are warranted. (Please see 

the "Agency Comments and Our Evaluation" section of our report for 

more details on SSA's comments and our response.) 

In summary, while SSA has undertaken important inilialives thai have 

resulted in improvemenls to its processes, significant efforts remain for it 

to fully meel its goals for modernizing its IT environment. Ensuring that it 

is successful in meeting these goals will be difficult without the agency 

establishing effective tools for measuring progress and performance and 

without comprehensive strategic planning. SSA's realignment of the cia 

responsibilities provides an opportunity for effective management and 

oversight of the agency's systems modernization efforts: however, this 

effectiveness may well be hindered without appropriate implementation of 

the realignment, including defined roles and responsibilities and updated 

oversight guidance, 

Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Becerra, and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to 

answer any questions that you may have at this time. 

If you have any questions regarding this statement, please contact 

Valerie C. Melvin, Director, Informalion Management and Technology 

Resources Issues, at (202) 512-6304 or melvinv@gao.gov. Olher 

individuals who made key contributions include Christie Motley, Assistant 

Director; Michael Alexander; David Hong; Alina Johnson; Lee 

McCracken: and Scott Pettis. 

Page 11 GAO-12-72:3-T 
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28 

f 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate your testimony. 

Mr. Freed, you are welcome to proceed. 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.018
29 

STATEMENT OF LARRY FREED, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, FORESEE RESULTS, INC., ANN ARBOR, 

MICHIGAN 

Mr. Freed. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairman Johnson, and 

Ranking Member Becerra, and the rest of the subcommittee. Thank 

you for the opportunity to testify about our experience measuring 

and analyzing citizen satisfaction with nine of the Social Security 

Administration’s websites. 

My name is Larry Freed, and I am president and CEO of ForeSee. We are a company that is a customer experience analytics 

company that helps measure the experience and help companies 

analyze where to invest their dollars to make the largest improvements possible for the benefit of the users. 

We use a patented technology based on a methodology developed 

at the University of Michigan called the American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI. The ACSI methodology has a long history 

as a measurement system, a performance metric, and a great improvement tool, both in the Federal Government and in the private 

sector. 

Since 2001, ForeSee has measured citizen satisfaction on more 

than 300 government websites, including 9 Social Security 

websites, across 50 departments and agencies, in addition to international, State, and quasi-government sites. We have also worked 

with over 400 private sector companies as well. 

We have collected more than 7 million citizen surveys since 2001 

for visitors to Federal Government websites, and since 2009 we 

have collected 4 million surveys as well. And we collect over 1.5 

million consumer satisfaction surveys every month across our 700 

plus measures. 

So why measure satisfaction? Well, satisfaction is very important 

because ultimately when citizens are visiting these websites, the 

experience they have is going to ultimately determine where they 

go next and what they do. And the e-Government initiatives provide a great opportunity to lower the cost of delivering goods and 

services and information and transactions to the citizens. 

Based on the measurements that we do satisfaction scores, the 

future behavior scores, we find that citizens are very high satisfied 

with Federal Government websites. They are highly more likely to 

have trust in an agency, 70 percent higher if they are in highly satisfied versus those that are dissatisfied. They are 48 percent more 

likely to participate in government by expressing their thoughts to 

the agency than citizens that are less satisfied. And their future 

behaviors directly relate to the open government initiatives. 

Satisfaction also increases the likelihood that citizens will return 

to the websites again and use it as their primary resource as opposed to utilizing more costly channels, such as call centers and 

branches. These behaviors significantly will increase both the efficiency and reduce costs and make the lives of citizens far more 

easy. 

Our research continues to demonstrate that citizens find their 

interactions with government through the online channel to be far 

more satisfying than their experience through traditional means of 

dealing with government. Social Security and other agencies must 

30 

focus on customer experience online in order to maximize the value 

of this cost savings channel. 

I would like to share some of our research with you on how well 

the Social Security sites do in meeting citizens’ needs and exceeding expectations with the websites and applications that we are 

currently measuring. 

ForeSee has measured and analyzed customer satisfaction data 

for nine Social Security websites and applications for more than 

eight years. SSA uses the data and analysis in three main ways: 

one, to measure whether citizens are getting a good experience and 

the sites are meeting their needs, second, to understand how to improve the websites in a citizen-centric manner, and, third, to understand how to improve the online self-service and decrease offline 

services, and, therefore, lead to a decreased utilization of offline 

services, and ultimately cost savings and efficiency. 

Currently we are measuring the nine sites are: the Social Security online main website, the Social Security Internet disability report, the Social Security iClaim, the Social Security business services online, the retirement estimator, the help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs, the Social Security online frequently 

asked questions, the SSA iAppeals, and the Social Security electronic access. 

We measure satisfaction on a 100-point scale, and any score 

above 80 is generally considered to be an excellent score. The 

scores for the sites that we measure range from 69 to 92, and six 

of the nine sites score above 80, which we think of as a threshold 

for a great performing site. And as Mr. Becerra mentioned, some 

of the sites outperform even Amazon, which by most is considered 

one of the best e-tellers around. 

I would like to quickly go through a quick performance rundown 

of these different sites. Social Security’s iClaim we have been measuring since January of 2004. The current score is a 92. When we 

started measuring it, it was a score of 68, significant improvement 

over time. 

The retirement estimator has been tracking citizen satisfaction 

since July of 2008, and it currently sits at a score of 90, another 

very strong score. 

The help with Medicare prescription drug plan costs, began 

measuring in June of 2005, and it is currently at a score of 89. 

The electronic access applications, started measuring in May of 

2012, and their score is 88, again, well above the threshold. 

The Internet disability report, we have been measuring since 

2006, and it has a score of 83, and it has increased from 72 when 

we first started measuring it. 

The business services online has a score above 80, and right now 

it is at a score of 83. 

SSA iAppeals has a score of 71, so there is obviously some room 

for improvement there. And the FAQ section is one of the lowestscoring SSA websites with a score of 70. And the SSA main website 

has a score of 69, but it has a difficult challenge in that it is a very 

broad website, and it has a lot of different aspects that it is dealing 

with. 

In summary, measurement of both the Internet sites and also the 

soon to come mobile sites is critical for citizens to not only get a 

31 

great experience, but provide a great way for lowering their costs 

and improving the efficiency of delivering this information and 

services to our citizens. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Freed follows:] 


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This is Until 8th at 1000 AM 

Good afternoon, Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Becerra. Thank you for the opportunity to 

lestify today abolll our experience measuring and analyzing citizen satisfaction with nine of the Social 

Security Administration's internet-baRed electronIC services and ,veb-sites. 

My name is Larry Freed, and 1 am President and CEO of ForeSee, a company that measures the ct"tomcr 

experience tor organintions in the public and private sector. On our client list are more than 200 federal 

websites, including nine Social Security websites and applications. ForeSee has been working with the 

Social Security Administration ("SSA") tor more than eight years, and J appreciate the oppm1unity to 

describe our assessment of how eflectively the SSA is using its internet-based services, websites, and 

applications to meet citizen needs and expectations, 

About ForeSee 

I'd like to give you a little bit of background on ForeSee and what we do, and then I'd like to share our 

research on the SSA with you today. 

ForeSee is a customer experience analytics finn that continuously measures customer satisfaction and 

delivers powerful insights on where to prioritize improvements for maxirnllrn impact. We have measured 

the satisfaction of citizens on a variety of SSA's web properties since 2004. 

The way this works in practice is that we develop and launch scientific surveys that arc presented to 

random VlsltoL"S on SSA "\-yebsites and arpllcattons, Visitors are randomly intercepted as the experience 

the website or application and given an opportunity to answer questions about Uleir expectations and 

experience of the website. 

ForeSee uses a patented technology based on a methodology developed at the University of Michigan 

called the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSJ). The ACSJ methodology has a long history as a 

measurement system, performance metric, and improvement tool in the federal government Rased 011 

several factors, the ACSl methodology was chosen by tile federal government as a performance metric to 

measure citizen satisfaction in 1999, and has been used on the web since 2001 to help agencies and 

departments comply with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, the GPRA 

Moderni,ation Act of 20 I 0, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, the E-Government Act of 2002, and 

Executive Orders 12862 and 13571. 

The methodology allows us to take the raw data resulting from c·itizen surveys and tum it into actionable 

intelligence that shows the SSA and our other federal clients what elements need to be improved or 

enhanced in order tu improve- chizcn satisfaction; onlinC' transparency, and usage of the online channel, 

which provides substantial cost savings for the Agency. We apply these surveys and methodology across 

all customer touchpoints, including websites, call centers, brick-and"mortar locations, mobile sites and 

Testimony of Larry Freed of ForeSee) to House Ways and Means Subcommittee May 9, 2012 

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apps, and social media interactions. Our work for the SSA to date has been focused on websites and 

online applications. 

Since 200 I, F oroSte has m~asured citizen satisfadion on more than 300 government websites across 50 

depa"rtments and agencies. in addition to international, state~ and quasi-government sites. ForeSee has also 

collected marc than 7 million cilizen surveys from visilors to federal government websites since 200l. 

including over 4 l11illion since President Obama's inauguration j"n 2009. 

Why Measnre Sathfaction? 

Before I share our specific research on citizen satisfaction with the SSA. I want to talk briefly about why 

so many federal agencies find it critical to measure and improve citiLcn satisfaction on their wcbsitcs. 

User satisfaction, as measured using the ForeSee methodology, is proven to have a direct impact on 

behavior. [frederal government agencies focus on improving their website" priority areas, citizen 

satisfaction with the sites should also improve. 

Based on thture behavior scores, citi7ens who are highly satisfied with a federal governl11e'nt \vebsite rate 

their trust in the agency 70% higher and report being 48% more likely to participate in government by 

expressing their thnughls w the agency ti,an citizens who arc less satisfied. These are [mure behaviors 

that relate directly to the Open Government Initiative. 

Satisfaction also increases the likelihood that the citizen will rClUrn to the website again (52%). usc it as a 

primary resource (92%) as opposed to utilizing morc costly chamlds, or recommend the site (0 others (by 

86%). These behaviors significantly increase etliciency and reduce costs. 

Our research continues to demonstrate that citizens find their interactions with the government through 

the online channel to be far more satisfying than through traditional means (call center, in-person). It is 

often casier and more cOllvenient Lo do so. While many citizens compLajn about lheir experiences In 

dealing with the government, that frustration has not otten been true in the online realm, The SSA and 

other agencies must focus on the cuslomer experience online in order to maximize the value o[ this costsaving channel. 

ForeSee's Work with the SSA 

Next I'd like to share some of our research with you on how well the SSA is meeting citizen needs and 

expectations Wilh the websites and applications we arc curreutly measuring. 

ForeSee has measmcd and analyzed customer satisfaction data for nine SSA websites and applications 

including the SSA main site, for more than eight years. SSA uses !l,e data and analysis in three main ways: 

Testimony of Larry Freed of ForeSee, to House Ways and Means Subcommfttee May 9, 2012 

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I) to measure whether the websites and "pplkatians are meeting and exceeding the needs of citizens 

2) to understand how to improve wcbsitcs in a citizen-centric manner 

3) to understand how improving online sc1f~servicc decreases oft1inc scrvkc and tllcrcforc leads to 

decreased utiliza110ll ofotlline services and therefore increased efficiency and cost-savings. 

One example is the F AQs section oftbe website, SSA calculated that having a successful FAQ website 

section with highly satisfied visitors reduced the num ber of high-cost contacts (thmugh phone calls and 

office visits) by 480,000. 

ForeSee is current1:y measuring and analyzing customer satisfaction on nine SSA websites: 

I) Social Security Online (Main Website) -- socialsecurity.gov 

2) Social Security Intemet Disability Report -- ssa.gov!applyfordisabililY 

3) SSA iClaim -- socialsecurity.gov/applyonline 

4) Social Security Business Services Online -- ssa,gov/bso/bsowelcome.htm 

5) SSA Retirement Estimator -- ssa.gov/estimator 

6) Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs -- socialsecurity.gov/i 1 020 

7) Social Security Online: Frequently Asked Questions -- ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov 

8) SSA iAppeals -" hltps:/!secure.ssa.govlapps6z/iAppeals/apOO I.jsp 

9) SSA Electronic Access -- http://''V\v\v.ssa.gov!mystatement/ 

ForeSee measures satisfaction all a IOO-point scale, Any score above 80 is generally considered excellent. 

Scores for SSA 's measured websites currently range trom 69 to 92 on ForeSee's lOG-point scale. Six of 

U10 nine SSA wcbsitcs score above 80, generally -considered the threshold for excellence on ForeSee's 

scale. In fact three SSA \vehs.ites meet or exceed the performance of top private-sector web~ites, 

Amazon. the highest-scoring e-retail "\:vebsite in history, in terms ofc:ustomer satisfaction, has a published 

ACSI score of89. SSA iClaim has a satisfaction score of92, SSA Retirement Estimator has a 91, and 

Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs has an 89, meaning three ofSSA's nine measured 

websites outperfonn or tic Amazon. 

T would like to share with you a brief report on the performance of the nine SSA websites that we 

mcasun\ in descending order from highest to 10\.ve~t~scDring site or application. Each (}ftllC scores 1 

mention reflects data that was collected in the t,rst four months of 2012, 

I) We have beCllmeasuring satisfaction with SSA's iClaim (socialseeurity,gov/applyonlinc) since 

January of 2004; it is one Df the two ::-lites or applications \ve~ve been l1leasuri ng for the longest 

lime. iCl"im's elilTent satisfaction score is 92. iClaim is an example of an SSA site that has seen 

tremendous improvement. The site scored 68 ""hen it \vas measured in 2004 and now scores. 92 

after a series of citizen driven improvements over the years.. Once one of the lowest-scoring 

Testimony of Larry Freed of ForeSee) to House Ways and Means Subcommittee May 9, 2012 

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websites in our benchmal'k, it is now the highcst 

2) SSA's Retiremenl Estimator (ssa.gov/estimator) has been tracking citizcn satisfaction since July 

of2o.o.8. Current salisfaetion sits at 90., the second-highcst-scoring website or application wc're 

measuring tor the SSA. Our research has shown that improved satistaction reduces the likelihood 

that English-speaking constituents will apply for Social Security benclits in the l1eld ornce, and it 

does have a positive impact on tiling online as well as using other online SSA Applications. Both 

ofthese tindings reinlorce extensive research showing that improving satislaction can be a costsaving lucasure. 

3) Help with Medicare Prescription Dmg Plan Costs (socialsecurity.govlil 0.20.) began measuring 

satislaction in June of 20.0.5, and its satisfaction is currently 89, meaning citizens are just as 

satistied with this application as they are with Amazon.com, the top-scoring private-sector 

website, which also scores an 89 in published ACSI studies. Highly satisfied visitors to illis 

IIExtm Help" application are more likely to use other online SSA applications, \-vhich should save 

costs. 

4) SSA's Electronic Access Application (http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement/)juststarted measuring 

customcrsatisfaclion on May I of2o.l2. Electronic Access presents a survey to anyone who 

registers for an eleeo'onie access account, and since the site receives so mnch traffic, suft1cicnl 

surveys were collected on the very first day of measurement (more than 1000 completed surveys 

in the first day) to calculate a statistically reliable score of RS, well above 80, the generallyrecognized threshold for excellcnce 

5) The Internet Disability Report (ssa.gov/applyfordisability ) has been measuring satisfaction with 

foreSee since Ju.ly 0[2006 and ClllTCntly has a score of 83. Satisfaction Witll this application has 

increased fi'OI11 72 to 83 since 2006, placing it well above the threshold for excellence (RO).Site 

changes were implemented in January, 20.10 resulting in shorter application completion times and 

higher satisfaclion. 

6) Scores for Business Services Online (ssa.govibso/bsowclcome.hlm) have been consistently above 

80 since it was 11m measured in February of 2005. BSO's current satisfaction score is 83. 

7) With a satisfaction score of71, SSA's iAppcals (ssa.gov/appeals/) is one of ti,e lower-scoring 

applications since it was tirst measured in February of2011. A great deal of attention has 

therefore been paid to improving the customer experience. Changes were made to the torms in 

December 2011, and again in february 2012. SSA is currently using customer experience 

analytics from ForeSee to drive additional changes planned tor August 2012. 

8) Surveys have shown that some visitors are expecting the FAQ section ofthe SSA website (ssacusthelp.ssa.gov ) to answer personal questions (which it cannot) and that the FAQ needs better 

Testimony of Larry Freed of ForeSeel to House Ways and Means Subcommittee May 9/ 2012 

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organization and structure to help visitors more efficiently find answers (0 thoir questions. 

Therefore, the FAQ section is one of the lower-scoring SSA websites with a score of70. As a 

result of survey data and analysis, SSA is currently working on a redesign of this resource to 

better aid site visitors. This site has been measuring dtizcn satisfaction since June of2004. 

9) The SSA's main website (}\'w\\.~()Cials~_ul'i(.'U'()}') is the lowcst"scoring oral! ofSSA's 

measured web properties with a score of 69, perhaps because its broader mission makes 

expectations harder to meet and exceed. Since we have been measuring the main ,"vehsite since 

January of 2004, we have noticed that Satisfaction scores tend to drop every N ovcmbcr tllrough 

Fehnlary as visitors coming to fill out their W-2!W-3 struggle to find the location. 

I would like (0 share some points of comparison with you in order to put these scores in context. SSA 

websites and applications can measure against themselves over time, against other SSA websites and 

applications, and U1CY can also measure against other federal websites. 

About the ACST E-Government Satisfaction Tndex 

The ACSr E-Governillent Satisfaction Index is a special quarterly report that ForeSee produces in 

partnership with the American Customer Satisfaction Index. l! includes satisfactiou scores on a 100"point 

scale for more !han 100 federal websites who choose (0 be included in (he publicly-released Index. The 

average satisfaction for an the federal \vebsi1es inclllded in the Index is 75.2 on the Index's IOO-pojnt 

scale. 

Six of the nine SSA websites outperform (his ACSI E"Govcfl1mcnt Satisfaction Index average of75.2. 

In addition, ForeSee is able to calculate satisfaction averages for departments and agencies with more 

than 5 measured wehsites. Ofthe eight federal agencies that qualify for an average, SSA has by far the 

highest average satisfaction in our most recent report: 

Social Security Administration: average citizen satisfaction of 82.2 

Department ofHol11eland Security: average citizen satisfaction of78.7 

Department of Health and Human Services: average citizen satisfaction of78.4 

Department of State: average citizen satisfaction of 76.4 

Department of Defense: average citizen satisfaction of 75.1 

Department of Transportation: average citizen satisfaction of69.1 

Department of Agriculture: average citizen satisfaction of 68.4 

Department o[the Treasury: average citizen satisfaction of 64.6 

SSA also has the three highest-scoring websites in the entire ACSI E-Government Satisfaction Tndex: 

SSA iClaim (92), SSA Retircment Estimator (9 j), and Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs 

(89). 

Test!mony of Larry Freed of ForeSee, to House Ways and Means Subcommittee May 9, 2012 

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A nothe"r interesting way to set the SSA's scores in context is 10 compare online scores to other measures 

of citizen satisfaction \vith government infonnatioll and services. Once a ycart U1C ACSl meas-ures citiLcn 

satisfaction with government agendes overall. In January 2012, the ACSI reponed a score of 69 for the 

Social Secnrity Administration overall. This is a measure of citizen satisfaction v-lith the agency as a 

whole. Clearly online satisfaction is vastly outperfonning offline satisfaction since the SSA-s average 

online score is an 82.2. Higher online satisfaction is positive reinforcement ofthe value ofSSA's 

websites and online app I icatiol1s. 

The ACST reports that satisfaction with the federal government overall was 66.9 as of January 2012. 

Therefore, the SSA is oUlperfonning federal averages both online and offline. 

Online Transparency 

Til conjunction with the ACST E-Government Satisfaction Tndex, ForeSee produces an Online 

Transparency Tndex. This \vas started as a tangible \vay to measure transparency in accordance \"\Iith 

Memoranuum on Transparency and Opeu Government, issued by the White House in January of2009. 

The Online Transparency Index serves as a consistcnlmeasllfe of online transparency aud quantifies its 

impact on citizens' attitudes and behaviors, as mediated by satisfaction, The Index has grown into a vital 

tool for measllring the Sllccess, failure, or progress of government departments and agencjes online~ 

providing a clear direction for improvement. 

Research has delined the link between online transparency, satisfaction, future behaviors, and atlitlldes 

1 ike trust~ gi,\ilng government agencies the tools they require to measure their success in meeting the open 

government directives, allowing them to identify where and how to improve citizens' views of 

transparency and drive citizen satisfaction higher, Tmproved citizen satisfactiot1 is a key result. It is also a 

critical component in judging whether or not a website should be consol idated or elim inated-satisfaction 

speaks directly to users' needs being mel. 

NOl all agencies and departments arc currently mcasming online transparency as pan of their ForeSee 

models, A total of 40 siles arc reported in the Online Transparency lndex as a component ofthcir 

participation in the ForeRee e-government report. 

The aggregate Q 1 2012 online transparency score for the 40 measured tederal sites is 76.8 on the study's 

I ~O-point scale. Only one of nine SSA websites and applications is currently measuring and reporting 

online transparency as part of ForeSee's Online Transparency Index, The Online Transparency score for 

the SSA's main webs"ite is 73, which;s slightly below average. Tmprovel11ents to online transparency 

could be a beneficial for the SSA and most federal websites 3nd applications. 

Testimony of Larry Freed of ForeSeel to House Ways and Means Subcommittee May 91 2012 

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Mobile, the Future of E-Government and the SSA 

According to Forrester Research, 91.4 million people in the U.S. own smart phones. Comscore reports 

that in 2011, 14.6 of all on online sessions were initiated from a mobile device (nearly triple the rale of 

5.6% in 2010). 

Meanwhile, there are over 2000 top-level federal.gov domains, but GSA's online app store ofters roughly 

100 lederal apI's, according to Wh iteHouse.gov, indicating a large gap between traditional web 

development 311d mobile development. 

In an informal poll of our clients, we found that two-thirds of our federal websites do not have a 

corresponding mobile site or app. Of tho sites we polled, 32% have launched a mobile sile or app, 53% 

are currently planning or developing one. and 15% have yet to take the first steps in creating a mobile apr 

or mobile-optimized website. 

More and more federal agencies understand the importance of driving improvements and enhancements 

based on the way citizens experience those wcbsitcs. As citizens increasingly access online infonnation 

through smart phones and tablets, it will be emeial for all federal agencies, inc luding the SSA, to measure 

311d understand the citizen cxpericnce across all touch points, induding mGbilc-optimiLcd web sites, 

mobile apps and conventional websites, as well as more traditional modes of interacting with the 

government stich as contact centers and branch offices. 

Conclusion 

SSA wehsite, that aTe successfully meeting their users' needs should be proud of their achievements, 

while simultaneously looking for new ways to improve. The benefits of providing a high quality web site 

for SSA's customers are lower costs, more convenience for its customers, and a more satisfying 

experience, all ofwh ich lead t[) greater trust 'in ti,e agency. 

Unlike the corporate sector, government agencies need to maintain the highest online standards not 

because their bottom linc is at stake, but because 111C1 have un obligatiGn and a responsibility to the 

citizenry 1.l1at enables them. Democracy depends on citizens' ability to get information and services frOlll a 

variety of channels. 

SSA websltes that are lower scoring should contimle to focus on citi7en-centric improvements to the 

on I ;ne experience. Expansions should be made to understand the citizen experience acr055 all SSA 

websites, mobile sites, and mobile apps. 

SSA web managers have demonstrated commendable dedication to improving the online customer 

experience, which in tum makes citizens more likely to usc the website, which is a 1110re cost-effective 

channel. It is remarkable that three SSA websites outperform Amazon.com. 

Testimony of Larry Fre€d of ForeSe€, to House Ways and Means Subcommittee May 9, 2012 

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39 

f 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, sir. 

Dr. Scherlis, welcome. Please go ahead. 


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Thank you for the opportunity to share our experience with the citizen experience provided by the SSA 

online. 

Testimony of Larry Freed of ForeSee, to Hause Ways and Means Subcommittee- May 9, 2012 

Page 9 
40 

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM SCHERLIS, PH.D., PROFESSOR, 

SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA 

Dr. Scherlis. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member 

Becerra, Members of the Subcommittee, it is my honor to be here 

to discuss the future of one of our most essential American institutions, the Social Security Administration. 

My name is William Scherlis. I am a professor of computer 

science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. My research 

focuses on software assurance. I am also the acting CTO for the 

Software Engineering Institute, which is a Department of Defense 

Federal Lab focused on advanced software capability for the DoD 

and its supply chain. 

I had six years of Federal service at DARPA. Returned to the 

university almost 20 years ago with an interest of the role of IT 

in government, which has stayed with me. I just completed 

chairing a National Academy study on DoD software. Its recommendations relate to the nature of agency leadership for largescale systems and why it is important to strengthen that leadership, particularly with respect to software systems architecture, the 

overall structure and interconnection of computing systems. That is 

my focus today, and I speak primarily from that general perspective. 

The SSA cannot accomplish its mission without effective IT, 

without effective IT leadership, and without effective support from 

the top for that IT leadership. In the 30 years since many of these 

SSA systems were developed, I grew up in Baltimore. I watched 

the building being constructed. Storage capacities, network bandwidth, processing power, and the costs of all these things have improved by between four to six orders of magnitude. That is a factor 

of a million. Skyscrapers growing at that rate would scrape the 

moon. 

Software capability, much harder to measure, has also increased 

dramatically. At a gross level, macro economists attribute 25 percent of GDP growth and fully 40 percent of productivity growth to 

information and communications technology. And there is no barrier to continuing this pace. We are nowhere near any kind of a 

plateau. 

So there are great opportunities, but not just for performance improvement. The FSTAP and NRC committees identified many potential improvements to customer service. But there are also dramatic improvements possible on the inside away from the customer. One of these is modern data intensive computing, or big 

data. Big data techniques can rapidly extract useful information 

and manipulate vast quantities of data. Instead of a giant mainframe with large amounts of data piped through, we have thousands of processors distributed, each with associated storage. We 

send small instructions to each of those processors to the data so 

that they can work in parallel. 

This is called cloud architecture. It is scalable. We can just buy 

more processors and more disks. It is cheap, and it survivable, to 

use the DoD jargon. And with modern infrastructure, it can offer 

great ease of programming, flexible support for a wide range of applications. 

41 

So while we are motivated to make changes, we also must recognize their impediments. Large organizations, and SSA is one example among many, are often plagued by the challenges of legacy systems. These are not to be confused with the legacy from your ancestors. In the general case, these are old systems on obsolete platforms. And very typically, we no longer fully understand these systems, so they are difficult to change, and they often provoke fear 

and superstition among otherwise rational technologists. 

This loss of intellectual control is strange, but very real. An old 

DoD study indicated for long-lived, large-scale systems, the costs of 

reverse engineering—understanding what makes them tick—can 

exceed the original development costs. These are systems the government owns and built. 

The pace of innovation ironically is also an impediment. When 

technology changes rapidly, risk judgments become difficult. The 

quantitative case that we have discussed earlier is harder to make. 

It is easier just to say no. Intel’s Andy Grove was famous for keeping his company successful by causing it to reinvent itself even in 

the absence of any immediate perceived threat. 

The refresh is different from the more typical routine and reactive O&M, which can be a series of changes that may potentially 

worsen the legacy because they are not aligned with a master plan 

and may conflict with other actions elsewhere in the organization. 

This is what my colleagues call technical debt—architectural 

changes that need to be done that are not yet done. It is like unpaid student loans that will not go away. It just gets worse. 

So and this technical debt can be self-reinforcing when it is 

amassed. It can appear risky to make the necessary disruptive 

changes. So I suggest six actions for Social Security Administration. 

First and most essential, full commitment from top leadership, 

motivating change both on the basis of need and also on opportunity. Second, understand what you have, the architecture and 

the full set of existing capabilities. This is the baseline. Third, decide what is needed, a cohesive vision of future services. This includes capabilities, but it also includes quality requirements related to security and quality of service and so on. 

Fourth, identify potential changes over the next five to 10 years. 

Anticipate, scale up, and other changes. This is what drives us off 

the mainframe and into the modern data center. Fifth, put these 

results together and develop a master plan that addresses the overall future architecture, the structure systems, and also has road 

maps for evolution based on that architecture. This is architecture 

leadership, and it is the leadership commitment that enables the 

natural growth process. 

Sixth, create a business and decision model that accounts for 

costs, risks, and benefits. This is not easy because there are relatively few quantifiable measures at the strategic level. It is rather, in many cases, a frame for expert judgment and effective process leadership. 

The most important features in my proposal are, to summarize, 

the emphasis on overall system architecture, one, and, two, the necessity of senior agency leadership to lead that process. I believe 

this is in harmony with the recommendations both of the National 

42 

Academy panel and also the FSTAP and the recent GAO recommendations. 

The SSA has an extraordinary and critical role in the lives of all 

Americans. I hope these ideas I share with you will be of use in 

strengthening that essential institution. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Scherlis follows:] 

43 


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Testimony for House Committee on Ways and Means 

Subcommittee on Social Security 

Hearing: The State of Social Semrity's Information Technology 

Willi3ln L. Sciwrlis, Ph.D. 

Professor, Carnegk Mellon University 

May9,1012 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, it is my honor to be here today to discuss the future of 

one of our most essential American institutions, the Social Security Administration. 

My name is William L. Scherlis, and I am a professor and department head in the School of Computer 

Science at Carnegie Mellon University. My academic research focuses on software engineering and 

,oftware assurance. I am also acting Chief Technology Officer for the Software Engineering Institute, 

which is a Department of Defense Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) focused 

on advancing software capability for the 000 and its supply chain. I was at DARPA for more than six 

years in the late 80s and early 90s. After I returned to the university from that role, I became interested 

in the challenge of enabling the government to be a smarter consumer of computing technology, 

primarily focused on Defense but also add ressing cybersecurity, e-government, crisis response, and 

other topics. I have chaired Nationa I Academy studies on e-govern ment and, most recently, on softwa re 

for the Department of Defense. This latter study focused quite closely on the nature of agency 

leadership for large-scille systems~and why it is important to strengthen that leadership. That is our 

focus today. 

Advancing a new forward-looking vision of service capability at SSA is both a great opportunity and an 

enormous chililenge. However, this is hard Iy unique to SSA~it is true of most major enterprises. It can 

be done and is being done in the private sector. 

My testimony today focuses on the necessity of architecture-based leadership in information technology 

(IT) in order to implement a new vision for SSA IT systems, roughly like a large-scale e-business. I 

consider what that leadership entails and how we might get there. 

In the 30 years since many of the existing SSA systems were first stood up, storage ca pacities, network 

bandwidth, processing power, ilnd the cost ofthese things have all improved by between 4 and 6 orders 

of magnitude. That's a factor of a million. If skyscrapers increased in height by that factor, they would 

scrape the moon. And we are not just talking about hardware. Software capability and sophistication, 

much harder to measu re, have also improved commensurately. And there is no barrier in sight to 

continuing this pace~we are nowhere near any kind of plateau. 

The ability to manage IT and exploit advances in technology is essential to keeping pace with consumer 

needs in a constantly evolving. technology driven consumer environment. Recognition of this at the 

topmost leadership level is essential. The Chief Information Officer becomes a full partner in strategy, 

and must be empowered and supported through a potentially disruptive period of essential change. 

William L. Scherlis, Ph.D. May 9,2012 
44 


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Exploiting the rapid growth in IT capability-hardware, software, and systems-has the potential to 

dramatically increase productivity and organizational performance at SSA, as with any other 

organization of scale. At the gross level, macroeconomists attribute 25% of GDP growth and fully 40% of 

the growth in productivity to Information and Communications Technology (lCT). 

Additionally, effective architectural leadership includes the ability to realize major new benefits from a 

range of emerging technologies. One important exa mple is data analytics. Pioneered by Google and 

others, including my colleagues at Carnegie Mellon and other universities, data analytics is now being 

widely im plemented in the private and public sectors for business intelligence, health data analysis, 

national intelligence, transportation management, and many other applications. 

I believe it is useful to consider the key drivers of change that ca n guide a vision for SSA's future, as well 

as to consider impediments to change that must be overcome in order to achieve that vision. 

Drivers of Change 

Obsolescence of systems 

Increased demand for services 

In the world of IT, we often hear the phrase "legacy systems." This phrase refers to old systems that 

operate on obsolete platforms. Most typically, we no longerfully understand them, so these systems 

are difficult to change and, consequently, are often surrounded by an atmosphere of fear and 

superstition. Sometimes a few remaining dedicated individuals possess the unique knowledge of the 

inner workings of these systems. But as managers we may avoid intervention for fear of disrupting some 

unknown balance of energies with a poorly understood change with unintended consequences. These 

systems almost inevitably approach a point at which it is no longer feasible, either technically or from a 

cost standpoint, to continue to maintain them. This is a legacy we would rather not inherit. 

An old DoD study indicated that, for long-I ived large-scale systems, the costs of reverse engineeringunderstanding what makes them tick-over their lifespan often exceed the original development cost. 

This is astonishing, because these a re systems the government paid to develop and that it owns. 

Nonetheless, the failure of managers to "refresh" these systems over time leads to great cost in 

recovering enough of the lost design knowledge to merely keep these systems going. If a significant 

event occurs such as a cyber attack or a policy shift, the needed repairs are often impossible, leading to 

loss of function and a host of potentially unforeseen and undesirable consequences. 

Another driver of change is the increased demand for services and opportunities that exist for meeting 

them. 

The most obvious opportunity is modernizing the system that the user sees-web services and their 

infrastructure. A vision for this is put forth in the document Re-imagining Social Security developed by 

the SSA Future Systems Technology Advisory Panel (June 2010). 

But there are also significant opportunities that are less visible to the user, for example taking advantage 

of modern data-intensive computing. Advances in storage, bandwidth, processing power, software and 

William L. Scherlis, Ph.D. 2 May 9,2012 
45 


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algorithms have enabled what we now refer to as "Big Data" ~computing techniques that enable rapid 

analysis and manipulation of vast quantities of data to tu rn it into actionable information. One could 

imagine deploying these capabilities at SSA to vastly reduce processing times, errors, and perhaps create 

a whole new range of user friendly services for the customer and for internal administrators. 

A key feature of Big Data is that it involves the distribution of data and processing capability across one 

or more large data centers. This "distributed architecture"~a way of deploying resources~is enabled 

by these so-called "Cloud" architectures. Google and Amazon exist because they have mastered and 

fully exploited this approach. These two firms pioneered these techniques a decade ago, and the 

techniques are now becoming mainstream both in industry and in a wide range of government 

applications. But Big Data requires technica I sophistication to implement successfully. 

What's exciting about the Cloud is that it is fundamentally scalable and incremental. When it is done 

properly, the technology can be updated in an ongoing manner. If a component in the Cloud fails, 

software enables uS to automatically work around it. On a larger scale, if a large but localized disaster 

occurs and takes out a number of components, there are ways to work around the,e as well. This is 

what DoD calls survivability~the ability of systems to continue to function despite the loss of certain 

components. 

Another feature of this Big Data/Cloud computing approach is the ease of programming. Consider 

mobile apps~the richness ofthe software frameworks means that only a small amount of programming 

is needed to create new capabilities. A similar "framework plus apps" model exists for cloud analytics. 

Instead of marshaling massive amounts of data to be piped through a mainframe computer, we send 

small instructions out to where the data is stored. This affords both scalability and flexibility. 

The increased demand for and opportunities presented by new technologies are possibilities we cannot 

ignore. 

Impediments to change 

Organizational culture 

Contracting relationships 

One impediment to change is a clash between the conservative culture of an organization and the rapid 

pace of change in the underlying technology. This has as much to do with people as with technical 

matters. When technology changes rapidly, risk judgments become difficult, and so it becomes easy to 

fall behind. A series of small reasons not to engage with the new and the innovative-it's too risky!-can 

freeze a system in the past. Taking risks seems fraught, and it is all too easy just to say no. 

The changes specifically related to software and systems architecture are, in many ways, more profound 

and more challenging for IT leaders than hardware changes. Three examples of profound software 

architectura I changes are (1) frameworks for the cloud and big data, (2) the infrastructure used to create 

web-based services, and (3) the advent of mobile frameworks and apps. These are all enabled by a 

combination of innovations in software, in systemsi and in architecture. 

William l. Scherlis, Ph.D. May9,2012 
46 


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This Testimony is E",b~rgoed until Wednesday, May 9, .lOU at 2"", 

Technically savvy managers can often anticipate changes in technology infrastructure and respond 

proactively. Successful firms and IT organizations work continually to stay fresh in their technology as in 

other aspects of their business. This is a matter of strategy and also of fostering organizational culture. 

There are many stories of successful firms that paused in this refresh, thinking they had reached a 

plateau. Many of those firms no longer exist. On the other hand, Intel's Andy Grove was famous for 

keeping his company successfu I by causing it to reinvent itself, even in the absence of any immediate 

perceived threat. 

Addressing these shifts can often mean making a series of disruptive changes. Small "smooth" changes 

to existing systems may seem most conservative, but often transform a patched system into a time 

bomb of deferred maintenance. The eventual cost of repairs continues to rise, and our aspirations to 

move into the future become unattainable. 

My colleagues have a term for this-they call it Technical Debt. Like unpaid student loans, it won't go 

away. It just gets worse. In a sense, the various studies of recent years by NRC, FSTAP, and GAO are 

identifying the nature and extent of the "technical debt crisis" at SSA. Perhaps I'm stretching the 

metaphor, but we do not particularly want to raise this debt limit To make matters worse, technical 

debt can be a self-reinforcing problem. When too much is amassed, it appears even more risky to make 

the necessary disruptive changes. It is better to have a pattern of well-planned and well-managed small 

changes that we follow from the outset. 

A second impediment relates to government systems and the contracting relationship. Government 

systems can be difficult to evolve effectively, because the incentives for program managers, contractors, 

and system managers may not always be aligned with actual mission needs. Even when incentives are 

aligned, the amassed technical debt can generate fear that precludes effective engagement, especially 

when we feel it necessary to continue to pay contractors to make incremental upgrades to idiosyncratic 

legacy systems that only they understand. Indeed, one of the characteristics of technical debt is that 

systems become increasingly difficult to understand, and in effect have an aura of darkness and fear 

around them. 

Let me say this more plainly. Even the best managers can lose control of their systems. It becomes 

increasingly difficult to maintain a full intellectual grasp of the systems architecture, the embodied 

business rules, the key design deCisions em bodied in the system, and the rationale for those decisions. 

This is not just a matter of documentation-it is a matter of managing change within the context of a 

master plan. Successful firms often accomplish this using "agile" techniques, which involve iteration and 

incremental development. These techniques are employed for a wide range of commercial systems. 

They are harder to implement at arm's length through contracting relationships, but it is possible and 

has been done. Teri Takai, ClO of the DoD, has wisely been advancing these practices for use in 

innovative Defense systems. 

The point of these techniques is to accommodate the reality that we don't often have a precise concept 

of what a system will be called on to do over its entire lifetime. This is never true for commercial 

systems, since they must respond to constant changes in the com petitive environment, the 

William L. Scherlis, Ph.D. 4 May 9,2012 
47 


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infrastructure environment, and in strategy. This is also true, quite obviously, in Intelligence and 

Defense-the threat evolves, the mission changes, the infrastructu re evolves, and new technical 

capabilities must be incorporated. 

But it is difficult for some managers to adapt to this model, because it seems harder to manage. 

Nevertheless, more linear models actually create more risk, not less-the steady growth of technical 

debt can necessitate responses that are more like emergency bail-outs than the steady stream of small 

disruptions that keep you moving into the future-just like the small disruptions we all experience when 

we move to a new home computer or mobile device every few years. 

If you look at successful tech-intensive firms-those Fortune 1000 firms that have been around for a 

number of years-you'll see management patterns that supportthis model. 

Ellf! hlPfS of dlimgr 

My final topic relates to methods by which we can enable the right kind of change. We are here today as 

a consequence of a crisis of technical debt. I propose to you six elements of a strategy to address the 

challenge. 

(1) First, and most essential, ensure there is/ull commitment/rom top leadership, and that change is 

motivated both by need and by opportunity. 

There is danger in passive resistance~those involved with systems must either sign on to the process or 

move out of the way. I say this because passive resistance can be dangerous in this kind of exercise. 

Engaging staff to enable them to be comfortable with and conversant in modern technologies, perhaps 

by visiting organizations that have already made such disruptive changes, can be highly valuable. 

(2) Second, understand what you have-the architecture a/the /ull set o/existing capabilities. 

This is the baseline. Existing systems can be assessed by internal and independent experts to understand 

their architecture and their most essential attributes. This identifies a baseline as well as the most 

urgent Operation and Maintenance (O&M) issues the agency faces. It must be done in a sufficiently 

comprehensive way that we learn enough to avoid surprises later in the process. For long-lived legacy 

systems, this kind of due diligence process can be an enormous challenge, both technical and 

managerial. On the one hand, shortcomings and difficulties are revealed, but on the other, aspirations 

are identified. 

(3) Third, develop a cohesive vision a/future services, including capabilities and quality requirements 

related to security, quality 0/ service, and 50 on. 

This third step can be done concurrently with the second. It includes both developing and articulating a 

vision of future services. This includes ways to improve the current range of services, such as presented 

in the FSTAP re-imagining report, but it also includes entirely new concepts such as the Big Data 

analytics capabilities referenced earlier. It also must consider quality,related requirements, such as 

security, quality of service, ability of the system to grown over time, and so on. 

William L. Seherlis, Ph.D. May 9,2012 
48 


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(4) Fourth, identify potential changes over the next five to ten years, including scale-up. 

Identify areas for needed variability, where operational and infrastructure features may be more rapidly 

changing. This can also include identifying potential infrastructure choices associated with established 

commercial socio·technical ecosystems related to mobile devices, web services, and transaction 

processing, for example. As part of this consideration, it is essential to understand where scalability is 

most important. Scalability is what drives enterprises off the mainframe and into the modern data 

center. Scalability is what lets the enterprise respond to unexpected surges in demand, significant policy 

changes, and other potentially disruptive activities. 

(5) Fifth, pull these results together and develop a master plan for the overall future architecture alang 

with roadmaps for evolution based on that architecture. This creates the framework of leadership 

commitment that enables a natural growth pracess, as is done in other lorge, IT·intensive enterprises. 

This architecture plan and the associated roadmaps are the principal strategic assets of the IT 

organization, They manifest the most important commitments that the organization imposes on itself 

and its contractors. The master plan does not have to be vastly detailed, especially since it will continue 

to evolve over time, though more slowly than constituent components, The goal is to open the door to 

opportunities, accommodate them within a natural growth process, and create a framework for 

consensus among the very top leadership in the organization. This interplay of architecture and strategy 

is a success pattern in other large enterprises. 

A proper architecture development effort contemplates issues ranging from data center architecture to 

the kinds of analytics and transactional systems that must be incorporated. It considers present and 

future possibilities for how SSA might engage with end users. It looks forward over a timespan offive to 

ten years. The conduct of this activity is analogous to a master planning process in city planning. It 

identifies major directions and constraints, and it builds on inputs from diverse stakeholders. Ideally, it 

locks in critical quality attributes and enables visionary possibilities. 

Architecture is not static, but slowly evolves. Architectural disruptions are most dangerous, so it is 

essential that the plans be sufficiently long-sighted, anticipating needs and possible opportunities. In 

other words, like a city, the architecture of a system must allow room for significant and evolutionary 

growth. 

Architecture is the strongest determiner of critical attributes related to security, safety, quality of 

service, scalability, and the like. We call these quality attributes. 

Within this framework, individual projects are undertaken, like the development of apps, which are 

designed to implement particular capabilities. But overall quality outcomes-the way all the pieces play 

together-are largely a consequence of the architecture. When this is done well, the increment of effort 

to manifest new capability or adapt an existing capability can be relatively much smaller than in the 

more familiar stovepipe scenario. 

William L. Scherlis, Ph.D. 6 May 9,2012 
49 

f 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, sir. That is good testimony. 

Thank you all for your testimony. 

Mr. Richtman, welcome. Please proceed. 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.034

Managing change within an evolving architectural framework is a hallmark of well managed large 

enterprise systems. Before that framework is defined, new acquisitions and major projects can impose 

sunk-cost constraints on the overall enterprise architecture. If we do it right, new efforts can be 

undertaken with foresight and with engagement with the master planning process. 

I do need to say that this architectural work is technically demanding and it requires savvy leadership. In 

the design of data centers, we can measure cooling capaCity, electrical requirements, numbers of fire 

extinguishers, and so on. For architecture, we rely more on expert judgment and effective process 

leadership by empowered management. That's because there is not an abundance of quantitative 

measures and criteria to guide the process, though my colleagues at the Software Engineering Institute 

are advancing the frontier of more rigorous architectural practice. 

(6) Sixth, create a business and decision model that accounts for costs, risks, and benefits. This model 

provides a framework for expert judgment and effective process leadership. 

The goal is to have a decision fra mewark to assess the value created by the engineering steps within the 

architectural master plan. At the architectural level, exact accountings and cost estimates may be less 

im porta nt than solid expert judgment regarding costs, risks, and benefits. Indeed, one of the challenges 

in IT is that it is sometimes easier to construct a seemingly strong quantitative case for a series of 

dangerous incremental changes than it is to make a quantitative case for a small disruptive change that 

moves us into a much more efficient and capable mode of operation. 

A well-crafted business process wou Id support incremental and iterative development in a way that any 

risk issues associated with the overall architecture and master plan can be addressed and discharged as 

early as possible. A range of techniques can support this, such as prototyping, side-by-side experiments, 

modeli ng and simulation. The point is that when a feature of the master plan has some associated 

uncertainty, experiments can be done at low cost to rapidly converge on a good deciSion, which can 

then be implemented with greater confidence. This is standard industry practice. 

SummlU'Y 

The most important features of my proposal are the emphasis Dn overall system architecture and the 

necessity of senior agency leadership to lead the process. It is important for senior agency leadership to 

participate in the master planning process and fully commit to the outcome. 

This recommendation to focus on architecture is in harmony with the recommendations both of the 

NRC panel chaired by Professor Lee Osterweil and the Future Systems Technology Advisory Panel 

(FSTAP). 

The Social Security Administration has an extraordinary and critical role in the lives of all Americans. 

hope that the ideas I share today will be of use in strengthening that essential institution. 

William L. Scherlis, Ph.D. 7 May 9,2012 
50 

STATEMENT OF MAX RICHTMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND 

MEDICARE 

Mr. Richtman. Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Becerra, thank you for inviting me to testify this afternoon. 

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare agrees with you, Mr. Chairman and Congressman Becerra, 

that it is very important that the Social Security Administration 

continue to invest in improving its capabilities in information technology. This investment will ensure that SSA continues to provide 

excellent service to the American people through news service delivery options that supplement—and let me emphasize supplement—its existing systems of service delivery. 

Currently, SSA provides service to millions of Americans through 

a complementary system of 1,300 local offices and its toll free telephone service. The magnitude of the workloads that SSA handles 

in these offices is huge. Congressman Becerra, you cited the number of people using these services today, and it is a staggering 

number. 

In all of 2011, 45 million individuals visited SSA field offices, 63 

million were served over the phone. Of course workload of this 

magnitude cannot be accomplished without adequate information 

technology. More and more of SSA workloads are being handed 

over to the Internet. 

In 2011, 41 percent of its retirement applications, 33 percent of 

disability applications were filed online. As more Americans have 

home computers, become accustomed to using the Internet, and demand increases for social security to have a robust offering of 

Internet applications, these expectations continue to rise. 

Still we believe it is important to understand that Internet service will not entirely supplant service provided through SSA’s traditional system of service delivery. Local offices, toll free phone service will continue to be critical for Americans who live in areas that 

do not have access to high speed Internet service, those who cannot 

afford the cost of a home computer, and those who just are not 

comfortable using it. 

The Congressional Research Service recently published a report 

on the digital divide that found broadband Internet service is more 

likely to be available in higher income urban and suburban areas 

than in rural and low income areas. The Census Bureau reported 

that only 68 percent of households have access to high speed Internet service. 

While we at the National Committee applaud the SSA in its effort to make more and more services available through the Internet, we must not lose sight of the needs of those who do not have 

access or who are not comfortable using it. For these Americans, 

local Social Security offices and toll free telephone services remain 

vital lifelines. 

We would like to compliment the SSA on its recently-completed 

project to make Social Security statements available online. It is 

truly an impressive achievement. However, we want to caution 

against regarding online availability as a satisfactory substitute for 

the annual delivery of paper statements. The reason for our view 

51 

on this is simple: we are concerned that few Americans will ever 

know about the availability of the online statement and, thus, will 

never request one. 

Educating the public about Social Security has always been one 

of SSA’s top priorities, and the annual statement has properly been 

regarded as a key element in their work in this area. That is why 

we believe that the annual delivery of a paper statement should be 

resumed immediately. 

We also think that commissioner of Social Security should not 

have to choose between delivery of a paper statement and the completion of the agency’s other vital functions. 

This, of course, leads us to SSA’s administrative budget. They 

have, it is my understanding, requested a total of $11.9 billion to 

cover operations for Fiscal Year 2013. This request is only modestly 

higher than what the Congress appropriated for this year, $11.56 

billion. And we do urge that this request be fully funded by the 

Congress. 

Last year in Fiscal Year 2011, SSA lost 4,000 employees to attrition, and projects to lose another 3,000 in Fiscal Year 2012. These 

losses should be stopped, and to that end, we call on the Congress 

to fund fully the agency’s 2013 request. 

In addition, we are concerned that the Treasury Department’s 

rules requiring a payment of Social Security benefits through direct 

deposit, which has an implementation deadline of March 2013, 

about 4 million beneficiaries will be affected by this. And we believe that requiring frail, elderly beneficiaries to attest to their cognitive inability to receive benefits payments electronically in front 

of a notary public, this really seems unduly burdensome to us. I 

would urge this committee—— 

Chairman JOHNSON. Can you summarize your—— 

Mr. RICHTMAN. I’m sorry? 

Chairman JOHNSON. Please try to summarize. 

Mr. RICHTMAN. And we urge this subcommittee to hold hearings on this implementation plan. I’m summarizing. 

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, we applaud SSA for its work on 

these new IT applications. Still we believe they cannot supplement 

the crucial role SSA field offices and telephone toll services play for 

the foreseeable futures. These offices should remain and will remain, I believe, central to any inclusive plan for services delivery. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Richtman follows:] 

52 


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This is Until 9th at ~::OO P[v'l 

Trusted • Independent • Effective 

Statement for the Record by Max Richtman, President and CEO 

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare 

10 G Street, N.E. Suite 600 

Washington, DC 20002 

House Committee on Ways and Means 

Subcommittee on Social Security 

Hearing on the State of Social Security's Information Technology 

May 9, 2012 

On behalf the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social 

Security and Medicare. I wan I to thank Subcommillee Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member 

Becerra for inviting me to testify and for holding this hearing to review the state of the Social 

Security Administration's (SSA) information technology (IT). Ifthcre is one tbing that we can 

all agree on, it is how important it is that the SSA continues to invest in developing and 

improving its capabilities in this arena. Over the past several years, the SSA has seen the 

productivity of its employces increase at the rate of 4 percent or more. These increases derive 

from the unl1agging efforts of its 80,000 employees whose capabilities are strengthened by the 

procedural improvements that arc facilitated by IT. 

While we follow tbe,e matters with interest, we do ", more as informed ob,ervers than as 

technical experts. For that reason, we will leave to others the evaluation of the current status of 

SSA's IT efforts. Our commcnts today will focus on thc interaction between IT devclopmel1ts 

and service delivcry. We believe that SSA should continue to provide excellcnt service to the 

American people through new service delivery options that supplement its existing systems of 

service delivery. 

SSA's Current System of Service Delivery 

Currently. SSA provides service to the American people througb a complementary system of 

1,300 local Social Security offices and a nation-wide toll-free SOO telephone system. During 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2011,45 million individuals visited the field offices and 63 million were served 

through the toll-free telephone service system. In addition, SSA paid monthly benefits to nearly 

56 million Social Security beneficiaries and to over 5 million individuals who received benefits 

from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. 

SSA completed 4.8 million applications for retirement and survivors claims in FY 201 1, along 

with 3.4 million initial claims for disability benefils. It issued 17 million Social Security cards 

and recorded 241 million wage rcports-W-2's and self-employment earnings reports-that 

reflected the employment activities of the 160 million workers who contrihuted to the program. 
53 


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This T~""tin(\nrHf is ErrlbatoCled Until 9th at ~!:OO Pfv'l 

As thesl' number indicatl', the activities of the SSA touch the lives of all A mericans, whether 

during their working lives or during retirement. 

Growth in Internet Service 

A growing proportion of SSA's workload is being proce"ed over the internet In facl, in FY 

2011, the SSA continued to increase the number of online claims. As a res lilt, 41 percent of 

retirement claims and 33 percent of disability claims were filed online. In addition to filing 

online, it is now possible for beneficiaries to usc the internet to make a number of changes to 

their Social Security record. Among them are changes of address and changes to direct deposit 

information. Clearly, transitioning to greater reliance on the internet to provide service to 

beneficiaries is an essential element in SSA's service delivery plans. As more and more 

Ame"icans become accustomed to using the internet and more of them havc home computers tbat 

are connected to the internet by high-speed service. the more important it is that SSA offer online 

service delivery options. 

Still, the National Committee believes that internet service will not entirely supplant service 

provided through SSA's traditional systems of service delivery through local office, and toll-free 

teleservice. Limiting the suitability of internet service is inconsistent availability of high-speed 

connectivity in the Ul1ited States. A recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS)' 

has found what it characterizes as a "digital divide" in thc United States. This divide stems from 

fhe fact that the availability of broadband service is much greater in higher-income urban and 

suburban areas than in rural and low-income areas. Similarly, the Census Bureau2

, in its October 

20 I 0 survey data, found that only 68 percent of households have adopted broadband internet 

service. The CRS report concluded that about 14 million people in the United States living in 7 

million households do not have access to broadband service. 

While the National Committee applauds the SSA in its efforts to make more and more services 

available over the internet, we muslnot lose sight of the needs of those who do not have access 

to the internet, whether because of where they live, because they cannot afford the cost 

associated with such access, or are not comfortable using it. For these Americans, local Social 

Security offices and the lOll-free telephone service remain vital lifelines. 

Social Security Statements 

Any catalogue of SSA' s recent IT successes must include the very-recently completed project to 

makc Social Security statements available online. This new service is supported by a process for 

obtaini ng a user name and password that appears to us to he hoth secure and simple to usc. The 

resulting access to the Social Security statement will make it easier for all Americans to plan for 

their retirement and facilitate fimmcial advisors in providing advice to their customers. 

1 CongreSSional Research Service: "Br'Oadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Prog(Qms. 

Washington} D.C., March 13,2012. 

2 Ibid., p. 2. 

2 
54 


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This is Until 9th at 2:00 Pi",! 

The Social Security statement is one of the many enduring legacies left to the nation by one of its 

most distinguished lawmakers, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. He regarded the 

statemenl as a simple and e1Jicienl way of building public support and lInderstanding for Social 

Sccurity. Senator Moynihan's simple, common sense provision has been highly successful. 

Accmding to the bi-partisan Social Sccurity Advisory Board, "SSA's public survcy data has 

shown a link between increasing public confidence and receipt of a statement. People who 

receive a statement not only experience higher knowledge of Social Security than non-recipients, 

but also exhihit. .. greater confidence that the program still will be there for them when they need 

it.',] 

Despite the availability of an online statement, bowever, we strongly oppose viewing it as an 

acceptable substitute to delivery via mail of a statutorily-required SSA-initiated statemel1t. The 

reason for our view is the heliefthat many Americans, knowing little about Social Security, win 

be unaware of the statement's online availability and thus will never request one. 

Educating the public about Social Security has always been one of the principal objectives of the 

SSA, and so it continues today_ Annual delivcry of paper statements should resume 

immediately. The Commissioner of Social Security shouldn't have to choose between delivery 

of Social Security statements and the completion of the Agency's other vitally important 

functions. 

SSA's Administrative Budget 

That leads us to the SSA's administrative hudget. The SSA has requested a total of $11.9 billion 

10 cover its operations in FY 2013. Despite its enonnous workloads and challenges, its FY 2013 

request is only modestly higher than the amount the Congress appropriated for FY 2012. We 

strongly urge that the Agency's budget be fully funded. Due to lower-than-requested funding. 

the SSA ha_~ had to reduce its staff substantially in recent years. It estimate, that staffing losses 

in 2012 will be on the order of 3,000 employees. These reductions corne on top of the over 

4,000 cmployees it lost in FY 2011. 

Although these reductions were achieved through attrition, the effect on some local offices has 

been harsh. Some oiIices report very significant statTing losses, which lra11Slute into longer waits 

for service and increased busy signals when tbe public calls local offices. To further offset the 

harmful conscqUl'nCCS of reduced funding, the SSA has cut back significantly on overtime, has 

closed its offices to the public 30 minutes early each day and has stopped visiting remote service 

sites to save travel time and costs. 

The National Committee helieves it is time for the Congress to provide adequate funding to the 

SSA sO that it can perform the invaluable services it provides to all Americans. Cuts (0 Agency 

stalling have been deep mId threaten 1.0 alIect the quality amI timeliness of the service it 

provides. We call on the Congress to appropriate the amount the Agency has requested for FY 

2013. 

3 Soda! Sec.:l)1ity Advisory Boordf "The Sodol Se-Cl)rity Stotemelit ond How It Con Be ImprovedT Al)gl)~t 2009~ p. 9_ 

3 
55 


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This is Until 9th at 200 PM 

Direct Deposit 

Another technological advance that has proven to be beneficial to all Americans is the 

development of direct deposit. This safe and convcnicnt service, through which most of our 

paychecks and government benefits arc transferred into our bank accounts, is one more example 

of how technology improves our lives. 

Convenience and security. along with the administrative savings associated with the usc of direct 

deposit, have led to administrative rules, promulgated by the Treasury Department, requiring that 

most government payments, including Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SS!), 

be made through direct deposit or, for those who have no bank account. other electronic benefit 

payment systems. 4 These rules were implemented for individuals tiling for bendits on or after 

May 1,2011. Beginning March 1,2013, almost all Social Security and SSI beneficiaries will be 

required to receive payment of their benefits through direct deposit or the Treasury Dep3ltment's 

Direct Express Debit MasterCard program. 

The changeover will affect about 4 million individuals, divided evenly between Social Security 

and SSI, ahnO<,l all of whom are either "everely disabled or elderly. Many of them will be frail 

elders who will find a transition of this nature difficult at best, and it is importanttha( the rules 

that govcrn such a change be handled with sensitivity and compassion. 

Unfortunately, the rules promulgated by the Treasury Department appear to fall short of these 

standards. While we are pleased that beneficiaries who are over the age of 90 have been 

exempted, we are concerned about the process the Department established for handling two other 

exemptions that it agreed to include in its final rules. 

These exemptions, or waivers, as they arc called, apply to current Social Security and SSI 

beneficiaries wbo are under the age of 90 as of March 1, 2013 and who are in one of two 

categories. First. there are those who ask (0 continue to be paid by a paper check by certifying 

that they believe that direct deposit would" .. .impose a hardship because of the individual's 

inability to manage an account at a financial institution Of a Dir"ct Express card account due to a 

mental impairment, and Treasury has not rejected the request." 

The sccond basis for continuing to be paid by a paper check would apply to individuals who file 

a waiver request ccrtifying that payment by direct deposit would impose a hardship " ... due to the 

individual living in a remote geographic location lacking the infrastructure to support electronic 

Iinancialtransactions, and the Treasury has not rejected the request." 

There appears to b" little in the way of public information about these waivers on either the 

Treasury's or SSA's website". We could find guidance about tbem only in the Treasury 

regulations, and the process they describe seems to us to be unduly onerous. Again, quoting 

from the Treasury regulations, individuals requesting waivers because of mental incapacity or 

geograpbic remoteness" ... shall provide a certification supporting that request in sucb form that 

Treasury may prescribe. The individual shall attest to the certification before a notary public or 

otherwise file the certification in slIch form that the Treasury may prescribe." 

4 31 CHI Chapter 111 sedion 208. 

4 
56 

f 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.039

This is Until 9th at ~::OO PM 

It seems to us that the adjudicative process contemplated by Treasury in its regulations lacks 

compassion and sensitivity. Requiring lrail elderly or disabled individuals to appear before a 

Notary Public to swear they are mentally impaired or arc hving in a remote geographical area 

just to continue to receive a paper check is wrong. Such policies completely disregard the 

limitation, of this population and are significantly di.~proportionate to any financial advantage 

that might accrue to the govemment from them. 

We arc concerned that there appears to he no apparent role for the SSA in the processing or 

handling of these waiver requests. Given the number of elderly beneficiaries who will be 

affected by the elimination of paper checks. the volume of wai ver requests could be substantial. 

For example. if only 10 percent of the affected popul ation ask to continue to be paid through a 

paper check, Treasury would have to adjudicate 400,000 waiver requests. From information 

available now, it is uot clear whether the Treasury Department would handle them alone or 

whether they coulemplate assistance by the SSA. We also know of no plans on the Treasury 

Dcpartmcl1t"s part to work with advocates for the elderly and the disabled to assist in this 

transition. 

Given the large number of frail elderly and disabled beneficiaries who will be alTected by the 

elimination of paper checks, we ask this Committee to focus its attention on the matter. We 

recommend that the Suhcommittee hold a hearing focusing on how the Treasury Department 

plaus to handle the transition. In any event. a role for the local Social Security offices should be 

defined in handling this final phase in the transition to direct deposit 

Conclusion 

To conclude, Mr. Chairman, we applaud the efforts ofthc SSA to develop new IT applications 

that will enhance its ability to perform the vitally important services that it provides to all 

Americans. As the ability and inclination to use technology diffuses through the population of 

the United States. providing services through the internet or through other IT applications will 

become increasingly important. 

Still. we must not lose sight of the important role of SSA"s local oUices and its toll-free phone 

service in providing service to the public. especially those who live in parts of the conntry where 

high-speed internet service is not readily available, who arc unable to afford the costs associated 

with home ownership of computers and internel access, or are uncomfortable with using the 

internet. 

It is the view of the National Committce to Pt'c,erve Social Security and Medicare that for the 

foreseeable future SSA's network of community-based field offices and its toll-free telephone 

service will remaiu central to its ability to serve all Amerieaus. That's why we believe it is so 

important that SSA be well-funded by the Congress. 

5 
57 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, sir. I think the field offices do 

a good job. Stopping the mailing of the online statements saved $30 

million last year, which needs to be put into IT. 

I thank you all for your testimony. We will turn to questions. As 

is customary for each round of questions, and I will limit my time 

to 5 minutes, and ask my colleagues also to limit their questioning 

time to five minutes as well. 

Ms. MELVIN, I would like to discuss the chart on page 9 of your 

report. You see it up there on the screen. It shows how Social Security’s technology spending is divided between maintenance to run 

the current system and investment for new technology. To put this 

into context, Social Security IT maintenance spending in 2011 was 

more than the agency’s total IT spending in 2004. Would you walk 

us through these costs and tell us why? 

Ms. MELVIN. We think there are a number of factors that probably contribute to their maintenance costs all the way from their 

investments and infrastructure to maintaining the legacy systems 

that they have. As Mr. Croft has mentioned earlier, there are 700 

plus applications that still have to be maintained at any time, as 

well as additional services that are provided online. 

We did note in our study that from 2004 to 2011, the maintenance did almost double from approximately $411 million to $809 

million. And with that, the 2004 total costs were $868 million, so 

there has been some definite growth in terms of the operations and 

maintenance. 

One of the key factors that we point to in the overall message 

that we have that stresses the need for a strategic plan is because 

that goes hand in hand at looking at how SSA can look at the resources that it has, its use of them, and what its needs are, and 

how it might identify what more needs better. And from that 

standpoint also, the performance measures that it puts in place to 

assess its progress and to understand when it uses technology or 

when it implements technology, how that cost is contributing to 

lowering the cost of maintenance, or how that overall technology is 

contributing to lowering the cost of maintenance. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. Dr. Scherlis, in your testimony on page 4, you say that smooth changes to existing systems 

may seem conservative, but often transform a patch system into a 

time bomb of deferred maintenance. The eventual cost of repairs 

continues to rise, and our aspirations to move into the future become unattainable. You refer to this as technical debt. Could we be 

looking at such a time bomb in Social Security, and would you explain that? 

Dr. SCHERLIS. I do not have enough direct engagement with 

Social Security to make a judgment with respect to SSA particularly. But I will say that this issue of technical debt is a very common issue in large enterprises, not just Federal agencies. It can be 

avoided with the right kind of planning and leadership. 

It goes back to the fact that many of these changes highlighted 

here under the O&M category come up, bubble up from the stakeholders and individual systems. If they are not aligned with a master plan, if they do not harmonize into an enterprise architecture 

concept, then they can be in conflict with other actions elsewhere 

58 

in the organization. And the result is that things are even more difficult to sort out. 

So in many of these studies, all three of the studies, National 

Academy, the FSTAP study, the GAO study, highlight what we 

could call a technical debt crisis in the SSA. And you can decide 

whether to raise the debt ceiling or not. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. Mr. Croft, what is your response to that? I would like to know, are we looking at a time bomb 

as he suggests? 

Mr. CROFT. I do not believe so, sir. I am very interested in the 

term ‘‘technical debt,’’ and very interested in learning more about 

it. But, no, I would not say we are in a time bomb situation. You 

have to get behind those numbers and understand what the costs 

actually are. Among other things as you note, sir, we have added 

a second data center at Social Security which have increased our 

costs a great deal in those categories. 

There are ways we certainly can improve, but I would not put 

us in a crisis mode, no. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Well, maintenance costs have risen, you 

know that. Does Social Security plan to reverse that trend? And, 

if so, when? 

Mr. CROFT. Well, it is such a broad category, sir, maintenance 

costs. Actually if you look at our software maintenance costs, it is 

relatively flat year over year in terms of our cost to maintain software. We do have a lot of hardware maintenance costs. We are refreshing hardware all the time. 

Again, you have to get underneath these numbers to understand 

what you are actually talking about if you want to get into a deep 

analysis of maintenance. 

Chairman JOHNSON. So, you are telling me you got it under 

control. 

Mr. CROFT. I believe we are doing well, especially when you 

compare us with other organizations that are very similar to us, 

yes. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. Mr. Becerra. 

Mr. BECERRA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. 

Actually, Mr. Freed, I found your testimony the most interesting 

because while everyone, I think, was talking more technically, and 

your numbers are also technical numbers, they are based on feelings. And, in many respects, that may be the most important thing, 

how Americans feel about the service they are getting. And while 

right now Social Security’s satisfaction rating seems to be pretty 

high, it could start to drop. And if it does start to drop, you start 

having less confidence in the agency and who knows what happens. 

And so I appreciated your testimony. 

Give us some context. I remember the discussion during some 

legislation that was being proposed in Congress to change the way 

Internet providers would offer services and who could control what 

could be sent over the Internet and so forth. And at one point I 

think Google was threatening to shut down for a day or so to make 

the point that they should not be prevented from being able to 

carry their service to whomever they wished. And people were up 

in arms. 

59 

Shutting down SSA, the Social Security Administration, for the 

time it would take to rejigger, to come up to speed with the new 

technologies that are available so that it could provide better service faster, more accurately—tell us what your sense is. Could they 

shut down? If so, for how long? How could they manage? 

Mr. FREED. I do not think there is any way they could shut 

down. It is obviously a lifeblood to a lot of people. Technology is always incremental. In my experience in technology, having spent 

time in roles similar to some of these people, technology never goes 

away. You just build more technology on top. 

Hopefully when we deal with the Internet and we deal with mobile, there are some benefits to it that you get great cost savings. 

But I do not think it could, by any means, shut down and start 

over, and take, you know, the months or years that it would take 

to restart a system like that. 

Mr. BECERRA. And, of course, we have to be careful that we are 

not just putting a newer system on top of an older system and then 

attaching a newer system to that previously new system, and before you know it, you have got all these different parts that operate 

differently, and it becomes a machine that is so out of whack that 

you’ve got to do something. 

Mr. FREED. Yeah. When designed poorly, you definitely can run 

that risk where you have got a lot of different systems that do not 

communicate well. And you create a house of cards that if you take 

one away, the whole thing can crumble. 

From what I have seen from the Social Security side, I do not 

see evidence of that. I have not looked within their infrastructure 

by any means. But their apps, their websites, those things are really the user interface to it. The back end systems are the back end 

systems. So it is really about creating a better interface to get information out to citizens quickly, easily. And, again, makes it easier for citizens and will lower costs, probably not the technology 

costs, but should lower costs within the branches and the locations 

and the call centers. Not going to eliminate them by any means, 

but it should lower the cost. 

Mr. BECERRA. Any sense, and, Dr. Scherlis, let me ask you this 

question as well if you have a response. Any sense of what typically 

a company spends in IT modernization on an annual basis from its 

operating accounts, operating expenses? 

Mr. FREED. I am not sure that I would have any great data on 

that to share. 

Mr. BECERRA. Dr. Scherlis, by chance? 

Dr. SCHERLIS. I do not have that data either, but I just want 

to mention one thing, which is that—— 

Mr. BECERRA. And if you could do it very quickly because I—— 

Dr. SCHERLIS. Okay. For many of these firms, the distinction 

between development and maintenance is a distinction that is 

going away because these systems are in a state of constant refreshing evolution. And also I will say that you just gave a good 

definition of technical debt, that mishmash. 

Mr. BECERRA. Yes, thank you. Mr. Richtman, quick question. 

Is it your sense from what you heard from all the witnesses who 

testified that they have captured a sense of how people are feeling 

out there, those who are receiving the benefits, going to the offices 

60 

visiting, making the calls, and talking to the Social Security office 

employees? 

Mr. RICHTMAN. Well, I think generally so that that is accurate. 

And the experience I have had in traveling around the country and 

meeting with groups of our members is they regard the Social Security folks as friends. They are maybe unusual in that regard in 

government, but they really regard them as friends. They provide 

a very important service, and they do it in a very positive way. 

Mr. BECERRA. Let us hope we can keep it that way. Mr. Croft, 

you have got a big job, and I hope that you know that the chairman 

and I will try to keep at you on this because I think we are very 

concerned as to whether or not SSA will be able to keep up. And 

it is too big a system, too many depend on it for us to not to see 

you make it work. 

How much do you actually invest from your operating budget for 

IT modernization? 

Mr. CROFT. We do not really have a particular target number. 

Mr. BECERRA. Give me a rough estimate. 

Mr. CROFT. The data that was just presented would be the data. 

That is how we categorize. It is consistent with OMB guidance, the 

Federal Government guidance on modernization types of activity. I 

am sorry I do not have the number off the top of me. 

** Mr. Croft** Transcript Insert 1 

f 

Mr. BECERRA. Maybe Ms. Melvin, and I will close with that, 

Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CROFT. Yes. 

Mr. BECERRA. Ms. Melvin, do you happen to know? 

Ms. MELVIN. In terms of how much—I am sorry. 

Mr. BECERRA. From operating expenses, how much does SSA 

devote to IT modernization? 

Ms. MELVIN. We do not have exact numbers on that, but what 

we did see was, I believe—— 

Mr. BECERRA. Microphone. 

Ms. MELVIN. I apologize. I think that in the numbers that we 

had, about—— 

Mr. BECERRA. I thought you said that SSA spent about $5 billion on IT modernization over the past decade. 

Ms. MELVIN. Yes. 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.040
61 

Mr. BECERRA. And if you average that, about $500 million a 

year. My understanding is that SSA’s annual budget has been 

about a $9 or $10 billion operating budget. 

Ms. MELVIN. Yeah. 

Mr. BECERRA. Well, we heard $9 to $11 billion, so it is about 

5 percent. 

Ms. MELVIN. Yeah. I would prefer, if I could, to provide you 

with an exact number for the record on that. 

Mr. BECERRA. That would be great. 

**Ms. Melvin** Transcript Insert #1 

f 

Ms. MELVIN. Okay, thank you. 

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, sir. Mr. Berg, you are recognized. 

Mr. BERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to the panel for 

being here. 


Insert offset folio 41 here 80257.041
62 

One of the things in preparing for this hearing that quite frankly 

stunned me the most was what I saw as a lack of long-term planning. We went through a real process in North Dakota probably 

about 10 years ago on IT. We had 20 different agencies in North 

Dakota. Each agency was out doing their own thing, had non-compatible software, non-compatible equipment. It was just a mess. 

Chairman JOHNSON. And then you discovered oil. 

Mr. BERG. Well, then we discovered oil. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. BERG. We learned a few things from Texas, Mr. Chairman. 

And actually this was before oil was when we had a huge deficit, 

and it was a matter of how do we make things work? And we 

looked a lot at the private sector and the government sector, and 

I know some questions were brought towards, you know, how does 

this compare with an investment in the private sector? And really 

we found that it is almost totally different. I mean, the private sector invests in technology, and it really does two things. One, it lowers that business’ cost. They are able to do things, you know, less 

expensively, e-mail versus maybe, you know, sending a letter and 

that whole process. And also it saves people’s time which in result 

ends up they are able to apply their energy and time into things 

that are going to generate more revenue for the business. 

And so, so much of the technology that was invested in the private sector was really driven on increasing that company’s revenue. 

My point here is all these things are kind of planned, and when 

the private sector invests in technology, they are expecting a return. They are looking into that plan. And so, you know, from our 

State standpoint, we had this big mess. Our plan was to pull people together. We ended up with a State IT director that really became the project leader whether it was the prisons, or whether it 

was human services, or whatever, move forward. 

And so we had a format. We had a checklist. We had measurable 

things. Prior to that, we had IT people that we hired to lead 

projects. And as we talked about, in the middle of the project they 

left, and it was a disaster, and we were left hanging with a huge 

investment, and really many times nowhere to go to but to simply 

start over. And so, I do not think anyone would disagree the need 

for a long-term plan. 

My question for Ms. Melvin and also Dr. Scherlis is, what would 

be the next steps in developing a long-term plan for the Social Security Administration. What would they be? 

Ms. MELVIN. For developing a long-term plan, we think that 

SSA needs to start looking at this point in terms of what their current state of information technology is, to have a good handle on 

that, and to let that feed into an overall idea of where they want 

to go. 

So part of what our report talked to was the need not only for 

them to develop a strategic plan, but to have a completed enterprise architecture that would allow them to examine and document 

their current state of technology, where they want to go. 

One of the critical concerns that we noted in our study was in 

looking forward in terms of a vision, we did not find that SSA had 

a particularly good handle or ability at least to express its longerterm vision beyond two years for what it wants to achieve. We beVerDate Mar 15 2010 19:51 Apr 30, 2013 Jkt 080257 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 I:\WAYS\OUT\80257.XXX 80257
63 

lieve that it is important that it establish a longer-term vision and 

that it be able to tie that to its agency’s strategic plan, and then 

move forward with the goals and the particular strategies, if you 

will, that it wants to apply to move to a target state of its architecture. 

So we think starting initially, they have got to do more in terms 

of putting more focus on just being more specific about what their 

current state of technology is and what they are trying to achieve 

moving forward, and to apply results-oriented performance measures for how they want to do that, and to be able to assess how 

well they come to achieving that target state. 

Mr. BERG. Okay, thank you. Dr. Scherlis. 

Dr. SCHERLIS. I want to agree with everything that Ms. Melvin 

just said. The two critical elements of the master plan are the overall future architecture, which describes how systems are linked together, how the data is managed and shared internally. This ensures coordination among all the various projects. And the second 

element of the master plan is a road map for evolution. 

And I also agree that the time horizon should be between 5 and 

10 years. The plan should anticipate the kinds of changes that 

might come in terms of the mission of SSA, in terms of the demographics, in terms of technology changes, other changes. That is 

the essential framework within which systems become managed. 

And this is part of that six-step plan that I suggested earlier. 

Mr. BERG. Thank you. 

Dr. SCHERLIS. I want to add one thing. The other is people. We 

have not spoken about people, but, you know, SSA has a large internal IT workforce. This is a blessing among Federal agencies that 

they have this workforce. It is essential to have strong, connected, 

committed career people. It is also essential to keep them technically fresh through various mechanisms—engagement on the outside, conferences, training, and the like. And also to have them 

share in the vision, and to seek career paths for themselves to develop to participate in the manifestation of that vision. That takes 

leadership commitment from the very top. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Mr. Croft, Mr. Berg, we will have a second round. 

Mr. BERG. Okay. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Mr. Brady, you are recognized. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for calling 

this hearing. 

Mr. CROFT, one of your strategies to increase the use of online 

services is to explore offering online services through mobile devices as opposed to implementing online services through mobile 

devices. Since the strategic plan, if I recall, runs through the end 

of 2016, does that mean the public, we are going to have to wait 

four years while we are exploring as opposed to moving these 

things and getting them in place? That seems like a lifetime. 

Mr. CROFT. No, sir. Thank you for the question. We are actually 

building a mobile application now. We are doing it very carefully 

and cautiously, though. We want to make sure we are going to get 

a good return on investment for the application that we are building. We are on target to actually deliver a mobile application before 

64 

the end of this year. It will have to do with SSI wage reporting, 

which is one of our largest improper payment areas as an agency. 

We believe after a lot of exploration, a lot of thinking inside the 

agency, strategizing that that is one area that actually fits mobile 

because it is a reoccurring reporting requirement, not a one-time 

thing like filing an application that people are unlikely to use a 

mobile application to do. So look for something later this year. 

Mr. BRADY. From a priority standpoint, is that because it is a 

priority in the fraud or incorrect data, or ability to move that sooner than other apps? 

Mr. CROFT. Yeah. It is one of our executive oversight projects. 

It is a priority in terms of improper payments. It is one of the higher error categories of improper payments. It seemed to fit. We are 

interested in exploring mobile. I think we are like most large organizations. We want to try mobile, but we are very cautious about 

doing it in a way that is really more folly than substance. So we 

are focused on substance. 

Mr. BRADY. Okay, thank you. Dr. Scherlis, do you have any 

thoughts on that? 

Dr. SCHERLIS. Not really. I am sorry. 

Mr. BRADY. Okay. First time that has ever happened. 

Dr. SCHERLIS. Yeah. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you very much. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. BRADY. Yield back. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, Mr. Brady. Mr. Marchant, you 

are recognized. 

Mr. MARCHANT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yesterday, the subcommittee held a hearing on identity theft and the use of the 

Death Master File to make sure that that file is not being misused 

by thieves. Social Security collects probably more personal data on 

anyone in America. Google might argue with that. Facebook might 

argue with that. But I think most people believe, at least, besides 

maybe the IRS, that Social Security probably has the most information on anybody in America. 

In this time of rapid advancement, how can we assure our constituents that this information is being protected and is not being 

used by the thieves, the fraud artists, and the people that are out 

to steal this information. Commissioner? 

Mr. CROFT. Thank you. So we are purposely not boastful about 

IT security protections, but trust that we do as much state of the 

art as we possibly can in terms of IT security. We are incredibly 

conscious of the personally identifiable information that is ours to 

be stewards of. We stand for outside audits. We follow all guidelines. We do everything we possibly can to stay as secure and 

sound as we can in terms of data protection. 

Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Richtman, would you agree that the perception of the general public is that their information is completely 

secure within the Social Security Administration? 

Mr. RICHTMAN. As far as I know, Congressman, that would be 

true. 

Mr. MARCHANT. Dr. Scherlis, just recently there was an expert 

advisory panel that was put together, but it was ultimately disVerDate Mar 15 2010 19:51 Apr 30, 2013 Jkt 080257 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 I:\WAYS\OUT\80257.XXX 80257
65 

banded. Do you have the belief that outside advisory panels in the 

private sector can help fill the gap? 

Dr. SCHERLIS. I think that outside advisory panels provide an 

opportunity for an organization to compare and baseline its practices against practices in other organizations, particularly in areas 

where measurement is a challenge. And one of those areas is architecture and strategic planning because we are working to a vision 

of future potential. And so that is an area where the kinds of inputs that you get from advisory panels can be extremely useful. 

Mr. MARCHANT. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. Dr. Scherlis, since 2008, I 

have continued to raise concerns about the time it has taken for 

Social Security to modernize its outdated programming language, 

including replacing COBOL, which was created some time ago. In 

your testimony, you talk about challenges of old systems, so-called 

legacy systems, that operate on obsolete platforms. 

Social Security is phasing out its older software, but they told me 

the process will take years. Does that sound right to you? You 

know, it seems to me you can go out to the store and buy a new 

computer with all the latest stuff on it, and I do not know why we 

cannot do that in the Federal Government. 

Dr. SCHERLIS. Well, in fact, I am going to give you two answers. One answer is that this sense of urgency that we should feel 

needs to focus around the development of this master plan that we 

have been speaking of earlier today. That creates the commitment, 

creates the framework within which we move forward. But that 

given the magnitude of the operation at Social Security and the 

sensitivity of the data, the unfolding of that plan will take some 

years. But the plan provides a framework for making decisions and 

having a sense of expectation regarding what kinds of projects will 

happen when and how much they might cost. 

So it is this juxtaposition of the urgency to create the plan with 

the unfolding of that. So we have the comfort that the incremental 

actions that are taken as an organization are in harmony and moving in the right direction. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Well, it seems like we keep changing our 

approach. You know, Mr. Croft, it seems to me we have been 4 or 

5 years downstream trying to modernize the system. Can you tell 

me how long it is going to take before we get out of COBOL? 

Mr. CROFT. No, sir, I cannot. I do not believe anybody could do 

that. And we would find ourselves—— 

Chairman JOHNSON. Dr. Scherlis could tell you how to. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. CROFT. I would comment, and my colleague to the left mentioned. We actually have just recently published an IT strategic 

plan. We released it formally, I believe it was earlier this week. 

And I encourage people please to take a look at it. It does look out 

5 years. It does describe our current state in detail, not in the kind 

of—— 

Chairman JOHNSON. So you are telling me you are going to rid 

of COBOL in 5 years. 

Mr. CROFT. No, sir. No. No. It is an incremental approach 

to—— 

66 

Chairman JOHNSON. We are going to have it for, what, 20 more 

years? 

Mr. CROFT. The way we build software, sir, is so when we—I 

do not know about 20 years, but the way we build software is when 

we are taking on new projects, we only build with new code. We 

only build in the new ways. 

We also assess the risk of all of our systems, as I mentioned in 

my opening statement. And if we believe we are facing a technical 

risk with one of our systems, we will take it on motion and rebuild 

it. And we are rebuilding following a systematic approach to the 

software. 

I would also mention in terms of architecture, we do have robust 

enterprise architecture at Social Security. I want to make sure that 

everybody is clear on that. I will accept a bit of criticism that the 

architecture has not looked out far enough into the future, and that 

is something we are addressing now rather than looking out a couple of years consistent with where we think business projects are 

going. We are actually extending the look of the architecture out 

5 years now, and that is something we are actively working on. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Well, you know, you got a new place down 

in North Carolina, and you are building a new place up here. And 

it seems to me by the time that place is finished up here, you ought 

to have a whole new system developed. If you cannot do it, something is wrong I think. 

You are working at a snail’s pace, and I think, as was mentioned 

earlier, maybe you need a strategic plan in writing. And once you 

get started on something, do not stop it like you just have as I 

know. And your job has changed, too. So something is happening 

over there that you all are not telling us about that and it is causing problems. 

Mr. CROFT, GAO mentions eight reports issued since 2007 by 

GAO, and here they are laying here on my desk. And the National 

Research Council, the National Academies, the inspector general, 

and the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board highlight Social 

Security’s technology challenges, and stress the need for Social Security to have a strategic IT plan. They tell me there is still no 

plan. Can you tell me why not? 

Mr. CROFT. There is a plan now. We were working on it. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Did you do it yesterday or something? 

Mr. CROFT. We released a final this week, yes. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Okay. 

Mr. CROFT. But we were working on it actually for quite a long 

time. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Okay. So you have a strategic IT plan 

now? 

Mr. CROFT. We do. 

Chairman JOHNSON. And you are using it? 

Mr. CROFT. Yes. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you very much. Mr. Becerra. 

Mr. BECERRA. A couple of questions, Mr. Chairman. 

First, Mr. Croft, again, I think it is pretty clear from some of the 

questions that we are concerned about the strategic planning. And 

I think Ms. Melvin, her testimony, her written and oral testimony 

67 

pointed to that. And I think all the witnesses pointed to the importance of being able to think way ahead. 

And I hope what you will do is you will take our admonition and 

really work on it with this new plan you have in place, and know 

that you should never come here with a fire at the house claiming 

you need the engine real quickly, 911, because I hope we are 

telegraphing that we can see it, too. 

And you have got a great satisfaction rating from folks right 

now. The public for the most part likes what you do. In fact, I was 

looking at some of these other customer ratings, Mr. Freed, and 

you can tell me if I am wrong. But Bank of America, 68 percent 

customer service satisfaction, YouTube, 74 percent, Facebook, 66 

percent, Google, 83 percent, IRS, 57 percent, and you are at 80 percent. So not bad. Better than YouTube, close to Google. Work with 

us so we can work with you. 

And, by the way, when Americans every day are contributing to the Social Security system to the tune of over $700 billion this year 

alone, there should be no reason why you cannot come to us and 

say I’ve got a great plan to move us forward. We have taken the 

best minds who told us how to do this, and this is what it is going 

to cost to make this kind of investment. And then let us work with 

you on that because the American public is paying for Social Security, and so let us work together on that. I hope we can do that 

really well. 

One quick question. Servicing. You actually got great scores in 

a lot of areas. You got a higher score on the Internet side than you 

did on the person-to-person and telephone. Some might say, well, 

maybe that means you can go all the way and do everything by 

computers and the Internet and have all interactions with customers be through the Internet. Do you think that we are ever 

going to reach a day where the face-to-face will not be needed? 

Mr. CROFT. For Social Security? 

Mr. BECERRA. For Social Security. 

Mr. CROFT. Not in the foreseeable future, no. I do not think so. 

I would comment on the non-technology side, though, we also do 

internal surveying, and we receive very high satisfaction scores 

from face-to-face and telephone contacts as well. In particular what 

is noted in any survey that we have ever done is the excellence of 

the workforce for Social Security, the courtesy, but also the business knowledge of the agents. So once people get through, sometimes there are problems in terms of getting access to our employees because of the long wait times or busy rates and things like 

that. But once they get through, time and time again the surveys 

have always shown a very happy satisfaction in terms of our workforce. 

Mr. BECERRA. Well, let me just compliment today your folks in 

Los Angeles, who we work with. They have done remarkable work 

addressing some of the concerns that we have raised to them in 

trying to help constituents. And please convey that to folks 

throughout the nation that work for SSA. We say thank you. But 

I know for a fact that in LA, people really enjoy the interaction 

they have and are pleased with some of the folks that you have 

there in Los Angeles. And know that we want to work with you as 

you move forward. We know it is not easy, but we need to do this, 

68 

and we have to figure out a way to do it so we do not have a machine with a whole bunch of old and new moving parts trying to 

make this thing work. So thank you. 

Mr. Chairman, I will yield back. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Mr. Berg, do you care to question? 

Mr. BERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will just kind of back 

up where we went. But, I mean, clearly assess the current situation of all your strengths and your weaknesses. Number two, what 

is your long-term vision? And have an IT plan that ties into that 

and a plan that then has performance measures and checks and 

balances and timetables. That is, I think, kind of what I heard. 

So I guess I would like your response, Mr. Croft, to those suggestions. 

Mr. CROFT. Yes, sir, I agree. One thing I would also mention is 

we stay very in sync with the business direction of the agency in 

terms of IT. We follow the agency’s strategic plan and flow from 

that in terms of IT. We are not doing IT just for IT’s sake. We are 

doing IT to enable the business. 

I would also mention, in terms of the investments that we make, 

we do very rigorous analysis up front before we embark on an investment, including ROI analysis to make sure that we are picking 

the right mix of projects to get the most value for Social Security. 

So we do have a robust planning process. Some might say we do 

not refresh it enough or look farther out, but we definitely have a 

planning process. 

Mr. BERG. So on the return on investment, who do you present 

that to? 

Mr. CROFT. Ultimately, it is presented to a board of my peer executives and the Commissioner as we decide what investments we 

are going to make in IT looking out into the future. That also is 

reported up through central government, OMB. It is public knowledge on the Federal IT Dashboard and so forth what we expect to 

get out of our investments. 

Mr. BERG. Those have been presented to a congressional panel? 

Mr. CROFT. I do not know. It is part of the budgeting process 

and the oversight that we do. It is public information. 

Mr. BERG. Well, we will follow up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Yield back. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Mr. Brady, you are recognized. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. Dr. Scherlis was so efficient in his last 

answer, let me try again. In your testimony about drivers of 

change, you discussed the advantages of modern data computing, 

including, you know, big data, cloud computing obviously, architecture. And for the subcommittee’s education, would you define this 

for us and how Social Security can leverage this kind of computing 

to their advantage, because clearly we want to be ahead on some 

of this technology, not trailing so much. 

Dr. SCHERLIS. Sure. Sure. So the idea of big data computing, 

basically it refers to a whole collection of techniques and technologies to exploit data assets. We do not merely want to accumulate those data assets, but we want to see patterns, do analyses for 

all kinds of reasons. The best way to realize the capability to do 

that is within what we call the cloud. 

69 

In this case, by cloud I mean an architecture for a data center, 

and also for the processing of data, the key features of which are 

large numbers of relatively smaller processors, the same kind of 

processors that are run in your PC, and data that is located on disk 

drives that are associated with those processors. So the data is 

spread all around. 

That allows to scale up by buying more processors and more 

disks and, therefore, to store more data. This is the kind of configuration that is used not just at Google and Amazon that we hear 

about, but in financial services firms and government agencies all 

over. 

And scalability is key because we can do very large-scale 

searches by sending small amounts of instructions out to those 

processors to query the data that resides on those processors, and 

then we very rapidly can assemble an aggregate result. So those 

are the ideas of big data and cloud. 

Sometimes we hear the word ‘‘cloud’’ in the setting of sort of the 

controversial setting of the so-called public cloud, services such as 

are provided by Microsoft through Azure or Amazon and so on. And 

really that is an entirely separate issue from this discussion that 

we are having, which is about the architecture of data centers. 

Whether you own the data center and it is inside of your facility, 

which certainly would be the case with SSA, or whether you 

outsource to a provider is really a business decision. 

Mr. BRADY. And you believe this type of architecture could be 

helpful as Social Security pursues its IT goals? 

Dr. SCHERLIS. I do. I do because it offers both scalability, flexibility, and also cost management, the ability to incrementally upgrade. There are many advantages of this architecture. 

Mr. BRADY. Great. Thank you, Doctor. 

Dr. SCHERLIS. You are welcome. 

Chairman JOHNSON. I would like to welcome the distinguished 

gentleman from Kentucky and chairman of the Ways and Means 

Subcommittee on Human Resources, Mr. Davis, down there on the 

end. Thank you for joining us. You may have a couple minutes. 

Mr. DAVIS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And before I 

begin, I would like to thank you for holding this hearing and for 

allowing me to join and ask a question from such a knowledgeable 

panel. 

The Social Security Administration has come a long way since 

the days of the punch card. There is still significant progress to be 

made in order to truly become a 21st customer service provider. 

From the work we have been doing on the Human Resources 

Subcommittee, we know that strategic IT investments to promote 

operations and to integrate and reuse existing data resources could 

help more effectively target limited taxpayer dollars. 

I used to do this for a living, managing large system implementation, data integration in the private sector before coming to Congress. And I discovered my biggest client was the United States 

government, and probably the most challenging in the sense of legacy systems that you are all dealing within a wide variety of areas. 

You know, we have worked with this and we have had some success in promoting data standardization across a number of programs. We are working with Chairman Johnson to see how we can 

70 

be helpful here. Our efforts are not intended to be yet another statutory mandate, but rather an important piece of a larger IT strategy and approach to architecture to effectively integrate information and to help the government run more efficiently, particularly 

when some of our agencies under Ways and Means jurisdiction 

have 10 percent or higher improper payment levels. Social Security 

is very low, which is a good thing. But nonetheless it shows this 

disconnection. 

I guess I would like to begin with Ms. Melvin. In your 2009 report, and again in your most recent review, you expressed concerns 

about the Social Security Administration’s ability to handle future 

data exchange demands and their lack of IT management practices 

for this workload. 

With over 3,500 data exchange agreements and growing demand 

for government to reuse information, what I would call in my other 

job, customer master information, vendor master type of information, the transaction analysis, bills of labor, and resources, those 

sort of things. 

But could you elaborate for us on whether SSA is adequately preparing to handle this workload from an IT perspective? And also 

what is SSA doing to better serve its State and local government 

customers and meet their demands to operate in the 21st century? 

Ms. MELVIN. The work that we did note that SSA is going to 

web-based technologies and to newer online technologies. And our 

report does highlight some of the initiatives that support electronic 

data exchange with the Federal, State, and the private sector. 

Our 2009 report, however, included a couple of recommendations 

that focused on conducting detailed analyses. We believe that SSA 

needed to determine workload projects and define requirements for 

effectively and efficiently delivering data exchange services to their 

agency partners. 

As of right now, those two recommendations remain open. So it 

is very difficult from our standpoint to know until SSA has actually 

done the analysis and started to implement against that analyses 

exactly how its online exchanges are affecting it. 

Mr. DAVIS. Okay, thank you. Mr. Croft, what difficulties do you 

face from an IT perspective when exchanging information with outside partners such as the States? For example, would it be more 

useful for incoming data if it were provided in a more consistent, 

standardized format? 

Mr. CROFT. Absolutely, yes, it would. Another point I would 

bring up, sir, is the uniformity of the exchanges in general. We do 

have many, many exchanges. We are probably the largest body 

that is exchanging data in the Federal Government. And all in all, 

it is going okay. It is a large workload, a growing workload. But 

we are needing to redo our core software, our core data exchange 

software, and we are actually in the process now of modernizing 

that software to make it more agile to deal with the multiple kinds 

of customer requests that we receive. 

I would also mention just in general around data exchanges, the 

IT generally is not the hardest part. The hardest part is, as you 

know, data definitions, but it is also the legal, fiscal kinds of things 

that go with interagency kinds of agreements like that. 

71 

Mr. DAVIS. What lessons do you think you have learned so far 

from the implementation of the Access to Financial Institutions 

Program, the web-based electronic process for verifying financial 

account information? 

Mr. CROFT. It is going very well, but I would note that we piloted that for quite some time and really worked out the kinks before we took it operational. All in all, I would say that is a very 

effective and proper payment mechanism. And I really do not have 

any further comments to say except that it does take time to work 

out the business process, and the privacy angles, and all those 

kinds of things that go along with data exchange. 

So if you looked at it, it is like we just turned it on, but, in fact, 

we have been working on that in various pilot modes for some 

number of years. 

Mr. DAVIS. Well, one question that I have looking at this, again, 

in my multi-facility implementation experiences that are admittedly smaller scale than the Social Security Administration. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Can you summarize? 

Mr. DAVIS. Yes. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. DAVIS. But if you could answer quickly one question for me, 

that would be very helpful. If you were to pick one or two statutes 

that need to be amended to allow better interchange of data, what 

would those be? 

Mr. CROFT. Sir, may I answer that for the record, please? I am 

not able to answer that quickly for you. I would rather give you a 

thoughtful answer than a quick answer. 

**Mr. Croft** Transcript Insert 2 

f 

Mr. DAVIS. Yeah, that would be great. Thank you. I yield back, 

Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you. Mr. Croft, I noted in my opening statement I am disappointed to learn the panel of outside experts convened by Commissioner Astrue to provide independent 

systems technology advice was disbanded. I was even more disappointed to learn that the reports and minutes have been removed 

from Social Security’s website. 

I would like to know why Social Security took those documents 

down and ask you which of the recommendations of that panel has 

Social Security acted on, and what specific actions have you taken 

or intend to take? 

Mr. Croft. I do not know the intricacies of why things come down 

off the website. I do not know if that was a requirement for a 

FACA panel when we disband them that we take that down. We 


Insert offset folio 42 here 80257.042
72 

certainly have all the information, though, and have shared that 

with the IG. 

Probably the most substantive information that I received from 

the panel was in the early part of it around the data center project. 

That was a more in-depth piece of work, and they made a number 

of recommendations in terms of our data center planning. And we 

were certainly very positive about using many of those. 

Another area where there was help from the panel, and this was 

also a while ago, but was in terms of authentication and the way 

we designed the authentication with the new online statement. It 

was not so much a panel deliberation, but we worked with one of 

the panel members on that. 

Chairman JOHNSON. Thank you, sir. Again, I thank you all for 

being here today and for your testimony. 

Innovations in technology will continue to drive the kind of service Americans expect and deserve. And Social Security must and 

will be held accountable. 

I thank you all for your attendance. And with that, the subcommittee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 4:08 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

Questions For The Record 

73 

Kelly Croft 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.043

SOCIAL SECURITY 

The Commissioner 

September 5, 2012 

The Honorable Sam Johnson 

Chairman, Subcommittee on Social Security 

Committee on Ways and Means 

House of Representatives 

Washington, D,C. 20515 

Dear ML Chairman: 

Thank you for your June 15, 2012 letter requesting additional information in order to complete 

the record fo!' the hearing on the state of our information technology, Enclosed you will find the 

answers to questions that you sent us from you and Ranking Member Xavier Becerra, 

I hope this infonnation is helpful. If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesiMe to 

contact me, or your staff may contact Scott Frey, our Deputy Commissioner for Legislation and 

Congressional Affairs, at (202) 358-6030 who is available to meet wim your staff if requested, 

I am also sending this information to Ranking Member Xavier Becerra, 

Sincerely, 

Enclosure 

SOCIAL SJ:\CURITY AI):vlIN1STRATION BALT1MORE, MD 1:235·0001 
74 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.044

Enclosure - Page 1 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's Infonnation Technology" 

1. The Information Resources Management plan identifies 10 "domains" but does 

IIot explain how each aligns specifically with the strategic plan. lIow do each of 

these domains specifically align with goals in the Agency Strategic Plan? 

When considering potential information technology (IT) projects, we group proposals 

into portfolios that align to our Agency Strategic Plan (ASP) and includ.e strategic 

alignment as a factor in our evaluation. In our Information Resources Management 

(IRM) plan, !IJ:!gj/www.ssa.govlirmiIRM 20l2.pdf, we categorize our IT infrastructure 

that supports these projects into 10 domains, which include Data Management, 

SoftwareiApplications, Business intelligence, and Computing Plalforms. While 

individual IT projects may align with a specific goal, these domains are foundational 

elements that support all ASP goal so 

2, Recently, Sodal Security lannched the new online version of the Social Security 

Statement, as part of a new "My SSA" portal. The Statement is an important 

financial planning tool. Please explain more about how this portal works and how 

it relates to other online services now and in the future. Will the My SSA site 

eventually allow citizens to manage their business with Sodal Security in real time 

electronically, as recommended by the Socia! Security Advisory Board? How 

many people have viewed their Statement so far and What impact, if any, did this 

traffic have on your website? 

To improve service and provide relief to our field offices, we have offered an evergrowing number of online services. MySSA's additional security requirements allow the 

public to do even more SSA business electronically because we can give informati<Jn to 

the user instead of just receiving it. MySSA users must provide personal information and 

answer questions that only they are likely to know. Authenticated users are required to 

create a username and password that serve as their access to MySSA in the future. We 

decided to make the Statement our first MySSA application given its interest to so many 

Americanso So far, more than a million people have created an account to view their 

Statement. Resources permitting, in fiscal ycar 2013, we plan to expand MySSA services 

to allow users to change their address and direct deposit infonnation and receive benefit 

verifications. 

3. Dr. Scberlis discIls5ed the importance of having a baseline inventory of existing 

systems, til determine capabilities of current systems and identify potential 

vulnerabilities. Does Social Security have such a baseline assessment? If so, please 

provide II copy for tbe record. If not, wby not? 

We do IDaint~in an inventory of our applications to document the cap~bilitics of our 

current systems and help us identiry potential vulnerabilities. We have anached a list 

with a short description of each application ill our baseline inventory. For your 

infonnation, we are sending a copy of our Application Information Report separately for 

security reasons. 
75 


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Enclosure - Page 2 - lbe Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's Information Techno logy" 

4. In a report requested by Social Security, the National Research Council of the 

National Academies assembled a committee of experts to perlonn a strategic 

assessment of Social Security's electronic services. This excellent report was 

published in 201)7. Would you provide specific details regarding the steps Social 

Security has taken to implement each recommendation? 

Since !be National Research Council published its report in 2007, we have overhauled 

our electronic services, considering the recommendations in the report. First, we released 

our significantly improved Retirement Estimator, aD easy-to-use benefit calculator that 

helps millions of people plan for retirement. We also completely redesigned our online 

benefit application, iClaim. Since we released iClaim in December 2008, we have 

increas"d the percentage of online benefit applications from single digits in most years 

prior to iClaim to 43 percent so fur this year. iClaim has been essential in helping UB 

keep pace with the significant increase in benefit applications due to the recession. 

Using public and employee feedback, lessons learned, and benchmarking '<vith other 

organizations, we continue to improve and expand our online offerings, including the 

release of the first interactive online Spanish applications in the Federal government. In 

May. we released on our online Social Security Statement, the first application to use our 

MySSA portal. Depending on the availability of resources, we plan to expand the 

personalized services we offer. 

Public satisfaction scores demonstrate our success in overhauling our electronic services 

over the last five years. We currently have the three highest-rated electronic services in 

the Federal government-and five of the top six-as rated by the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index (ACSI), even out8coring the top private sector electronic services, 

Amazon and Google. 

We outline below how we addressed each of the nine specific recommendations from the 

National Research Council. 
76 


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Enclosure - Page 3 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Heming on "The State of Social Security Administration's InfolTIlation Technology" 

Recommendation 1: 

The SSA should make an unambiguous, strategic commitment to electronic 

services as part of it~ long-term service delivery strategy, placing a central 

emphasis on electronic services that encompass timely and up-to-date information 

for users, partners, and beneficiaries. 

Response to Recommendation 1: 

We are committed to expanding and enhancing the quality and quantity of available 

electronic services. In FY 2011, we processed over 15 million personalized online 

transactions, reducing stress on our offices as we struggle to keep up with demand. 

Our May 2012 IRM plan reiterates our commitment to expand and enhance our online 

services, and it descIibes how onr IT projects help uS accomplish this goal. 

Furthermore, we are currently developing a Service Delivery Plan that \>Iill describe 

how we ",ill use our resources to deliver services over the next four years and beyond, 

including how we will use and improve electronic tools. 

Recommendation 2: 

The SSA should carefully consider the ways in which the experiences and 

approaches of large-scale financial institutions-- including state-of-the-I'Tactice 

electronic information aud service delivery, metrics-guided improvement, and 

process transformation, among other approacbes and solutions-might be 

relevant to the kinds ofservices that the agency is providing or may provide in the 

future. 

Response to Recommendation 2: 

We agree that we can learn from other org~nizations. In fact, we benchmarked with 

financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and 0111er government agencies to 

implement best practices in authentication as we developed MySSA. We continue to 

collect information and advice from the financial community, other government 

agencies, and private IT research companies, such as Forrester, Gartner, the 1nfo-Tech 

Research Group, the Corporate Execlltive Board, and the 451 Group. These 

collaborations, including lessons from the financial industry, provide valuable insight 

as we research and develop new service options, including developing mobile services. 
77 


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Enclosure - Page 4 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's Infonnation Technology" 

Recommendation 3: 

In order to move to the second phase of electronic serviloes maturity, the SSA 

should create a focal point responsible for developing and managing electronic 

information and service delivery- including components such as Web content, 

online transactions, user interfaces, researcli, database systems and nthel' key 

enabling technologies, and other facets of electronic service delivery that are 

currcnlly dispersed throughout the SSA. This focal point should have sufficient 

resonrces to take on organization-wide responsibility for online services and 

should report diredly to the SSA Commissioner or to .. Deputy Commissioner. 

Response to Recommendation 3: 

TIle Office of Systems Electronic Services is our focal point for developing and 

managing electronic services. The office reports directly to the Deputy Commissioner 

for Systems and manages all aspects of ow: electronic service development and 

delivery. To support the efforts of this office, we have a cross-component eServices 

Governance Committee that oversees all activities related to our online services. This 

Committee has overseen the successful release of numerous online services, which 

routinely receive high customer satisfaction scores. 

Recommendation 4: 

As it makes decisions about future directions for its database technology, the SSA 

sbould give considerable weight to the implications (If those decisions for the 

effectiveness and efficiency of current and future electronic service delivery and 

should be open to the introduction of new technologies. 

Response to Recommendation 4: 

We recognize the importance of defining a database architecture that uses newer 

technologies related to electronic services. We have made significant progress in 

replacing our databases that had used tile Master Data Access Method (MADAM) with 

modern relational databases supported by IBM DB2 and Oracle, the industry-leading 

database management systems. We have converted three of our five master data files 

from MADAM to DB2 and will convert the fourth by the end of this year. We are 

currently planning to convert the fifth file. OUf approach in migrating from MADA,M 

to relational databases has allowed us to minimize the disruption to our offices during 

tile conversion. 

We are also making excellent progress in changing our computer code base that was 

dominated by older programming languages like COBOL and ALC to reflect a better 

balance of more modern code. Although we rely on older code, soon we will have 

more production computer programs \'>'Tilten in J A V A language rather than COBOL. 

We will continue to take advantage of appropriate new technologies that can help us 

operate more efficiently and effectively. 
78 


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Enclosure - Page 5 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, He~ring on "The State of Social Security Administration's lnfonnation Technology" 

Recommendation 5: 

In continuing to develop its conversion strategy and long-term services strategy, 

the SSA should draw on a broad range (If technical expertise--inciuding but not 

limited to database softwa .. " experts, software engineers, software security 

experts, financial services experts, large-scale commercial service providers, and 

systems architecture experts-and put systematic mechanisms in place so that it 

can hear and learn from outside advisers. 

Response to Recommendation 5: 

Please see our comments on Recommendation 2. We actively consult ¥lith independent 

technology and market research companies, such as Gartner and Forrester, to solicit 

independent and fact-based advice on existing and proposed technologies. We consult 

with IBM on database and emerging technologies to gain expertise related to industry 

standards and architectures. We use this expertise in our database conversion strategy. 

We also contract with Ycvich, Lawson, and Associates on an annual basis to assist with 

our database conversion. This contract allows ns to draw upon a broad range of 

technical expertise, including database development and conversions, software 

development, and systems capacity technologies. 

Recommendation Ii: 

When evaluating new electronic service-delivery initiatives, the S5A should, when 

appropriate, seek to balance risks and rewards by recognizing such upside 

benefits from automation as cost reduction, fraud prevention, and customer 

satisfaction. 

Response to Recommendatioll 6: 

We carefully consider both risks and rewards as we evaluate new electronk service 

initiatives. We continue to implement our IT services incrementally. OUf approach 

helps ensure that we realize value quickly and allows us to adapt to changing business 

and technology environments. 
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Enclosure - Page 6 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's lnformation Technology" 

Recommendation 7: 

The SSA should define and use mctrics and measures to assess lind improve its 

service delivery across all channels, including electronic services, 

Response to Recommendation 7: 

We communicate our metrics both internally and to the public in our Annual 

Performance Plan, ~:r',So12iJtl:ill£liritY.o.£.QY!ltv.f!I~Dl;!APe.,m1f, and in our 

Performance and Accountability Reports, llttp:!;';.i''0:Y,illlacgoYmmmc~. We include 

performance measures related to our service, including several measures specific 10 our 

electronic services. 

In addition to these metrics, we use foreSee, a customer experience analytics firm 

founded at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, to help us gauge 

satisfaction with OUI electronic services. ForeSee administers the ACSI surveys to 

measure customer satisfaction with services, We use the survey data, which includes 

satisfaction scores and public comments, to improve our existing services and develop 

ideas for future services. 

Recommendation 8: 

The SSA should undertake to understand the identities, needs, alia attitudesofits 

various user communities and should nse that information to establish effective 

relationships and 41ngoing interactions with users, potential partners, and third 

parties. The SSA should explore partnering opportunities and identify the 

changes and initiatives that are necessary in order for it to enable appropriate 

interaction and cross-functiollality with strategic partners amI t41 SUpp41rt the 

exchange of data with other government agencies (both federal and state) whiic 

ensuring that appropriate security and privacy measures are in place. 

Response to Rec41mmendation 8: 

Stakeholder input is critical to each stage of our eService development process. We 

routinely solidt public feedback through surveys, focus groups, and meetings with key 

cxtemal audjences. After we implement new services, we continue to engage our 

stakeholders by using feedback from ACSI surveys and conducting other surveys to 

improve our online services. 

For example, input from users and external stakeholders was key to the success of two 

recent eService projects. We decided to offer our online services to the 35 million 

Americans who may prefer to conduct their business with uS in Spanish, We gathered 

feedback from several Hispanic advocacy groups as we developed our Spanish 

language electronic services. Thesc advocates provided valuable insight into how to 

best translate and design these services, 
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Enclosure - Page 7 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The Stat~ of Social Security Administration's Information Technology" 

Before we implemented our new Internet authentication process for public access to our 

MySSA portal, we benchmarked with financial institutions, healthcare organizations 

and other government agencies to assess and implement best practices in 

authentication, We also conducted public focus group, tests, and surveys that helped us 

fine-tune usability and security, In addition, we sought the input and advice of 

numerous privacy experts and advocates for victims of identity theft and domestic 

violence, These discussions helped us design our authentication system with several 

features that provide additional protections for victims of domestic violence and 

identity theft 

With regard to the exchange of data with other Federal agencies, we have over 3,500 

data exchanges v'lith a variety of partners, including State and Federal benefit paying 

agencies, We routinely work with these agencies to ensure continued efficient and 

secure iufonnation exchanges, 

Recommendation 9: 

The SSA should embrace change as a constant, It should regularly evaluate 

emerging trends iu sllch areas as technology (for example, database technologies) 

and business practices (for example, by learning from the experiences of financial 

institutions and moving toward the use of strategic partnerships for efficiency and 

effectiveness). It should also regularly evaluate the changing societal attitudes and 

expectations ofits various user communities, Tile SSA should also institutionalize 

the formulation of strategies for addressing these trends. 

Response to Recommendation 9: 

We release new software and make extensive adjustments to our IT environment 

weekly , We continually evaluate trends in business practices and contract with private 

sector experts to gain insight into future teclmologies and customer support trends, As 

referenced earlier, we have learned valuable lessons from the experiences of the 

financial industry in adopting mobile technology, We will also continue to evaluate the 

expectations of our user communities, We already have in place numerous methods to 

gather input from the pll blic, advocacy groups, and other third parties, 

Our Compassionate Allowances and Quick Disability Detennination processes are 

examples of how technology is helping us make faster and more accurate decisions; 

We continue to take advantage of Health IT, which has the ability to dramatically 

improve service, 

We face a challenging budgetary environment and must make difficult choices between 

possible new investments, Therefore, we implement new technologies based on their 

business cases, 
81 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.051

Enclosure - Page 8 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Mmlls, Hearing on "The State of Social Secmity Administration's InfOlTI1ation Technology" 

5. In the Information Resource~ Management plan, Social Secnrity's Hardy-Apfel 

Fellows program is touted as a way "to bring in IT talent from top graduate 

schools." How many Hardy-Apfel fellows have been hired and retained to date? 

Please provide tile Dumber hired in each year for the past 5 years, and the number 

from eacll hiring class currently working at Social Security. Hnw do yon recruit 

innovative technology e]>perts and keep them? 

We began recruiting for the Hardy-Apfel IT Fellows program in 2008, and we have hired 

17 participants to date. Hardy-Apfel is a small prestigiolls program selecting top IT 

talent to work on key Agency projects. The program is highly competitive, designed to 

recruit participants from Master's program universities that have top-ranked computer 

science programs. Recruitment efforts have successfully attracted 326 candidates. Of 

those candidates, 106 applied for the program. 

Our recruiters attend universities career fairs and work directly with school career centers 

to infoml qualified cal1didates about this progrrun. Our nationwide recruitments efforts 

have included visits to: 

Brovvn University 

University of California Los Angeles 

Georgia Institute of Teclmology 

University of Maryland College Park 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

University of Texas at Austin 

Carnegie Mellon University 

Cornell University 

Johns Hopkins University 

Stanford University 

University of Illinois at Urbana 

Among the 17 Fellows hired, 14 remain in the agency. Consequently, the retention rate 

for the program is eighty-tvvo percent. Below is a breakout of the number of Fellows 

recruited and retained: 

• Recnritment year 2008-2009: retained 2 of the 4 hires. 

• Recruitment year 2009-2010: retained 4 of the 5 hires. 

• Recruitment year 2010-2011: retained all 3 hires. 

• Recruitment year 2011-2012: retained all 5 hires. 

We recruit and retain innovative technology experts by offering a flexible, high-level 

program in which the Hardy-Apfel Fellows can develop new fields of study or continue 

to pursue their current areas of interest. These Fellows realize that working at SSA gives 

them the opportunity to advance the infonnation technology systems, programs, and 

policies of a large Government agency that touches the lives of nearly all Americans. 

They have the opportunity to work on key agency projects and to meet regularly with 

agency execntives. 
82 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.052

Enclosure - Page 9 - The Honorable Sam Johnson -United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's Information Technology" 

6. In the Information Resources Management plan, the IT Skills Inventory is discussed. 

Is expertise regarding cloud computing and big data included in the IT Skills 

Inventory? It' not, why not? If so, does Social Security have sufficient staff with these 

skills to meet its needs now and in the future? If not, how does Social Security plan 

to recruit individuals with these skills? 

The technological aspects of cloud computing and big data are skill sets that our IT 

employees possess. We continue to train our IT :staffto maintain and update their skills 

so they can address the changes in technology. We have not identified sets of new skills 

necessary to support cloud computing and big data that are separate and distinct from the 

IT skills already included in our IT Skills Inventory. To the extent that we identify the 

need for these core skill sets in the future, we will incorporate them into om' IT Skills 

inventory recruiting strategies and objectives. If the design and implementation of cloud 

and big data eDvironments require highly specialized experience, we can engage 

consultants with that expertise to provid<:o advice and train our <:oxisting staff. 

7. In recent years, the number of online services offered by Social Security has 

grown. What online services can the public expect from Social Security next? 

How do you decide what services to provide online? How long does it take to 

launch an online service? 

OUT next online service will provide real time access to the benefit verification. In fiscal 

year 2011, our front line employees manually processed 7.4 million requests for benefit 

verifications. 

During our IT planning process, we define and prioritize the IT initiatives necessary to 

accomplish our strategic goals and objectives. We consider many factors, such as our 

available resources, the expected service usage, effect on our local offices, improvement 

to the user experience and security, and overall return on investment. Every online 

service is unique. The time needed to launch a new service depends on its siz<:o, 

complexity, and the availability of adequate resources. 
83 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.053

Enclosure- Page 10 - The Honorable Sam Johnson- United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's Information Technology" 

8. Sodal Security has top scores on some of its online applications in terms of customer 

satisfaction. But the two disability-focused sites, the application for benefits and 

applications for appealing a disability denial, do nol score as well. In fact, the 

appeals application site is the second lowest scoring of all Sodal Security sites. 

Why? What changes are being made to these sites to ensure those applying for 

disability benefits receive the same high quality online teKperience 1hat retirees do? 

Our easy-to-use online application, iClaim, has been Vi:ry successful. In FY 2009, we 

rolled out the first phase of iClaim, and we immediately saw a significant increase in 

Internet disability claims, even though we did not market the service to disability 

applicants. Our numbers continue to increase. In FY 2011, more than one million 

disability applicants (33 percent of the total) filed online, almost quadrupling the volimle 

from the year before iClaim. To date in FY 2012, J 8 percent of disability applicants 

filed online. 

Last June, our Office of the Inspector General completed a review of the level of service 

provid~d to applicants filing for disability benefits using iClaim. This review, initiated 

at the request of Congress, found that 91 percent of survey respondents" ... found their 

overall experience tiling the iClaim (disability) application online to be excellent, very 

good, or good." 

The complexity of the disability rules makes streamlining the online claim process more 

challenging, but we are making progress. In June we began capturing electronic 

signatures for medical authorization and allowing users to upload supporting files 

directly into our dIsability system. Over the next several years, we will be making other 

improvements depending on available funding. 

We also used the ACSI customer satisfaction infonnation for the Internet disability 

appeal (iAppeals) to help liS identify areas for improvement. Earlier in FY 2012, we 

released an improved version of this application. Some of the changes included: 

• providing tips on how to navigate the site; 

• reducing the number of informational pages and placing key information behind 

links for easy access; 

" clarifying instructional language; 

" reducing the number of unnecessary screens; 

" creating a new "Welcome Page" with a look and feel similar to our newer online 

applications. 

We are currently evaluating recent ACSI survey results to further improve the iAppeals 

application. 
84 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.054

Enclosure - Page II - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing on "The State of Social Security Administration's Information Technology" 

9. The Information Resources Management plan runs through fiscal year 2016. What 

types of planning is Social Security doing outside {If the 5 year window? In his 

testimony, Dr. Scherlis recommended planning for potential cbanges to IT 

systems over five 10 ten years. Do you agree? If not, why not? 

We base our IT guiding principles, which we describe in our IRM plan, on systematically 

modernizing our infrastructure using sound and viable technologies. Given the 

importance of our progranls, we cannot afford to be captivated by the promise of new 

technologies before they are mature and cost effective to implement. Although we agree 

with Dr. Schcrlis that IT strategic planning must be future looking, Wi:; believe that our 

5-ycar planning horizon is appropriate. The unpredictability of our budget and the 

current annual budget planning and execution cycles make it difficult to plan beyond this 

length of time. We do, however, monitor emerging technologies. 

10. In his testimony. Dr. Scherlis discussed the potential of "big data" and described it 

as "computing techniques that enable rapid analysis and manipulation of vast 

quantities of data to turn it into actionable information." Is Social Security using 

this technology to better manage its programs? If not, why not? Are you 

planning to use it ill the future? 

In 2010, we began researching ilmovative architectural solutions to ensure the security 

and integrity of our rapidly expanding volume of data. As a result, we developed a 

proposal for a target architecture thai enables the integrated capture, mlUlagement, and 

analysis of events IUld large-scale data, or "big data." We refined this tilIget architecture 

in 2011, and we are now using it as a strategic roadmap to identify, evaluate, and test 

potential technical solutions. In 2012, we are working with consultants to identify the 

strategies and data analytics that will leverage "big data" to enhance agency services. 

11, (If ..... m Mr, JOhD~"'.!I) For J:lI;arly a o;lc~adl; (FY2001-2011), Social Security 

stockpiled over $1 billion of its unspent appropriated funds in the Information 

Technology (IT) Fund. Congress had permitted Social SccuriJy to roll mOD"Y into 

the fund for acquisition and maintenance of automated data processing aDd 

telecommunications hardware and software as well as support services and 

related contractual s~rvices. Social Security did not use the money in spite of 

appeals to Congress regarding its urgent IT needs. When the buildup of funds was 

discovered, Appropriators, on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, rescinded $275 

million and required Social Security to draw down tbe fund. After the rescission, 

the IT fund had nearly $600 million remaining. Why did Social Security not use 

the IT fund 10 make timely maintenance and appropriate IT upgrades to protect 

the taxpayers' investment in the agency's IT system? Please provide specific 

details as to how IT funds have been spent since the $275 million was rescinded. 
85 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.055

Enclosure - Page 12 - The Honorable Sam Johnson - United States Committee on Ways and 

Means, Hearing 011 "The State of Social Security Administration's Infonnatioll Technology" 

These nmds are a closely monitored, transparent part of our budget that we have used to 

help us handk increasing workloads" Our ability to transfer unobligated administrative 

funds to our Information Technology Systems (ITS) account is a funding mechanism 

Congress specifically authorized" We must justify to OMB any transfer of unobligated 

balances to the ITS account, and OMB must give us formal approval before we can 

transfer and spend any funds" Moreover, available ITS transier funding factors into our 

annual budget request During the budget process, we work with OMB to determine 

how much of our IT needs will be covered with fimding we can transfer into the ITS 

account, thereby decreasing the amount ofnGw funding we need to request in any given 

FY. 

Most of our annual ITS funding is necessary faT ongoing operational costs, such as our 

800 number hardware and software and our online services" ITS transfer authority 

allows us to make technology improvements that help our employees work more 

efficiently" OUf IT investments help liS to achieve average annual employee 

productivity increases of about 4 percent in each of the last five years, They also help us 

maintain sufficient capacity to process and store ever-increasing amounts of data" ITS 

transfer authority resources helped us fund essential IT upgrade and modernization 

projects such as making our disability process fully electronic, developing robust and 

user-friendly online services, and opening OUT second data center, Without these IT 

investments we would not have kept pace with the recent increases in claims" 

We did not have $600 million remaining unspent after the rescission" After the $275 

million rescission, we had $276 million unspent in June 2011, of which all but $32 

million was spent by the end of the fisc~] year" While about $1 billion was transferred 

cumulatively to the ITS No-Year fund over the preceding decade (FY 2001 - 2011), we 

have continually spent against this f,mding source" 

We have a number oflT initiatives critical for improving OUT efficiency and quality of 

service in progress" For example, we are: 

.. building a new case single processing system for State disability determination 

services instead of paying to maintain 54 different systems; 

• building a national visitor intake system for our field offices; 

• adding advanced systems capabilities in our hearing offices; 

s converting our master files to DB2 databases; 

• increasing the use of video for appeals and operational workloads; 

• modernizing our earnings record software; 

• building agile data exchange programs; and 

• building additional online services that will utilize our new MySSA portal imd 

authentication process" 
86 

f 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.056
87 

Kelly Croft Attachment #1 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.057

Application Information Report 

~",,,,,,,,,C::C~,",~';'"",",",c,"~,:",,".;c:"~c.,,,-,",,,c.'-""'""4'o"'"W,,·.,,,.!cr:~'~~!~~ton':·i2.~:.:'o,~:i,S~~~i:i.:....~~2:.'.~·~2~~~L~~:'::L· 

Pto:-r!tie 'oP., Offi:~'e:,j:;~' ReS:e~(l;;h. EV;;;I'uati;~.ai1d'·Stati~t;~s, wi~h OEEAS Mlanddata file:s:bfa 1% s.ample 01 the u.s. workfo~e~,. 

Pr~~l-d.e 'the ~ta~es: Wit~·~u.<!rt~'rH:lf 'D~~r~ge info!rtiati:otl f'er 

Ic-'"~"C" __ ~~,~_"~~-,-~~_~"-+~~-+'",h""l!f~uest. . . .... -~.~" ~","~~~4 

OR51S IsO()# "pp<,intmollt ~\!st~~ establi$~E!~'leads, 'app~iHt;';"~Dt!; '~lnd ""'. 

p~~t,e(-tiv~'~ling ~ate ror indilJi~urtls w~~.coi'l.tact.55A' :." 

""IThese:jObS update the, IRS employer files with 'data, ~ec-eived .. 

from"IM. ·E:RS41D.jJ~' uP-date:u!-te":3 Mt'I~(:ur'r~nt year "sAM file directly> 

":: ER~~l~ upd,ates. ~~e ~~~reiit.T.axve.,rr by dOWilj{)~ding t!1e·fil.1;! ·;:inci·U:ren. 

!,"eproing it ?ac~ op :afte~ uf:1'd~te3 have be~i"1 ~pplif::d_ :. 

I-:-...c...~.:",~""",-""c:'"-~'~""C~".~"----.. +--"':' ..c._~~ ____ :';'''''::c.c".~'"'--"'"""cc __ ""~."_.""_2_."~. __ 

Query ¢f. Ma:!>tet B~ne!it:iar'V R!;lCNd. fe-~urMd to' the s.C~i'!;e"~ or:. 

'sent to 3 print,!,!·r.Q).Ierle~'j~st readthe):la:ta·.and display the : 

. fon,bR:S:15 d~~~ not own ~jl queri~s i"n.~hi·5 !?nde-Ilor 5Vs.t~rr{~. 

j!!lj5 ~$ ~ utit"lty.i'!ppli~~tion on,9ts:o.'s.~t~~~·~"~pn·twl uti!it~ (ACU)"sef~?rs_ 

ThiS ~ppljc~~ron pr~evl~es 'a:~ l~ter:fa~€.' bJ;:tw:een. the 1'Iyolr~c-cess ~an.ager 

Pro:ciLlct:and the ACU; It -can ~lr~~~ ~utt\enticatlorF re~ucs1s 'to- the'prop~t 

rriodul~s.: 

apP!!c.i:ltion:.;·ho-s-te-d ·on'the.Solaris ~~ilx flex envir"o!irrient~ to.ar;ce:~s 

m~ihfj-ame re!>O'urI::es"o,i1 :t/OS. AX'IS pyoVi£!es 'fop.Secr.et sec~!"it'V;Vi .. the 

: seC1;r~W w~~ S~I'~tc,,'!"(:5Wst ~fi that ~~ldF(JSlan''applit'i!ti()~;> l:::tln 1.e:y'erag~ 

t~e ~E'c'urlty fnfr.a·str~tLlre that' previo:usly wa5 on!y.open to t~-e . , 

[

WebSIJhere·envlr.c:mmeru:·Ax.ISIJSeS the SSA ~tarrd.a·rd jWlts to ~rovide ". 

~e!it1b~e.~~-d- sc~!ab'~:tu:;c"ess ~~ mairifn:H~le-"~e§.~u~ces; ~n\j 'develope~ t~at 

l

ktlOWS how to !.rse SOAP/WSDL-b'ased web services WIIf be gble to use 

AXIS 

----~----.--"-------.-------- ------ ~---------~-----.~-------.~-.--.~--~-""-

The Atcess t-o Flliand~lll1stltu'l:lo-t'is {AFI) system will help. 

[reduce 55! payment errors by providing an automate-d. efflderrt emd 

'A!:l":es!i t-o. Fman-cl.alln5tltutu:ms le-t-on¢n1!:c:all';1e~n$ of venfyil~g dlstios::ed fmal'lcfai acco-unts. and detecting 

undiscl-osed fl!1ancl<'!! accounts with balantes. 

~ur·p~~·-o"f. 'thiS s~rvite. IS fo:ac'~~t'i~c'o~il1g fin~nd.ifn~tltutjon 

"Re-spo'ns-e" dat~ from the Vendql· ... ·This applkatiory ~fl! perfor"if! ~ti'Uld1!i"rd 

.il!""·ter.ftar.rad~g,we-b se.r\l~(:~ s@tur!ty ani! ~crye~~ ,!aJ"id"atio~. It ~jll th~n" 

tJke the' mes-sage paV~Clad and place.~ntQ Web~jJ~efe Mes:!i~geQu~ue'for 

re~rieval bV the Afi a~pll~at.ioti, 

1:1& nonr-e-c~ipt 
88 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.058

Apphcation lnfOfmation Report 

: .. ACCtiW~Cl~ .. u~erl f~(E;li'l~Oliic.finng ~f cor~.ai:~~d. wag~ <Hld.t9K st~ter~H~~~ 

1(.tFwlq .. T~e s?ftw:u:e IS. d~wnro~ded f~(m::th~ ss~·w~.b: .slte by.a·· . . 

p:;.ubm~tter :an~ 1J5t!d .to ~b~cI~ tn~ forma~ o! a ~age re~0r:t.sub:Missi?l'l Hie. 

[ThiS- s<lftw:eire Is)ised Mil/fop ie!Oting 'fil~;; "and d.oes- not: updat~· or modiry 

t~ e"o ri~i~a( fl (~: On~e. ertor$ a~e 'em~ .ou.nt·e.r~d; i.he .. ~;i gi:na! /i~~ ... ~~~fbe. . .' 

acc"ess:ecl for"corr-ectiortS, The5ubmlfter should make the charlge's 

!i~dk~J;e'd ~~ the:erto'r reportg~ne~<lt'e-d "bV"th(l A1;'C:Uwit 5'o'ftw~i~'pri~r to 

.. Isendiog'he wage report ,ubmi;,ion'o SSA. . '. '. 

. . 

~AccuWage IS' used for £Iect~onk Filing of Wage a"n'd.TEU(. 

StM~~ent (~FW2.). rhe ~pftwar£;:i5 :do~rlload~d fmm thf'<'~SA Web ~~t~ ~\{ 

~ s(.iP!l11tter ;;l(l~( l.J$~d tQ·ihli!~!t:.the fo-r.m.'lt of ~ wage:r'efj'ort 5I)bll1h:~iQ.-n 

. m.e. T'~i~ SOf~~are is 'U'5~d- (ml~'f~~ 'testi~~ fi~:S a~d dn-es. riO~.uPrl~~e ·~r. : 

'~o.dir'tf the o~il';ilU)I.~!!e, On~e:~rrort;·af.~ .~ncCturi~Ned, ~~e orlglrtEti fll~ 

~us.t. be ac:tes~ed for torr~tHan~. The sU!Jmitt:er snou1cl mak'e the i~~nges. 

Intikated on t'ne·:e.r.roT ~'eport ge-rierate:d.~bY t~e Ac:r.:uwage software prior' t~'~endini th~ w~g~:report~ub:mi~sio~·tQ SS~\.,.· .. 

A'Pfl;S mall1ta)lis: budg,et ~~fq-i'rTiation·fot.purc;hasI'l1eql.llsition$ 

fonTS' ro·'ects. . . " ,. . 

f'-c-'.-:'-'-'-'-7~--'.'-'----cc-c-~-,c--r--:C-~-!'T"!h!Ji:S:"'i<'-J. to!!he'"· :A""<"'c'eS:H2cmtro.1 ~tm~y tAC.U) :a-pplicdtlo~. that . 

peri!-,ums tlie PIN I ~ass~nrd authentic;atiot:l for ~lUz'en ApPlka~ior1s.· 

c~m~fltlv .suppor~irig on!i~€. ap~Hca~dns .like COA~ CD, a~:d'CYBare Ge't rem~oraiv·Pa,s:s~or:d Request (bde.{IPS_GPRCj'; 

Create, p~ssw~rd (IPS~CRPW);'B'!ock ~c~ess: !J~S~BKAq) ~fld'¢hange . 

pas5wo-r~ ~lPS_qiPwh : 

This l.s:the shared library that pro>.<:iaes the :;:e,clir.i'ty l-6git.as 

p~rt'af OTSO's Ac-cess CQ-lit~Qj utility (AC;U) s.elve'l"~.· ~hj~·c:o~e.is: used b~ ." 

'of the "':CU ap~~r'Catic:n~: it'pro";ide~ f,or the l;lc.h.l,'ill ::H.J~l1et'itic~t!l:)r;, 

,Iii,S: Is aClua!lya'sulte of appllcat.ions that re.side on .OTS=O~~. 

!At~~ss C,~ntr~~ Utility (ACUi ser~e(s. !~e::oi~plj"C~~iO'~~ ~re ~~ed to r,eglsiter 

a (lt~zfln via-the Verizon·S.OO number for Cl ~IN o';IndPass~ord to-at:(:!!ss. 

S5A'::;'~~~kcitio,:s Ilk~ !~I~pn~ne'Ch(:kY~~r Bi,n'l~f(~.FP(B), The 

"' iilppllcatio.ns :are Get.Temporary Pass~vord 'Request-Code' {TPS':"SPRC)..-

tre:a.te.~asswo.rd (TI:'S~(~PW}f siuc:k Acc'e!>s ('f~s."':!:!;kAc), ~md Change 

~a$5word, \T~S_ C·~P:Wl. : .. .. 
89 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.059

Appilcatlon Informatlon Report 

F~~~:;;'~i"'Ch;;;k;~i;;;:;;;k;;;'S~:;,::"--·':C·':'-c:'CT""''''''-~ ,¥;';~:~;~~~~;~i;i~;;~~~i~1~~~:t~~iih~~~U~~~~~,~~::' 

pr(rltid~s F-ede.r~~ed It!!'!!ltit'{~~rv;~e~.to 'F~.S, 1'hr~ in.!UM~"ti~at~~ 5~A. . ... 

:. temployees-to a~,ess th'e,TreasurY Cliet~ IhfQormatTon)Y5't~m f~CtS)'arld' 

pr~'J~dc~ t~e SA!"Xl eKc~ange.withfMS'fc-r.s1ng~e-~ign: on:.to·~he sYstem,. 

This. Web S-ervle:e on" qrsO's-Access"ControLUtillty (A-c"U) 

5~rller5' "is U~~d ~y,~.e' Sec~re. W~b Se·~.[t:i!s. Aj."ChitettUrE .. tsW~~),: the-: 

SWSA rrCit.".Pcwer:JtMl gat.ewi'lYs levef~g~ ACUWS"to alJtherlt-iC3t~ Wt\'lb 

.. . .. ·I~~~~~'" "nO;; I),y ... pli'"t'.~ w,~ ;;;:-~"t.d b,/OTSO l<' ~dd.",,'".' ... 

I

!avt'r of l,:?mp'e~i1;y ff;.r ~(:ce'S~in.g SSA'~ OutlQ~k Web'A'~e;;:s .. 

orSO : -'r.e·!'naC~S.5a.gCr":.) •. Thi!;.~pPI,icat'i~.n· ruhs' ~r,. 0.T50;5. "Access: C~:ntr~j Utility' 

.. : " {ACU,} se~lfers; It pr-ompts:a persiJrl Tor a :. '.: ' 

: .~ I,:~rd "ft~~.l?'aytha.t they, ~U~~kI10W from :~ri:intraFi~t !:iource, .. 

OEE~S: This.sYstem 

OR5IS· 

r---,-~-c~_'--~--,-______ ·_-:c-:-:r--,-'~-!-f="",i-"tiv,-,.,",j:".I=.on.~. This appHcat!o~ pro-vI?es maMgemelit with'a meclia~lsm to. capture' '. 

Ap-plkation !i'lterface FadliW .. 800# 

fhd!\Iid.l.lal em~~Qyee' sldl.! level~ fo!" skfll·s.~et~, as:50date~f~jth JQb·S~Ti~~. 

JWithi!l ttH~ir'~rganji~ti~.I1. ft ~Is-o ~tore';; future n~ei:ls so that gaf's ca:TI be . 

.. [a!'!term}n:ed by .comparing cmfent skills te f-utu.rl':! needs.. " .' 

le~i::k end.aggr~gatc comp\lt<iltibn'prQgrani built t~ pWQ.vi<:fe the. . 

, IJepartmcnt of -Educati.on. (J:b}.withtM.e me'an and. medial"ll'n-come'{or ea.ch 

. lInique:tnmbir.ati(;n O~Gai·l'l.~Ur Emp!ovmM't.(Gt:) p'r.ograrfiat'ld E';';mirEg!i .: 

, .~~PQrt re:ar~ Th~5 a'pplic~tlcin win P~~!dE> f:D Wlt"h. earni~·g.s ~at~'.th~t Wj.ll 

b~ used.in (:aicul;;)ting 'a" .... .' ,'. '" 

'·~~bt. 'tr) ,tar~ings" t,f\,tfo ~s ~art o(the ~ain~l~l.Em~IQ~ln~~~ :, 

r€g~latlons. ' " ,,' 

I· 

, ,To j:)rtld:uc~ a q"uamY:PE ·notke.ysing:Target ~9tite. . 

_._. _._ ArthHecturet'rNAI for the AJS·process.:!.........._··_. _.'_. __ . _. _____ ,_ 

Aen= -Is re-pre5e~tative of the ElF database In alphabetIC order. AEQY.~' . 

rrh~ officjal,n'am~ fs the,1Elf,'Access Screen.' . . : 

IprQvldES query acc~ss i;Q.ALi'HIDENr·<lnd NUMIDENTOC" -:c--':---~"i 

This·is. d marn~!il~e job that prmfjdes:st:<.l~S all. claims 

te(miha"ted'inriu~il~c-"c~~c-"cC" . 

. 1,"he i'!Flpnc~ti-on '~rog~aM !trh;~'~a(:$ that t"a!{~~ COtfnt$ ftc'lm.:. ".' 

: II':fl~sotiS·~nd·W~it~~ them ~p tne :~SH?R.E ~;,;linrn.6~ bali'l.!1d~t.~~b!e f~r, 

fa !k:atiohs,'usin' the'MESODS API.' ' .., 

App~~!5 '~e\dew: ~:'Q.t.e:'i~jng Sy$tt';!~ - M~~~gem~nt !1"If~r'i'T'la'tklt} i!> a 'Ev~te:" 

tn~t.p~~u~,eS, ~e?:r:~t?Qft~ '~hd 'listings teg~r,ding.tlu:l:A~pe~.'~ ~ou:odt , 

DR~·<l~.d Cou'rt-;<lppe?;1 processes,. 

OESAE. • A1F 
90 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.060

Appilcatlon InformatIOn Report 

Applrcatkm!ntei"f;;!(;e FacUity- MB~' 

~ppli{;atiti~ I~terface,f=atm:tv ~ MeSo PF 

f..EPJ!§!!~l~t:..~r!~~a~illf'L:M~~~~_~~_ 

A lii':atlon'in'te~face f>adlit. ~,MES Pf:" 

Apl'lkatlon In~.erfac~ Faeili:rv - Msslcs Pf 

Applicatkin h'l:terf~c~ F"<ldllty"n Numid-emt 

OE$Af' 

clefi~ed Data Element;Cluster:s 

Appointed ReS'lre:sent<'ltive with E:"Folder ~.;;tes$ will b".:: <i!l?~e:d 

~O vi.~w ,a~~ do~nload ~·sta~u~ J~~tj~'g bra:l! "at"their c~5~~ p~ridiii~:at ttle 

,!:i-earing It;'\lel. ~revi.ously O~AR ~ould mail this info!ma~ion t~·t~e . 

<lpp.oj.nte~:r~j:l-reS:e~tativ,~~, O!'l a ,r~gl~l~r basis.: 

, Applh:~tI01"~1I0~", regis'tr<'!ti?f1 of ~pp~lnt~d Rep~ t~rough 

f--~-~-----~-----c---~~--~.--'----~---~-'----'-----'+-~':""~ in-tI"~net ~t~lj.hPLIt 6(SSA..1.~~,.:..c..:..~_~",-" __ ----=_""':~-':'~ __ " __ .. __ . 

l

aME! Appt R~p NeW.ARDS QuC$~V p~ol~d, wiil te~ki("e th~ SSA~', " 

AtlPo~ntr:n~nt.Syst~m·Marlag-em,e~t 

~nformatjol\· ;. 

, 15'9,g=,~nd SSA-1694'~U~;-Y f,Ur1',ct~Qrialitv th~t!s tI.I~'rentIV ~vail,,,bl~ '-Vi~h,th~ 

I

APPointe'd RepresenfathlE!,Appllc:atiorfcn' 1- Main. Tlte new Appo'lnted 

" "R~pre~~'''tat:fve ~~~~;;t'lE' fA~~~) Cj'~'~ry a'pp,li~~tio,n w:~l airow ,us~rs'to 

query,ad~it,i()t'la! :rl~t~ ~t~red tltl tM ARD~ M IN./;!Il a~ th~ lnt:eg ... ~t@-d " 

j

Reg'istrZttion t!ectronic ,S-er\'iC~5 (IRE~) database. Tha New'AROa Query : 

, ap~!i'6ii1tiOI'l', ~nllnc!ude ~ 'S~an::h'f:O'r Repr~sentative- D<lt'a,tp,Jery (';1m:! a ' S.earch for B'W'>!n~s:; bate 'quer1{. SSA'USi!fs:a\ithe'ntli:a'tl:'!d by Top5ecret 

II~l,JI ~a~'~c~esi'u~.t~:e ~~~ ARnB'd.u~rV:Appfk~tl(:1!1 th~?l.;g.i·l'tt.eii" .> . cW$lofi:!lleri I-Meli.r; menu . 

pago:!, the'New Afl.bB Query applicaHcnwnrp~Qvtde\fjew.-ol'lly -cap~bmty" 

. . 

,. '. ' '. . . 

. : Provides Managel!lentlnfomiation.on the'gOO a~pointm-e'nts 

Oi::EAS syste~'a~~ appointrrients 5c~~dul~ ';tJ~ th~ 1.'!\ppoOi~tm~nt 

S stem,: . . . 

" lnt!~n~t O~I~:~~p:~atio~ ~ COTS pac~ag~. heavily inte~~ated : 

·--'---'~+---:------+P'o<." ,.gJ".,.tiQ" 01 inoivlo",1 ,",;,",,,",.,ive,;in<iodi"g _ 

Adornev Fe-e Form'1099 .... ' : . ..: 

_:...---..:..._::..,. __ .. _....:.... ______ ~_'--'-- __ "-__ ...._:..... __ ~ __ ~.o._ 

oRSIS ~tton1evs and'ellgible,for dlr-cci p:ayme)1t l1o!1-attorneysj£tiPNA). ~rocess. 

'rl!g'istratioll'oHirm:s:t:oroc'e55 '!Jn~jng theAppolntl!ct Rep to du~ dai'mant',' 
91 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.061

Applicallon InformatlOn Report 

Alfdj!i.(;a~5e~t~.rr~1'l;cript jnv~k:e ?o-'ln:ve-~oi:y: . 

System" oDs 

. . ~:~cKs-.an~.monl~~r~ '~h:e' h·e~,rl.~g ~~.s~ett€· ·t.ra.rt~·cc!~tion Pf'~~~SS' 

"tor. i::a:5£!S behi£ p~eila~ed f-Of ,burt. (us.ed by 'O~O' C'Ontract . Staff .. ' .. 

The.Audlt tore Sef\!i~e ~rovid~'S th~ c2ip,abilitV.to wrlte aUd!t'· 

m-tords to·the: CATi= ~f1;d the Audit Trafl.S stern 

Co!!ecl:..app~!cat1oii spedfic."transa-ttfol'! data arid provide search . 

!;'a~abilitv fl1r t~e.tent~r·Oi~ed~~~ TO!' Security -an"d Integr'fi:y '~'n'J:lh~i' . 

nQHc.e·~· formcittin . ;3nd"cr-eatin .. fint" files,' 

.. Colle(;ts information for Title·2 initia!.Claims which carniOtbe 

,;(~tomat~d, SQ. th~t informa~ion (:an be' tr·ansmitt~d.ai'ld p.ro(;~sse~ i:n the 

pes. . 

A~$P~rn.atc~f!~ iieviappli~:ltj!Jn'~"fcr"an :o~rgina"l6r:re!llace~ent 

'SSN,'<Jgainst"aH eXI~tinn SS~, N'lcbrds. W~~n a prfqr,S£r.fis aneg(l~; f\E~P 

wilt match usl~g" tli~aileg'ed prior s'sN'"and othei"ldent!fYfng"i:lata~'These: 

" m:at.ch" funct"ic"ns a"re PErformed uslhg the NuM1DE"NT. which is il Dsi 

~,--~c_,"~C-.-c.~~-'-~_~'--~·~~~~~."~_· ~~'. ~'~._ .. _. _ ... ~.~ .. ~:'~_. ~.~.~ ... ~._ .. ~~." 

ihe:AlI!tt?ma~~~ Job :S~re:31!15 :1" a"m(3 (AJSq. and f\JS ::i) O~eratlons: " 

coMputes. benefit change:\; based {It"! recent AhRO," Enforcement and 

Earniri"gs ~-o"rk Info~mat,h,)rl:", AlS" 1 tece!ves :i ty~e$' af"dailYij1p:~ts fnjm 

PO?I "r~c~mpllf9tidl'\S' rB"iRls):restl!th~g fri;m" -ad~itl.ot'!~i ear~ingi"p~~t~d "~o" 

tl:HdV1EF. 

"Ad~iti(ln.aljv, the AEftO S:~~t.'(:tiOf1"p-rocess se~:d5. t~ansactioi1s -on : 

" the: ~snri~ay in M~rch ~fl~ Odo,ber; 

auto-mate tne"scheduHn'g 01 hearings beio"re du;! <idmfnfst~':lfi~!;:'"l~w"illdges 

(AU~] as"p.art"~f OD;?R\ a~peals protes"!&~ ODA'R"ha~:the abiliW~to ell-ter. ":, ,: 

aV(iilabil~th:~-.'>"?n ~ehal{6f" repr~$~nt~tt\/es,: me:dital 'e-~per~i, ~:pca~;Oli~1 

, e-xperts,:"alid !1e'aring r'epOrte.s j"nto:l;he ASAweb application, ~loflg with 

the,~v.a"iI.abHjty 0f,~he' nearing "sit~:;." f~ ~SA th-t!y i:i"~sn naye t~:e; ab'mty ~ci 

a~provE: propo$ed S(~e(hl'lesl andtq 'mahl.lal1v Sc:h~dufe cases. T~e"l?atc:h 

"pot<tion l?( ASP. wll!:rak~: th~ a~all"abi"!ltV.in~ormOltj?M: ~ri~:trv too ~~me'up- " 

w[t~ a prop"os-ed s~hedule (:Or t:;;!;se"s fibril" C;PMS that are rE!39ytQ 

" l"schedU!e~ Scheduled ~~r p~l~: f~ 'AugU:>t\:l012""" " " " 

. I.'. ...... . .,.... 

L-.. _.'-__ .'-_~_~ __ ~ ___ ~~ ___ .. _~,"-c-"-.i .. ___ L~_~-,--_.'.~~ ___ .. ": _____ ",--,-,~"_-" __ -,--,_-,-,, . 
92 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.062

Appilcallon lnformatlOn Report 

N~j~c~~~i~~,;;,~'" ), .. : "~:2' ~:·':~c.:.~~.~:~2,'~:~·' OWri~t' ~ !?!~iiE!io~<~·~:iJL~:~~~"::;..:o.;j~~~2 .. ~2~~~o:~'u.ii·~~:'::L 

The fnterriet ASA is the Dser.jnterfao:e"that aI16\''115 extf!i'nall.ls~ti to e~tfOr 

i:'lfo~rn~tif,Jrr ahl;ll)t.~heir ~\{~il~bil'ty t"o att.e·fi~ h~.{I ... r~!!S, Thi~ filft,:lrrnati-ot'!",i 

stored by ASA.datab-as.€-!! so'that it can.be.consldered by the Intmne.t ASA 

during:prc<c~sslhgo Ihe'itltern~f <l!ppJfcatil1n uses: t;ibS'cre"atli'it'! s~or~d 

PmcijdiJ~e:> ~o {lbtaitl,dafa"to display to the user !iu:eh as"the-i(nam-e-; 

addres's, ;tine he;:ulng·s· .. t.he~ul:€!. 

";uto Schedlil'lg ApplicBtrQr'l_ I:ri~a!'ilv the" OAS51S Mi te~m'~ilI 

hi::! tr~lismltti,lg fUll d~Hy ~~t~' l.l~IQ~d~ Qf !J.uto Sch.edil'jng,ta~I~~ 

(MAUS-CHJBnd.momhly unloads.of 3", few tables to ODAR/ DART,' The 

MAUS.tH t9:bit:!!i: 'wUl 'not ~o~t2lin tlistorv :and, th~ si:;.1Jr~e ·of th~ d2ta. wil! be' 

the P~USCH ~at3b.ase. This frequency hi Mmn:i@y . ..,,"Sat;uday. 

COM establishes 311 MBR- t-Qrlflec.tioh between fl- arid TiS 

d:p'~oc~s:s~s sub5"eq~ent 551 ~ntitlem.e·nt (!langes: Its major'ftlnctio~ IS 

to u'i1d<l~e the .MSR:tir ~vsterr!"s,lflIterfa':e Re2oi"ds.\"f~th SSt ·data and. 

data, sAtaM alsO. b:uilds de-at!U~rmiMtion and deatt. 

.!,ei:nst,tern·.nt f!mililrS,for'P\~(es~l~g ~'y'T~., 

M~.!it~:( B.errefid~1"\' .R~rl;;:o.r~ {M!3R)."'tld. E·afl1ihg.~.~mo:r~~tiQIl f~Qm the 

Maste-r"EalJlings File {MEf~ to Sta·te Agenci.e-s for their use.ln'.determining· , 

th~ amount'ol pub!it-:as!>is!ai''I'ce f.o"r·which-;;i, ~~~t!fkiarv:t£ ~lIglbli:= .. 

'BCAS-i;~~(1.to·t~~~-Md. ~';ci~-;;t~~~:thI;s~p~~~~~ 15er.:u~itY.lm;\fme. (S-S!} ailt! Wo~!d:War II Veterans (TVIll) !Je",e~it paytner.<t~ 

autnoriz:erlundei' the sodal Seturity Act.' SeAS in'ter-acts wlthj:he Tr·~as.~r'f' 

App-Ue:~ Cost of l.!vi!lg in.cr~a5e·;;,.:The BR! ~os:s ~ c(rtJi.p:~t(!te. rep!acement 

~I'd<lte of 'the M~R. In- ?rd-er to. ~q thi?':SRI-l'Iee~s ~ DA5[} alrotati~n: of 

!lbQ~t 4000000 Uacks. The.f?Ri·is. a. c:aU.;;::d t:)"roS"~am:out.ofthe·SRM~R"ji:lbs< 
93 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.063

Appilcatlon Infof111atlOn Report 

OSfS 

: ,Cinline"hehefl'i: o£!arl'lings. statement produced through Mc5 . 

O~S'5 .1~~rc:e'il;:~~:~E·: t~er~ is ~norcr,sv:ste~.t:alle(.rBEsr.~hatis·riot ~art'o'f !VI~S, 

i:"·iJ~SO~_ U=i-"-"-:O".·-O'-'"C"'-. -'-'-·--c'"--~~'-'--~+=='---+IA::-:,,;-,~"C;;,-,,-,.c:~i:--sh·~~ed bil:~k~ ~o'u~l;~d ;-~: ortin fil~~, ' 

((tryi~U~I1~e.·Ma.na-g"el" (RC~~, IS a'corS'i:lti-ckage:~ ~ llCM's,ma·~ri:. 

aH"ea "is'I'de'ntitY Complianc-£l a'tlCf Role Mc:mag'em"en"t, itle"ntity 

.I,~se~~ f.'." I:n :~·dn~re .. I1~·e:~fj:,11 regu.lator,Y r~,~u.J.,el~'H~'n~s a~d:i'n. tetfl,<:.ll'~e~~~j.ty . 

". policil~s:. R?le·:Mariag,:mel'\~.focus~s ?" tne ~ompi~te lirecyde of bu.1.lotng, 

It"e5titig, m~jn~atn!~g Cl~d ()~.~im~li\1g r~le 'm~derS: , 

I . . . . . 

~upports the·.(;:a·~e pfo~es.sing of hearing :clffice"workloads; WebSphere.: ... 

"lia'S .!aV.a.fri~nt~en'tI) COiiOLjbt!;1:/tlcs:backendA Also tndudes tusbL. ... 

Ibat(:~' \fo~ cQrtn~uni'ieat:jng with. MI,:PCf\CS, j;}l:hers:};'a~d:Ja,-:~ B~tch (f~ .. · 

:t"p(e.men"t;oil ofAutonia,ed'N,itk;ng .nd· ClJ:nurn1ngc· . 

~+:--:--:--:---+:T=:he Catalog ill Mtitiflmized Systems qpe;atlonsiMarl.ual {MSOM) 

proc~o~r-es k~?wn ,as.C~Mp") tr~ck~,~tsd.stQre5 3,.~OO+·!V1.S W,~;d .. 

dO<:!Jrrlents ftl"i' th-e'MSOlYl Staft'. CAMP' Js esie!nt!ally ~ ~ste:~ fhat ~ra;:k$ 

, MSOM procedures (Word file's)l MSOM authors'(Systems AhC'llysts} and 

MS'9M'T~~fls~ltt:<;is ~pr~jetts)~ it·i.s 0l'itte'n in Mf~~o~OffYi$lJ~t'Ba5jt 6.{j. l~ 

Ho.w~es.th~;datab~~e of MSO~ ~'rOtei;llu:e?J trans~itta!s, and aut~or!.? 0.1"1.~ 

SQl Soe~ ..... er 2'005 dat,,!ha,s~: ~t allows. the:·MSOM staffto'c~ei:k Ol.!t file-s te 

·1<:!'!.lthO~5" ag~odate f!les."t~r.o,edureSrV:';itn.tfans:mittals~ ptliblisl1 : 

tran~mitt;;Jis ~s eitner a PR'bo, ",,' " , 

(~'roducti"cm},transml~"d,,'o~'a ·piT {futu:ni impleme!"ta:tiQ-n tr~nsmi.tti3I»·or. . ~ supptem~nt {pllot transmittal}; and'report summary iM:fp~matlo~ to ~·n. 

fTP s'e~f!r; .~~e~e,th~ ~Q!iC:YN:et ~t<lff j:n ORf)P,ioile~ts tile-Hies, 'and . 

~~~!!!€. ~·et!l~~.!!!~e,av~!,~ie. ~_~~:_._~:~~~.~~~~_~_ 

.1c!~Awm an~~, uS to <:e~traUv pr!ni image-~·t,~~t.a~~.st~~-e.~ fTl 

0_, . .~. 

·I~~R~S est~b!f:>n. maynt~i~i.an.d ~anage:Ht~ ·n~te~t.jon) 'di~po~jti~n; ~nd' 

~jsclc:sut,e of.-c!aims file. records ~s pa~t,ofth~ ~eco~d5 MtlMgeml'!,rtt ,,' 

Infrasti't.icttire (Ri\t!!) ah~.'CfMS-;· . . .. , 

: thiS; syst-em is the: Cli~nt passworo.screen.lt tS.OlI; option '~ff 

'the ~h<lred proces's men'u off the SSA Main Menu."lt is us-ed to. preseht 

ORS!S . if!!cl~m<lti(j1't to :al"!"§'SA,e~pl~ve£! abo:ut, a.pet5o~\ at~ernpt5. to ~stab!ish a' 

p~~sw{)-rd 'On :th"e hitel'ne~ to .~'o bu:;in~s~ wlth SSA:· 
94 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.064

Appilcatlon InformatlOn Report 

Tr~ik~ \I~~iOU5 !;Dtitt o::ase~ again5-t SSA." This)mrotves IO<Jding lJot~ntiaJ 

CID~5 members"arid a"5sodated information; tracking. the notice dl1;t~'s'and 

riEl5pame~; upda-ting ~{j-dr€.ss.es and decisions, issuing and traddng alertsjfold~·r,~r.otettl~~.t;l~er.ing anO.,cOlfrt ~~se mOI1.rt{lrif'i~: 

iProvides. a NatiO:l1ai Archives ana Records AdminIstration 

OESAE I (NAlt:A) cornf)h~mt arcrutedlJre fo~ mana.g!h~ S.SA's claims fill<.' reoCQrds 

f--~--;--~~--:-·~-~~~--~··'--·~'·---'---~+~~i-p7~\I:;;th~;t;i; s1;!;;;lt'~hthe tFRM~datab~~~ f~ ;-c~~;;:;;--~--

i

SSN or a the dl!:l'lt5 own S5N anclulsp-Iay a VieW of the c!aims file folder 

"Hid the. assotlided artifacts In the DOE;ument Managl:'m-ent Ar&::hltect(.lre 

1{IDlb~ Paperless, Medicare Pr-l:'!!>crlptlon brug Subsidy] and the- Online 

ODS 

Reh"\ia,,~ystehl (a~~ln;a~I~ .. n:N\nd !1o~.:!t.~~rt~ ~dd!tI!)ri to: t.h.~ PCAtS .m~ 

SSlCS fol-der lo-catiol'i5, 

!

'f'\f.! appHcatiQl'1 lnt(lrfai:~ utlfitv wrftten in (/C++ whiCh wacs . 

. . d.". has 5.'.,g.n been·e}Ctended •.. e~. ·.10. p.e. rf.·~T .. ", ... to ".'·HLLA.· other PI applicatkms f~ .. nCt.i,~~'~ .. fo.·r'~h (P3perless'&'CPW), ... ~"C'~IP a .. p.pi.i<. ~~ioti. which It .• &~se.: als:oneed.a(:ces~ to'mainframe resources'from a client/server" 

IThe'dleM server v~~$jon ofthe.eforins ap~Ii-c~tlCtn is'OJ stai'od 

tlion~ applfcation;The, forms In'this v:ersion:wcre d~srgraed using 

·~~f~FI.o<~.·Th~:,~·el~~r~ru~ fo;ms :.ne ~~~~ by.t~~:d,i~abi'IitY p~~~~~~.:' 

i-"-'-~~c~~~C-~--"i-"-'-----:'~-+,~~,·i:;ThC:-i5~,y~s-tC:-£m--:-is ~"s'-.d'-to~m~o""C"i;;-to--C:r tju'·Combined fedeia! 

Ca~p:algn. E~pIOy~e t()"U~i~uti~~~ are tl,)t~!~d ~~ (~n1pone~'t ~ff1(E:$' 

"rhere are sl':'!>Jeral :reports'thcit provh:!e informatfO'n.fo,r the CF:C project' 

Pt;Qyi~es' M~nag-er'n~nt l(1k1rmation (Mil l:i .. rn:p-ort~r\lg variolls measur-es.:~n 

(o~p,assio~at~ Al!owam:::~j!:Al) al,d QU,ick Disability fietennii'1<ltion; 

(QOD),cases: via,weekly, static reports 

r~e tMMC ;Service 'is a ret:rle";:d~onl:i.ser!jke"'I; re~d~ves 

c.o·nfiguratlon informatton frol'ri the $OA DB2 ,clatab',3se ",i.lotit;;j· CMM 

s~rv:ic~, lhlO!,C:MiVlC5crvfce 1(Jtmats :the.;:on1ig'uration inforM.tltlo-n!n XML 

p~Oii'j4e,$ ~!RP,Mai'iagE'ment.lt1formation (MI} for pt?Nnti~1 

Enumeratio-rip SSl"am:llitle n fmud and Misu~e~ Ml 'co·lisists.of Reo:eipts', 

'P€!i'lding'and diil'f'i~l;in( .. r~ s~ntto OCBFM·,s,\1cl,o.p$I'."tkms for ~hv<esti,gaHoo. 

This project s'up-ports th~ ticket to. Work progr.am; o~ssjS.is 

u~d~tihg't'he tWOSSMI Report;" for.the·~.e)(t r:ere.ase t~ !"(!:pf~ite th~,E!N ' 

with the:OUNS numbel'". 
95 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.065

Appilcatlon InfofmatlOn Report 

N'~~~~i:.'.2~~~·2~;;,~" ~:·:~:2"'\"'~ ',C '::~"-~~~·.~:;':;~:i~ ,. tJWllef ~~!~~lol1':lL2c..~~'::;~~~..i~j~:';·::: ' ~i:~.~~Zj~~L~2:2:L··:· 

C{liltent Object:Deiet!ol',l System: 

((jr'lotinuicig Dj$~l;Iijlty f.teview O!:ler'~tiona! 

pata Store 

Continu'ing DisabilitY. Review. WorldoGld 

:IVIaiu:lge:tnl!rlt Intormat!on 

, :The ~Qnt.mt:.Obfect·(;ielatioo Sy~temiCODS} is an 'application 

.. th~~ is t!(l$:ig_ned ~tJ pn:n;lid"e".tonteht d~I~~io~: fot [.ndlvi(.h,l~! -tfQ~i)mer'lt5 

stored in ~S!\ {;OJ1tent repositories 'such as IBM onVe_mand ami iSM 

CorH:el1t Man,ager f~.r-'1./OS:_ CODS wlll be .U-S~d for de-Ietint ·c!jlms feku:e~ 

info:rmatlol"Hrom .sSA repo5itories hl comply with Natronal Ard~ive5. arid 

Rel;Ofd~ A~mi.tif~~r~tIQ~ fNAR.~}ft-om ~be_:OMA~·6R.s. ~Qd paf.'!~t!es~ 

App!h:::attoiis. 

(D~_·OO$·p:r~li"ide~.data tieedetl.to :C(l~t~ol~ (:~+int and ~n.alyr~ 

a.Utit!e.·II;Ti.~ie·XVI arid i"!t~e xViiI (:j.fsabmtip.ost--e·~titfeJ!lent·wmJ;;loa:d·s; 

COR.WMI tracks. each pending CDR on the Dtf hom th.e poJnf 

OASSIS : that. ~t)s' r.eie.ascd to a pim:~eS:!ijng"C:Dmp(n)-r!~t {rOt' m.'lSI. DQB. or jl~q 

through the·iin:al completion of ~n DCF- pro'i:esslng events-,: irt(:ludjng:$~rrie. 

~~~-cc~~--~~~-__ ~~--"~--~-f'7"~·~al~~~-.-.-~~.--~.-· . . Thj~ sy~i:e!11'cre~t\ls fileS' c';'~t;;jI11ng ·ea.nli~gs; cQi1~r~ge •. bE·n-e~jt 

Continuous. Work HI!itorv S~mple 

ana d~mogr'dPf1k data for l%ofSSN holders .. The data.!s usied by OCAc.r 

-oE~AS i~ ~akltig:fi?cal j:iroje·Cliom. dod bV dR~S it1 prdl.dding statistita1 

. infQrmation:to.othel' gp~ert'lment ef1titie~.<l(l-d the .~u~!i~. 

OEf.::AS ~oderni;tation of legar.:\i"~VV~S:ivst~l'rl; Uses' PSi d.:(tabase 

------.-.. --~~~~~~--~~~~~~~~:~n~~~~~~~~~a!~:~~~~~-A~.P~J!~,-a<~n-m-m-o~n~w~m-p~on~.~",~u-s~~b-y~O~SE=S~~ 

tontrol & Tracking APi 

CSMlSC 

OSf$ 

OSfS 

OtEAS 

Inre'r!let appU.:ations t6 genetai"e contr61 fiilmbers tliat are 'as'Sbci~t~d to: web application submissions . 

. Tho:: Control &: Trdcking Web S~nti';:l2 is a redesign of the 

[lmi~o!·s. Jt:ackll1g APl. this tlf:!W 1l:'.:rvi.ce·is ti~ed bV bSE~ ~nternet 

applications. an.d ge:nerates;.cQnt~ol nL'!!nb-ets to yiss.ocl.ate·to suhmissions.:. 

i~!5 ser~i(:e tracks s'ubmi::osio!'l level 'retor"rls only. 

This,is. the C05~ Ari~lysis System for the Ag'!t'icy. Tills' is a mainf~amf! b~5ed 

'Ia~p'ki,itk>n th~t p.n)"itie$ fVII 'on ~drl1l~t?tr;;1th~~:~o~t$ aS~Qci<lt-ed.with -th:e: 

vat~ous SSA pr'9g.ram.s. ~.AS ~fqliides'lln1t cost data for t~e vartous·S.S.A 

wi:lrkloads: 

·This is·a mafn.frame appltciltlo'j1 that p:rovld~s wor!dciad count 

d~i,a, w.o·~·Ve~r d~ta ~\1d work sampie taf![es.ta the feed~t c~s' sy's.6~m 

rfr(ml·.\13riOU~ soi..ir~~ 'l.vst;~m"S {WMT;:rtMl, OEd, etc,) ... ' : .': 

OEEAS This .is -<!'Jntra:net appfit:ation ti!at rs a·t~f;!pfac·e.meni: of 

the:current feeder.CAS's :stem . 

. ORSf5 bein:pa)' O~ the M~FI: in th:e.fu't1ire: but y.rho are Mot.~1JtrenttV bei!1g':pat~;: 

.rhis·<Jpp!i{;a~make":I.:Q"'-'!ctkm·5;on: beha!~ ~fT2, When ~ 

tn5~~derp~yme?tl~ re~ognl~~d,·a.~~a.to 12· i~ n:a~e.to re~o~cll~ ~:~~ 

.I-::::::-:--f0:,v",e'""a'yrtient. ..... . . .. ~. .' .. .. . . App!iC8~Fo~ programs that rUIl: on prodtlctii:lrl: fW c~itei"iont:~·M!.S~ is i'i :mi5~·e!J:tI~.eQ~~.~,:e(3~.i~·nth~~ q(>ate~. p6~t f,leii'fQr 

(:5~OT~UNr flies for.the 19nO'ma'il:er; fil~:!.;"1-or CSMEiRSH-.arf-drc and spa. life. . ...... .. . 
96 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.066

AppllcatlOn InformatIon Report 

LU5tpmer ~enlii.:e- Ree~fd System 

P;1i1V NUMIDENT Updat-eORSIS 

-c.sRenw identifies' Cliises fm posi\mtitlemel'ii: process-Ing and i"n-forrriatrOf'l 

, !t:~lso Pt"c',j~~(:~$ bery:efi.da-r'\t5Qlint:l-" ma~.u~~ti~,)!'l.ev:en.ts, fii1d~i's: 

talnmerits; ful~ :and pa.nial MaR r€corlis and m~i!1te:n~mce and 

UfJd:<l'fus the NUMfDENT ma$t~r fil~::;. 

!ED~DEX comp~re-s. the old an~' new. Ma~ter' BenefiCiary'Records '(MBR) 

ati~r. th~ :dally (JPd~te;.Th~.$Y!i~enl idellt~fie:s cl"1i':i n:ges 1;:1 !\I!l3.R doata: !?r 

stat.: US.' '.reate.s~. serl.e5 .. ~!=.fi~e. 50 tho. t ... ~€f.I •. ct ..·t~e. , .. ~allg.·.e~ .. a. nd ~e~d.t.·he fi.l~s . to various agency cQl1ipon-ents a~d.tlther federal agel'ldes. Those include 

$'5~" OfficB ofthe'ActlJ8'ry,'V~, '(MS, ;md IRS. .. . I.· .....•........... : .. . DRSIS This bP~.ratio-n, [heck$,an~.validate5 ini~ial daims and 1?~ 

'@v:e"ts.ancl r~ ;;u'es:a recorid to u clate'tb~ MaR. 

OESA:E pr0'!lide; ~:on. malnfram-e' ac'cess to SSA's marnf~'il'm~ Mast~r: 

fifes 

ORSI5 

OEEAS A repository tor, Data txchangI?Jnf.ormatiol'1. 

OEEAS 
97 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.067

Appilcatlon lnfofmatlOn Report 

OEEAS 

'~~!~~ion~: ~~~~L~i:i~·· \ >. ~~LS~i::;~ :-, ~ ;' ~C.:~·2~.L:::2~:~iSL:i2 ~ 

DEVa IS a p;:;r<ll!'reter.drivill:n. b~\::.~h~. e~gi~e.f.or:ptoce-5sii1g ~SN 

l1(erific~tiO~ r~~u~ts~'lt rep'ac;;;~ ~h.~ ·eki~!tng:.E:~l.I~e.~atrol'! v~rif~~ati?n. 

I

SY.s::tem, ~~V.S~. D.E. V. ~ i~ iJ. '.W .. ~bS,.rh~. r.e/~~ ... V~ 2.:

p

DCS.fr.arilewQrk, D;:;VO . p .. n.c~.tt.on~:.:~~De.I.~~.aft.o:'!~ .. th~ .• jnte~ef.a(;.e:s with the VeriflcatiQ~ Al;CDUtlt· , . 

Mal1C!g~mef'lt.S'V5tem (\tAMS) to m~fiag-e the M ... ignment offu"ctional 

pr()(:e~'.i~s. DEV.O is ~~€ f~u~d.a.t!Oll f~r Imp:r?y€mer:tht'? both batch a~d 

I'~'l tim. ~.'ifit'tio" ,>no. dot, .• ".hang«. 

OEEAS r~be .!ivs-te~ proces.ses·r·~PO!!5 c:f d~ath.a~d .. s~.nd~·alert$; tG.t~e 

~~~-,,"- -'----'-c-'~,cc-"'c_c'-'--cc'--cc--c- --t--'--~- 11!~.kLaI\d d~atll~?~t~J;!i..~l:!!LII£!J.Q.~!jl!~~_' -"--~"-' '----"'-~-~-~~ .~oCeS$l?AC::U$. De<Jti1 Exti'a-ct ~ rhi"~ ~rtl~ran~ was wfi~t~n ~O"· . ".:: 

~cccc~--:~~'-'-----­

Death Match tc Payment Master. 

OASS15 .lp:O:i:es.!i i.,"comhig:v:JZ .reco'rd~ fni~ ~ke z~t~:N oP~~~tlon:a;';d f.nrmat th~~ ill~~ ::xtr~?t r~~?~d~ .~o- be used as ~~nd~r'5 fO~_i~P~~.!!lto the State 

. _' __ '" peath System, .' :" .. " ,_." ' ... ' . '. _ ~' _ 

OEE:A~' lhe SVs.tem matches dei.1t~ records Qtlthe,NUMIDENY.fi)e"to 

Any sv~te.m'that iDclur.ies the Debt M~~·.tgement':S;;:toee~~·l the 

!

,onverSi.on,pro<ossth"',r.a, t~~ t,ransaC'iO"S' m. main"n,an<,,~' f"o,s.vor'l 

:, debt:m~na~~m~nt fiI~s~ am~. the remi:ta~~eb~tch pr~"ess;." .. :. 

~~--:iTh';D~t;:ij;dOf&;;Orgar'l~;~-~50urce= 5t~;-;- fOOOj!!S) i;---"'";~ 

'ISSA.'·!>·clfi~~~r Ag~ti~y fePQ~i(Qry QrQffi~e.!hf~~·matiQ!1,.s~~~ ~$I¢~~t!~\l ;;;!~d 

. rph~n~ i'llf~~efSI ~or all S~A ~!fi~e$' 'DC9~~' ha.s Cl. ~~NA~.d tU'jto.~r: ~~~e of .all SSA empi.qyees, I·U.tfldr'Cds,af SSA svsterns, •. md members of the 

P~bli~ who·~=s.e $SA.'GOV 0;)11 the-Internet." . 

~-e(or.din of hearin sj~~~~cc-~",--~~~_~ 

DARES is aXoWFtI.sion·app.rr~atiol'l tnat :Jwvides MI on th~ 

various. initiatives that .are uncler way tCi"redu;;:e 1:he·heatings·backlog. It 

r~~C~~~E!s'an'~~~c'r~ ch1taba$~ j~ t~e ~~~~ ~tl.n' ~~iaii5 e·nYi~O~~ertt.))AAEf 

l~~~~~ ~n ~&ye:~~~lftyp~r~~r:~~n~-e ~~~agemeQt sy~t,~m.,.: .,.~ 

C!lenF'serVer .a·ppikation userlby the Disabiltty'Quality -!3tan-ehes to 

m<1f1a~e'th-e qW<Jlity ;7Is!;.l!r~nce reviews ~f ODS 'determ·ih~tlons. WOl"ks in 

cQ~jun~~i~n with 'in~'D~S~tldi~V Quality ~eyi~w (f?QR) (lppn.c~tiO~w'nich 

wm:e~.e~t~<ll!y rep-1m:-e·!t .. i;)C'lta iS~l(c;I1~!'!ed·wrth. t~€ E!eJ;'trOrik Folder 

~ht~iTace (EFJ) applk~tion ~$illg our Ql!alitY A$S·Llraric.~ Systi!rhsl¥less.ag? 

I.Router 1~f0~~ ~P,:~k~tj1:i~f:;ervjCe. 
98 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.068

Application Information Report 

F",,,,,,,,~~~"'-"-'-'-"·,"""'·.~'·'_~·~L'_'-'.'.'-"-~';';4=='-'~Qi~~io·n,~i~~~o·~:i:~~.·~;>.·l·~;i~~~C..:~Li~S~~~s~~i~ DD'~$ l;!)ttl'ads:iliitia1 ~1~ebil~tI,t/;!~i~~ ~~~ ~(n"lti~.jJl~·g~I'~;f;jh!jity I'e~i~w 

'. ' . ',. 

Di~abllh:v Op~'ratj(\nal. O~t.d Store'. "' GA5SIS 

T;~s,¥s da.ily fr~!1!. ~~~s~ arid week~y ~e~er":,inati~m pf:ot"e~~ed'j:?y ·OH".e\,. . 

\

"ODi Cln:d other "eoml??nents !ro~ f~rm5. SSA- ", .' 

. 8:31J~33/fr~2/S99 keyed bl{ th.e Wjl~es~Bt:frre Op.~~ati()ns. Cehtef. Tni~ data . 

.. I~ sa\i~tI jn.\IJ~e.krYfile·5 c~e~ted f~1' t~e·~~!~:C~.·Of Disa~m'l:'i;3hd ~nr. the: 

I

l\l!tegr-ated·WQrf.l ~i:'Ill~~~~eht'SY~.~~nI. (I~~Sj.'· iJsl:!g f~r O(st.ri;::t OUi~~ .. " 

~ljrk!Q~tlJD~.WRj Co~nts •. The OOWR cou.nts ar~:rrow mu~n e~p!o-ve-esproduc.s: DO,¥,?R ~eMure.s.the- ~umb~r·i:;.fvario·~,. tYl?e~ ,?f acti~!l':;; th~t are 

crimpl.~t.etLDOWR counts ~te:,'del'ive-q from iriput.t().the.· 

sy~tem. V~lu~e c(lun!s.oi 's~@dnc w'~rk!CiadS:. ~lea.r~d .. " 

-,.,' : ." ." : ,",' . 

: O~OOS: 17(~,..id~~·di~a~i!itY 'mi'l,n~gemel'J~'f!lfQrm~1;!Ql"'(~Qt 

: 'regfOili31 ~ff~ce,DlsabUitIJ: arrd.Ml st:a:ffs;"C~i1fr~l Offic~\-Dfs~o.mty and' ::. 

'IBUdget s~ffsr and stat€!- DOS!>. The. j:}urp?s~,.6f the.' .. . ," 

DIsability OP¢ratii:ma! D~i:.a Sto~e tDlOOS) is -to'pf"9wile a·si.ogle.'·· . 

~ourC@.·of dl~aJ;fmtv mari~gl!ment infurniatfon.(M!). ·To this end, a DBi.. . 

relatj-on~l d .. t@ba:;~·~Hj ii-alls~di$:~bility: data organizetfindetail and 

, :I~um.m,~~v lev~:.~abies. pr~,~~te.~SA,?~ ~~~ ,~U:l~:t~P.~~s... . : : . :, 

f--'--c--~~---'-~---·-"----'~---c-~-4~-c'--f~D"-'"I-,-,~or-'-Q~·"-:"!(:C'k -~jC'S~·bi~YOet~~fT1i·flat!o~(QO~~p·p.llcatiort ytfrftt;;~---: 

IBM"Thl,~ app-licat[ori.wiil r,?"pi;lce tfle original;sing!o<: z:,'ore, QD'D 

Cl~~!lcation_ Ca.lle-cl when'.il'lJtial adjlJdiCaflve ·~i~.Clbi!~t.Y C<'ises a~e:'. 

tr.a!"'lsfe~~~d tQ th.e::DDS f~r ,<f medi~al ~eten'niriatioiiJ' t~e:nelN~ a-PRlttdtiQn . 

. 'wil!. produce :tWQ.\f~i~~$~:ea<h betwee-n Il:and ~: Tbe'fifst vaj~-e wi·I.1 

e')(pr$is the t"onfiilel"l:ce that <l,'f;Oi\far<!lbte '&~tei"ftjfl~th)tl will' be mll,de 

(I'ino~n 'J~,SSAl-'SSA A!!o~~~e}. Tlie-~e'cond '{k~Q~n :as $S~T~' SSA ". 

'p~o'teS"~jn'g 'fjm~1 wl!1 ~x-p.r:ei;~ the-'cl?t'lfidej,-c(!:ihat' th~.~(;!'termi~Oltio~ 'can be: ~eache!=l ~ur~klv.:· 

, Pj~<l~i!i~y, R·a):I.r(Jad, Alien,.~mt~ry. Ser'v,(:e Oper:i!jtion (DRAMS) is ~ 

repos~t.6ry:ftfr certain ·infGfmati.o-tu:;oHeJ;"t~~ a~-d .us-eri·du~"1-ng:,the d~'!!ms. 

~iiki.ng p~oce~~; The re:p'C!5itory :was.d·~·vejoj:)ed t? 5e~~ mjJltipj~ ~iJql~se~. 

lhe':!i1iti-a1 title ItCI .. ims ProceS:5 ele~trotlically.ac:~eises·the bRA.~S.file to-' 

'etfs~re th.~t·paY~ent5. are prnp~rl.Y ma~~7 ~aliing int.;) c(ftiside:rat·f.oI'1. 

1N~):t~~:r t~e individual is'entitled'to ·a. RR annuity, wh.e~h{!I'·:the military .. 

s~f\lit!:!·w~:s. pr"o'pedy credited, a-nd wheth~i" the:claimal'3t hers b~et1 

Sd·fo-pmted. '" ".. , I . 
99 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.069

Appilcatlon InfofmatlOn Report 

F""""':"~~-''''''-':'",:''C:-''':''-=~'::''~'''''c-:;::'-tIJ",' w",;''''''~"'t>,,~ ~ Q.!$~h~n;,~·~~~~,ji~~·' {},,',",L:;~~ ;,:·;:·>·~~.:~':~.L2~~~LLiL: . . ,1~ls, ~)ist.em t~~t~S tM Tl .. ~ttro-Mbii:'!,.tnJt~~Jt l'e~\.I~~s ~f'I ¢~~i':~rMIc ... 

~,Qc~mfi;'nt fo~ frt?m PC~C!;'~Q PSt lo!:a~ r:~Q:gr;;lmmi'ng a.l1d bac.!.::.'Thti" 

svste-m identities. any missing ~'r'in",alid' ~o~!.!mel1ts by file per r!lndat~" 

On(;~ all a.diol1~ a:r~ :~ccou!!ted .fofr tI~e OtltP~t, ~$ ~ent. til t~e: ~ap.erle~s 

~'lfst:emo 

!1~~5 is' an,~ ter,0rt t~~~ pr~~kl,es da~ "?ri !i~{d !!nke ". " . ': 

1..,'V'Ork.~O;:Jd~ ft.is ~ s~b~y~~~~ ~f lW~~.alJd ~~~,.be~/1. r,e~l~~~d·b~.~h.e 

WMTJDOWR.5ta~-daFd report that IS a\l~jja~le.'Jia Ml Central~ . 

A!'l ,Erit€·r.~ri5~ CO~'\I-er5t~n ~ngine lJ$ingW~b S~~1cES/API.~s an 

f--::::_~~"C-_~,"~~~'~_~:"';~~c-,-+~-",~i",H",t."","",,,,.-,,fO,,,i""=li.(:atiOr'!$_ ' .. 

Ttll$ pr-Qje(;Ni~pp(J,ft$ihe f;:~eatfQ~ ~f !6r~~.~fl¢l tro~ke~fc:r .. ,~-~ 

ODAR ope.ration","1 comporie"nts.-al: the H~aring~ level, Appeals COlHU:fl. 

Court,' Msdicar.e p"artoO; :tirl~t.ongr~5~lon3i Jntert75t (tPA~)~ IJGS is".ll ~Ueflt 

~~~v~r applica~ij,oi1~yis,:(al ~si:t: t"qn~.ppl.k~tJcins {YSAl in: MS.VVcird : 

fro~t~nd ?nd a C1CS/DBa ba<::ke~d .. " .::.: :". ". 

DIMS Phasi! One"is a repositot.,. for agellcys' Au"foCAO 

dr~witlg:;:. D~~S- P~a~~ Ty"to, IS ~ ~!s. ~~,t-e'rptis~:$OI!1tlt;'JJl to ~'e l,Js;e~ fo~.· 

~n.aly·zi~g. plim"n"ing..al1d ~edsi!Jn-m1Hdng !.?~ 'rie'c:urj~ -<l.nd emerg"entv· 

. mana emeni:. ~~~~~ 

Oual Entitlement Malntentmte"Syster:n - t!'i~ p,urpos-e-"of OtMS is to ~!'1stl~e 

th~t.thEJ- M~~tet Sel'1~fl{:'i~tV R:~~of~$.fo··~·d\.~Uv~ l;!1titl~d·l:teri~f·id~r1.e!.'.~re 

1J'roperly upd;;!te'd on a Po.s.t- e:ntiti.er:ne.l1t.b.asis. -or as 8 r~~ult of "an inith3! 

award pr.ocess~d via MAbCAP WEth ,prOpel'" OE:Uat~:toded. PfjO'~ tl'fttie'! 

05/:W68.relea:~ie DEMS ~:a:5 t~d ree'ortls b~'sed on ilIh' MBR updated'IiV 

'I'T. 2 .. s~n~~:t·he ~5i~o03 rele~s~ ~n~y MBRs upda\ed·bY·.MA6tA~. ,,: 

~~~.~the DEM5.p~~e~; .. :: ':., " .. .. .: .' 

I

TM Mi E:POX'( weeki'll (£BMI:POXYHob:provldes, et'repart . ': 

.". Whlt~:.'s e~Clile~:al.l~"!l·;~tka~·I~:Oc th~ •. E~6Xv Mi .. cust.O.0~I'!o~ ~~:~il.\S. " .. ' 

.. reiriel:lecfirorn the big EPOXY report for the Atmual Wage Rep-ort1ng; It's .. ' 

:lpW"Pose!s tc? dete'l:miJ'19:: th~t ~hO! cu~re-ri~ :CVd~ r(al~.ays c.neck·~d. .' 

, , 

Thi~ i~.·~ system Wh!c~ w.ljI tr~':k·:ma~.~ ~i.t:ferent man~gerr.l.e.~t jtd~~hl~tron 

.~"_""L~t.ri£~~~~:~~~~~:~~~_~~:~:'~u.~~~~~_:~_~~~~~~ 
100 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.070

Application lnfOfmatlon Report 

~.: =:'--'''"'"~-'-. ,",-.:_,.~,,,,.=.,,,-,._, • .,c':""_~"::-f°:::;w,,,,,",.,,,r,"",,,: ~ ~~:~:oa~~f.;~j~~~~~ii~~~~·~~i~ :~~~,~~~~~~~~~~~~~'iL 

rete.hf~~ from ag.ehcyj.c(j!1"i~~ny:!he.[a~nf~gs ~~v~r<!;ge ~ys~e~ prcl'v.ide-s· 

Earl'1ings'~o\1~r~ge'Systerr1 Individual earnings and co","erage tQ reque:.tors:.' Eam,rngs. Coverage: . 

'rieit~ef ~ajfrtalh~ ~o.~ 'upda~1'!,s .iUes/clat:a.~a.s~s. . . 

. . . .' 

~~~ning~.Da.t~ War~h·t;iU~i'!. E-"tr~tfs.da~a fr?I'l1',EMODS aild up~'afe~'Or<ide EDW, D'ata" 

u.~e~ to'c:~~~te M;:mag~me'nt Inf~In'atjo~'teports fot: ~W~.Submissio-n5-

. and·re'.atedhrhing:~;:data~:' ~~_._. _._. _. '_._. -"'~'~'~~---i 

. !~~itt~r~~ (:31 t'ime~:a: '1~ar'~~ de~ed: O'o/~r/U~d:er~~y·~mmts':. 

£I~M - ~arnln£~·~ri!~!!l.~~,!in M~I!..~~ __ ~._~' ___ ~ __________ ~_--': __ 

Store~ Artlill~1 Wa'g~ ,Rep!)'liing {AWR} d;it,rfot -stli>mission ~,g\lell'l~d . .' 

~~ . .I0V~.'.I~"!'!&.i~tO·~ ~'s~':uP,e~3~ion;ij cja~a·~to,r~. ~~n. erate~~·p':o.](:!e.'. Ma;;~gemetlt Iritormat!Qi'l·i(e~ort$ th~Qugi1 Cotdfl.i$~Qn. on'the ~l¥lrs,' '. 

w~bs1te. : ' ' .. : ". 

'. !Title Ii (;ditor/Batch Transaction Handler IJrO:(:ess:e.s all batc;h : .. 

. . ltm~.~~ct.l-on5 tha~.~9·~.·~ ,in~·~.h:~ r~ ~V.S,t~~: Ecl~t.ot S.·~H ~~ft~~~e P~rfcii\n:~: surface edits t~ -en'!i\'H"~ that U(e'dala -on the firl~i1r is :¥aJfd~·ge1~ the M!3~ '. 

;: : f?r:pro~~~S!l!g aga,i~st ~nd 'per~li')rm,s, MB~ r:el~t,iOl'1al.ecl~ts a& welL.. :.' 

(olie-ds Illfomrat[ol'rfor T1~le 2. Inm31 !\w<l~d.;, sub:s~q:u~nt a;l)Iiarasi or 

<'JrTItmded, ll~ards;'w,hich .!:~·n.n?t be: inp.tlt t~r~llgh:anY,8ut?mat~~ syst,,:m .. 

~~_~-,:-+-o,"S'S ..•.. f,(,nfO',""'M"'""libIO'O MACA~E!Ob.~rO'.<,"d In thope, .' 

. !The ~its:t..wtl.b v~~iol1 o~~h~,.er9~~~ 3l?p!ic;3tiOl"l ti~~~e~m. ..': 

integ:.at£!~ with ~ari.O"' .. dlsa:b.m.ty.sv:~€!·ms !~dtJ~ingv ~D~S. Ley" ..• v~r~a; : 

~n~·O!~A~S. rhe.f~r:ns in ~nis v~rsioh,-<lre"r:e'<i~ed'!n Adu.~~ ~~r~ O.e~igner 

,.0. . '. :'. .' ,. ... ' .. " 10 Prt?ofit:'g. an~ff1:.~i:netltl.~atk.l~ s:vs~..em fo~SsA ~ri11:f1e. 

a' '~icatiof'iS 

h::!-ectrol"llc -AutnoflI'atio"l(l:projeet lnvolves the--eIiI1'l!!"l~tfo;i: of.. a 

w-et s!gnat:ure.(J~'tli~ SSA~S27 and r~pl.H:;'lng it with a~'-eI:e~trQ'nl~ Sig~'dtu're 
101 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.071

Appi1catlon lnformatlon Report 

Electronic.Disability Collection :System'(l~rorit 

EnCl:and {](S M;i'i!i"fi'fdm~ !nt~r:f~(:e) 

~ ~!~~f~n"'~~~~~~lid:::':S::': '~:.L~;~~ ;< ": ,':~:2·:~':~_L::i:~:~~:dt~~'iZ' , ,This wil!·be ?:web-baslifd <il'ipficatio-n u~ed·by deo:.:islon m'aker~ 

(Acln1illfs~.at:ive' l~~ ~i.!dge~ afl.d 5eiliQr"fl.t.totney ;:rdjLfdkiilt-or?P.!'i th-e 

Hea"ring offites"to,a!d in.·docy~entingi ~n-alyzing> 2nd adjurlil:::",;If:!i'1g.the, 

d!sabW~v Cilse in accordance with SSA.re;gul~ticns .. lt wm Improve" 

~~Ctlf<;H~'lMd cQ,lisi!).terlcy of the, dH<ll;iilitY,dl,'!cis/¢"f.'i pmt':~:>s, alit! it shO\.!I~· 

,make the 'd~tisio.n m"aker s review of t~€- e-file ~nd i~:str~c~10l'15 t~ t~e 

~:: '.I~e:.;,v7~O.;.: t:.~~~·:. ~~·.a~n~d .. ~:: .. fd.f.:.!.:. n.t~:;~.:;:;;~.d.r: .. ~.:~~.: ~.~g~:.~.i.~:, ~,~ iNcomplete do'Cui'l1EOl'!tatlon. ' Decision maker!; will lise eBB to input. 

: l~e'~rin-g .. < ..a!~~.O. ~te: s •. a.". '.IY5~~' 'a~j~!,dicativ~ :da:a~ .• n. d.'. !n~.tr.u.,.:ti:o.rl~ fO. It. ~ Dedslan Writers, Information 'entered will bl! sav@d:a; data ~fla wiU be 

vi~w3blC! by ODAl{, tJecisiotl£l!l notkes wUl.hegenerate4l based on data in 

lesS:, CPM~.an:~LsoR.,' .. :.' 

ThE:! Electi'o~ic Clalms "Analysis: T901{e~Tl. h",:r~ed t~ {Jowmen-t .(:as!,!' 

development .and th~'DI$"'bmtv Detennlnatfon S,ervi~es (DDS, ~ri.i'!lV!tis o{ 

a:disability claim through the -entire sequ.t!l'1!ti<l1 e-vatu<1tilJll pro-ce-ss; 

l

v(lc3tional i."': .. l"d .. · ... j~, g.th ...•sp£lciali§t. " .... a~'~.)Y~i~~ ¢(:AT .. f th.e .... MI ~x.~:~,~.". will l:t-e er,.~.h.e.,.~ed!til ct'eat£ld 00 niOflltoNltH:i .. I .. CO.rJ.·.~UI~ .•... I1't.~ track .' .•. n. d,th~ the 

prog!"ess2n·rtus~geofeCAT.· " ~, ,,: .; .' 

ProVid~.s managem~nf iilf.:lrmiltion on tfte di~abil!tv prograM. 

Ellcompa!i5:e-s t.heseappUcatioris: CA.L/QDP rCompassionate'Alrowance! 

Q\Ji(;!l: iJi,.,abtlity cletoermin:ati;oli)' PI't'ivldl';'ls M! to ... tak(;'!halde~~' (:In' a , 

weeldV~ monthly .il'ld -fl$cal year in:'ord~r to assess the effer;ti\fel1es~ of the 

I~A:n:;::! :~:~:::~~n;CATMI(~r.ct'?ni<Ca'OAnaIYSrSTO~" 

The EI.ectfQni~ Ofsab-mty Coiled System (EDCSP!> thil 'gatew"iy 

~o,tl'lQ EI~cti'6.nk F61~e-r (-Efl'i:btS fler~ft!1 aCI:~;s,to1:!,I~ttr(Jt'l!c:yer~I0!1-; M 

the' mat:'y (:ore'd}sability fo~ms. T~e 'EF' begins with the, ~os a~ th-eY.cGlie~~ 

all diia~ility "nod medical source infQrmatroTI. 

r----.-~~'--,~~---"-"-.'-~.-~~~-i~~ "lrhiS ~;Qj~ct Ch~CkS'S~~p!lng d'~t~'fr~~ NbQS~ 'i~~5'~~'~'n~ 

ons al!ows com~!'1-e.nts. ~fr dlff~r-ent.p!.atfoi'ms·~a'~r:'terf~(:~ ":lith. the ~I~~tr,o~te 

folder. ' '\' , , '" , 

l'The' ef01A'appiicatioh provides an automate-d means for the Office of 

PObfk'Discfostlre. hi the,Office altne' G~~~rafCD'uns~! ~~d Dl\11~liJli of 

E~h:'lrngs OlJet~t10riS' in th~ Office a=f f~rl'1ings.Opj::';atidi1~·tb. pro'tt;lss'<:!!ld 

.. track ~r~e'dQ~,of fl1!ot~ation Act.~e-qu~.S15.<Th~ e~O!.A,.lrlter~et 

OSES appn~.ation allows for memb-ers of the pUblk to 5ubmlHh'eir request 

onlin'a an.;:! hav~ those: re-quE:(st~ stlbmitt~.d to the ~'fOIA 'Irittam:~t 

;;ipplitatiol1 ,~ol',pr.Qcl!'sdng_ , 
102 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.072

AppllcatlOn InformatIon Report 

-Hectrorcfe Fre.eifuhi Cif !rlformatfon"Act 

svsflim 

The'~F'bIA appJidii.o~ ptm/.ide~'al'l ,aut~mated rnean~ fOfU;e" OPo. (Offic'ce 

~f FirIV;;l:(:Y ~~~ ~!~d?$~~~: itrt~e offic~ ·o~.~h~ G"errer~1 :c~~fi~~t) ~lld'i?~R.O 

.. (mlf!sro~ ?(~afnh"~s.Cperatiot1s i~'.the. O~c:e of Earnings O~er:atio~,")' to 

p,ri:icess .:l,frd t\"~ckreql;!-est:s'fr!::lm the pu~jic.th<'lt~re g'pvE),rf1ed. b¥.~t1e 

~ERE)Yi?\1 ini.tiative'bySutia:1 Securlty 

Uete:mi,,~'tioo S~i~€!5'JDDst:~l'tcl6ff!.ce 

. . ) ttf!?~er elec"tronic optlon'~ ,: 

f~r disability d~ims_ The I;R:E MI Vo!ui'ne": 

rtirig SVs:t€ri1 'Collects dat:a:,:md st~ti:5tics.·o.n the items 'pr6cesse-d at 

ttE wehslte a~d'~~ e~cn fron{~~d: Cap~ur~'Syst~m (~ECS) ~e'rvei's 

. . ... 

_.~,~o __ . ____ ·":"""""'_"_~ ___ ":"":' __ ~, __ .....-::...:"" _____ . .....::.~ __ _'____.. __ _ 

ERE Web Se~\lice~ 1-$ a.i~~ui-e el$dremil".'·se-ruftl!!:del1very '. 

!ch'a;'r!el.;';ovld~d by'SSA to'fi)~Wt~t~ ltig~'vof~rrie.5ub~t"SiOl'ls of el-edronh::·evi-cl"enc:e .. ' ... . . 

. ,The EI-e-ctrol1ic Re\:'o~ds Expres.s Web site. altDws. evidimJ:e to-lie collected 

e~·~~tr~~iCaUY. a.~~ ~!':e'part'!~ :t~r ~~aMmi~IQ.n,.~·th~ e~i:!:ctr~n~'1: Di5~1?ifity 

"I(~Di~J ~y$t~~. Medical ~foy~de~~:ad\l?fa~e~,'scho~is-, .al'ld·~ther.·so~r(;e5 

. !h.ave t~~ abilit'{to submit e\:!~dence I"H~ed.ed·forthe. pl:;sblUty , ." 

. Oet~r:mi~ation.s~.rv~c~s: (DDS) ar:r.d the' Offi~e (ff ~isa~~ljty ~djlJ~icatiDh 

ai'l-d R<'!';Pjew (OllAR} to adjudiCate. tl<llms arid tOl1dlJct"heari~gs in 

an €f~dent and·exp-editioltS.f.ashion •. The ~eb!iite·~ds~ ~Hbws f'.p~oint~d 

~t:!p~ t~.vj~w ~rlod '~~f1~Q<W:~I:t~ dowm.etits i~ th~k thli~;;lht~~ e!~i;:tf~l1k 

..... :.: dr5~bjl.ity ff.!!d~'r5 (eFolder..)· . 

pf1cat~ons. Mtkes',to p<1y-eeSi'ch~nges to pav~e'ilif~~'mllttOn, a~d pa.Ye:e infl>rinatkni. "The first' ~d·l.!le releasM.i;'RePf-es·~ntiJtive. Pav¥e' . , >JJ~k'h .~rntk;; the,prO:~e~'S of mi:5~5t'l aneg:ati~~s~ . 

. an.aIJtomateci.data ex:change b-etwei!n s.s~ and.a s,tate yital . 

s ag.encv fn~ t~~ purpo~e 'o~ pro.viding a'ut,~~rh:~d. 5.SA ~m.ptm/~es 
103 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.073

Application lnformation Report 

tl~~tronk Work Reporting System 

Em loVee.Codin" -Files 

Thi"!> ~:ppl!cation c~li~dS w-ork r01?0rts for ~is:ah!e~ fedpie~t~ 

ODS 

11?r the p:..irpo~.e. o'-d~c::liment~ng and ~:mj~essing returl'!.to ~o~k ac.Uans. 

T~i:S i?e~~'n a~'a i:·o.~iab.d~~tirm~ffQrtwlt~·?AS~.~OW~1F~t; e~~et.t.ive wit~ th7 

!J.~gh:ming onY09 it betarne·s SV~lem$ proj<'!ct. '. . .. " 

'oEtAS ,", The E'm!ill.E£ie"Se-Nic;€ val"idafes:SSA email"addri!s.si!"s 

OEg-AS Provides -EINs NA1CS cod€s and em 10 er information; 

E"mplo ee Ej(pr~5s '5ys~~_: ":_. _~~~-"-',+,D",C2H"~+-,-

Sys.te'[U ttlai Re'~ei\fes and 'P.r'9-ceSS-El)S Empl:oye:e SuggfSticms; 

Employei' Cus:tom~r Help and jnformatlon. 

l?rograrn 

Employer Report Trust 'Fum:! 

Employer: Repo"rts Vi~w to Employer R.eport 

HiS.t0!"V ~lle Oowt'lmad 

bEEA5 !·ntr~\I:~tSe:r'Ve!.·i51~l,:?ted·l)1 Nte· ·$Uf:l.S~t~RI$ - S(.;gg~~t!Qj'js -i'Ir~ stored 

in Orade- datab~s:e 

O!§:.~~~ E.mp19~'Le!~£~~.J~!'o~es$~~rn.e.~~!{~A~_~~~~~:..~':":~~~ ... 

DEUS I

PrOi:::eS!-l W3,levet earnings using 'thE? "ErN!ls thE! key_ HQus-e~.a 

~zstt;f,fX ~'I~ :hat is,~s.,~d'f~;: the Eatrl,i,t1gs Re!J~,~t .. ~oery. {ERq~): ~~fe~~"~~,a number of Jobs that up datI:!- the employer databases, Oil'! a tiaily baS-IS with 

!~.a~~'r,e'cei:~ed,~rom AWR 's'rrd v~rious ~~rrec:ion syst~ms, 

The Employer, Cus-tomer H€lp and'information Proefram (EFt- CHtP) ~s:a 

s:a,~~an:~ a~~lkat!im'th:at assists the,Division of Busjn~ss ~er~ke'$ {DBS) 

l.:mph'y~-r R~porthigT~cl-lnjci~n$I~RTs. with'ri!sponi':lil'lg t(J t!Oliepl'iori-e" 

hiqairle,s"frpM1 the _n;:;tion's employers a~d!or thefi representatives. The 

OASSIS !nti-.a:net""l;I:ased de~jsioli 5Uj:J~Drt appikiltfim provldes-fingertiP- do;:r.:e-SS to 

Sotla! 5~curw{Aclministr<ltron {SS"A) records, f;acts; polh::les,.-proteau!e'S, 

and rerere'f1ce. 

OEEAS 

T~~ ,data~a~e: houses ~mploV'e,r !1at:ne~'an~ addr,e:sses. ;is~ed bV 

EIN. 

iRECON'I,s the system that"t:ompares :FICA \V<ilg-es; lipsrahd Medicare 

mo.nev }:lfO(~~se~lby SSA's Anl1u~l Wage- Rep-Ortlng iAWR} svstem'agakl:st 

im1!n~v,p,riJC25S~~,~y r~$' 

I

REC,?N',Ml prodlJ(:~s :27 r,~'port,s ,t~,9t ,ta~t~re' cum,ulati~e" ' ',' 

'!16netarY data,when comj:lariJig total wages between SSA iilod 

!"'5. 

Thls'jo::lb fs nUl quart:erly'and (;;ombincs. employer ~eports '!i\':!ht 

~~el<lv: aru( ~utttt~~I'~'from ~R~. 'Thts.'~omblned ,file,iS ~$~d ,by th~ ER941T 

~n~ ~Jl~41DfR'~"cl=,tw{l R~CON j~bs \RNSUM"R3~ ~n~ RNSV~:R:40)" 

ilOMS 'databas-~ o.f Employ,er, Re~ort5. for.the, mQ-5t rec~nt 4-

ve:ars', AI'\" ari~uaf:r:ut'; tomigratei'9'ff.a v~ar .onto the,.ERHF,'ti~e Emp!.oyer 

neport'tHstory 'Flloi/i!l':DBl dat.al:i!<r~~: of ~Il, e:1irll-ar ve;1lr~. 

11i~ purpose of HnSA5ys~e:m,ls to'produce,:a},otic:e' wHich 

filflJi"ms retirees Of:thelt p=os-sjbfe eligibllitv for p'~nsihns LUlder a- Firivate 

$tan:~"pp!lc:atlol1 code a~ it IS rele.as€ct ahd lo~d m~tadati1 

~jj-O-~t th~ -t(lol,:l~ ~Ut:.f't ~~ dat~,ba$~ <I(-c:es$., .(:~ilil ~tE;' L)::<lag~ into the 

Efiter ri::~ Metad~t:ir ,Re -QsitQ 
104 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.074

Appilcatlon InformatlOn Report 

. . : ~ '. . . ::, . : . ,.: . . ~ . 

. . 

. . . . : . . ~ . . . . : . ' 

: . . . 

'. '. 

E~for{;~~~mt ~ 5:S1 E.~T~ing.~. ~R'5 ·&,':OtSE. Enfo~~·e. 

~ Q!~~IDri<l~~ ... ~~:2-i:~·, ~ ::' '·";;'~~~·~~i::.'.i::~_.,;,5]~~L~,:.'~L· 

, :The En~~rp:rise Metada~a. ~epo"j~Qi'y.fnirru:!wor~ provide:; i~f~i3stpJ5':fure. 

for "ret!:'19ving data to lo~~ a~d: ~1}~t~,?lIing tl1e"!oad process. "The &:roCe!sses 

. to read.svstems'suc"ll. as. macl.e t~ta.lDgs· wifl be sth.eduled a~d-r!ln based 

.cin a.~a.n,tr~j da-t'i1~a$e, Th~· d~t:t'l will t,llen b.e. returr;ethl'lcl t~I';·r"ramework . 

". ". will.contr~1 the loa~i:n,g: o"fthe Muta"?ata into the EMR. 

:T~e:E~~erpTis~" M:etad~ta- ~ep~si~ory st:or~$ 'I!!~t;:jdat:a abO~t.·th(l· .".' . 

. ". e.nterpris~s applic<1tioc~s.a~d datab:as:~s. r~e metad:a,~a ,,"eposttot}l. pr.6Vides 

:: ~O~io;:;;lf·a·nd phy·sjcal il1fortna.ti~n a~~'ot ssA·~~tabases. It also i1:o .... id.e::: . 

:rh~ [SEbM/tsENDO~ q:ajm~'$vstems ~m1 J,)~ Mo!'tir()pe:.r8ij~n ?r.o~ide5'. 

SUf'lplement~·ry l~'Tab!eS:t'g t~e office '~f the A~t.u~ry v.:i~h ~ables of: 

ifctl,J~t:i<'1! '<'10& $t~t($~i~~1'9i;!.t.a for tJr~p~t~ti:O"1i Q~ the ~n!ll,l.ar r~po~ttl::! 

-~~~~~~ 

RefDrn:f~t:ear),ing.s.di~~·frorry. ~he Mas;ter"t;:ar~.ing·s fit.e·{!l{IEF} j~t? 551 PE 

transactions. tt processes'transaction's that w~r~ formatte'cl' in the-'SS't!IRS 

i~terfi;1ce >1Jbs-y~en) ~nd q.~SE,·~ag;e/un~rn·pl~Yhient tr~n'sa';:~i';riS t~'"~' 

were'f~m'rrirt~~d'in t'~'~'D~SE: ~ag~f~nenip~oyme~t:'.' ',qffie~ of (hifd 

". SU~p!0rt:and Enfo.r,cem;ent Qy~rterly Wag.es a:nd Url~mploVn:tel1t Dati', 

fn'terfar:e."ThJs m,atl':l1 (Wage Matci'qIC/WMI) o:c,cu'rS; sbftln"U~~ 

a 'ye'-ar ~Ja~llary, M'~rch~ Miff': June" Sept" ,'inti Oe-c, :Ol,lring th~s.e tnO!1th~ 

'OASSIS oc~~){wage-, unemployment, lltS'109'9,:1fis ~efl5ion; ' . 

. "and M.EF d~f:<l.ar.e·J.lfO~ess~d:On'~ tms-'Clat~.I~ Pt~es"ed)·.diBrie!'i ar¢: 

posted to·the: 55ft.' they -elre'aS foll(j~:;~ IItS ~EN5tON. (SH) M~~ ~KG'AND 

K710tSE WAGEfSi) OCSE UNEMPLOYMENT [US) IRS Hi99 (58 pos,mIN: REb.mRMINATION RUN) .. . . . . .. 

'preml~m p:a'yable'it'in~reased'ifthe'indlvfd~a! e'nroll's !~~e, T~e ti:r·, '" 

pre~tuin IS ~asei::l"o,n th~ ~s'l:imat:e~ ,co.$ts tha~ apply tl? .bE!~·II!fh::!.ari~5:, age 

. ~'. 55 or,-ovE'r'dur~ng tl-u:!'caleildar year fo~:\!iIhich .th€ premfum-l~ effe-i:t~ve'. 

th~.EEJu:rlctiQn -e'l=i.al~iated he-nefitj~p{d<!!ta th.~~~erl!l'inli!- benefit" 

etit!tl~mem S,t<itU5 ~,mcl identtfy):rf:!l"li!fit-c.ofl\iersion wnditiorls .. H 

'prd~~~si~g ~s :~;)~th.bv.mo:nth~· B~Cb\t 6,~;f~~~tion. ~v f~~{;ti~~ and is 

·e:n~!l"el'(d8t.a driver!. 

'IThe'SY~-temi:allects SSN applj'atfon·d"<.3i:a, : , '.' '.' 

~,rhe system dete~mi~es- if n.a"mes and Sodal S~M'tVN~~received o.n 

-ofEAS I,thoa inplit",m"'tr.:h the:·infor~·i:rtib~:Oti:·SSA.fii~:;, u~ual!Y the. N~M!~ENT . 

. 0':;:.-1.· _., ',t·arealiv~ordeceased.: ~f~~~;;1i~~~~~:::~~:;::;:r:~::-:::~:::~~~::: . . 
105 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.075

ApplIcation lnformatlOn Report 

E-Verff 

in:Yl1lrifylng the id~ntiiY·and. emplovmeMt eligibility of 

ew!\! nlr:ed eml>loyee'5-, £-Verify is.:6p!!rattid ionc(mai:ntaine.a by both the 

e-p-ar1m~n~.of l-lomt!!:and Securlty (DHS) -and S-SA" . 

hiS: appUcatfon disl?lay~ In-format.).o-ri f~On1 Eties: a!1[1 i~·th:e 

r---"--'~-----~~----'~·--~~~ __ ---+I~~~~~~·~~:~~;~~~~~;~~~~'.:~~~~~~e~~~g~i~n!~~~fa-,.~w~·;~th-W~O~'k-S!-.~tia-"~A~T--~--1 

OTSO 

OTSO, 

OSES 

EWR " Cont.ict SSA OSES 

fd(lVi~~~ t~~t·:~·re.~~~~g~.at~d wtinll'l th~ ~ierd .Offj~1'l t.~!.€P!t;rlY:.S~rvlc:£l5_ 

~~~!;:Eyv~ sUlte.api:·i!iC~Hori alki\N~ thCt5e .5ubmiiters:l:n 

ern!lloyer:s ~hl?ha.lle re<t~ived refiubmi5s1Qrr 11~·tlcils t~' come into 

aSO/Ew:R to .atkrl~wle:'d e ohhose n~tices~ , 

t~ii tWR $u·!t~·i;jj;tpHtMion aUQw~ ~!N'~hd" PWhQld;;!r::; ""Ii¢: are 

rU~tlrs.tif. $50 t~.;;en~~~~ -e~'aa to.~~eir. r~g~on"l ESL6s.~ith q~·~~t.iD~S·~~ 

lc'-~~'-C-C~'---C~-~~'---C~~"+~"c-- WR "~I,. appi;o.tionallow.r'N .nd PIN hol~.", 'egi,t.,~" (ij'.o·"g~ 

This:. [WR s·u·lte·3pplkatlol'l .:l!iows P!N~and PW horders who "dre emptoyer~ 

regl~ered ~hrougI1IRE.s to c·~Me fo,U,·e -S$O· ,fnd c:h·€-~k the status. of ~helt:' 

Y·Sl'!ell1.§ th·~ s~bmi~sj~rt st~tll:i.61 wn~h:a.liers ~ave 

!5ubh,i~ed, albng with -ad.:mi~n:al iht'ormation.Mis.ible ol1fV'li),!~-e· SSA 

~Th!s- £W~ ~ult~ a:pplic.atto~:~ilo~~ thq.se.l subynitten, O~ :. ,. ., , . 

cmp!ov'2'~~ who,nave ·re{;eived'i"~st:lbm~ssl:Ort rlot"kes toO come into' 

3S0/EWR tel" request s 15 "day:one-iime exte:n~!rin of the·dea·d"nl1~ that 

SSA: h~,S':~S~.ig·~ed ~'o t~e:r.e'&~:bmi'~:5l{in ~e~u.~st fct1~e. u~>;'ers t~ ~es ..•. ~.~'t~e file. . . . .. . .. ~ , . 

!ihl~ EWR ~u~.t'e ar:'pli.c.att~n ~Uo·~s ~egi.ste·red us~rs w~t~'PIN 

land pW·to ~i~w'.f:a~sl~~le~ .of-a~pet'l)l"l9. eRes.ubm~: .. ~"ior~ noti~.e!i.,~h.';3t ;hev '-:i~V h.av~ reteived on p·aper or e!~ct;,"tmi~a!ly: 

This. [WR suit~ applh:;.atio~.aI!QW's PIN ~~d. PW:~-ol.d,~r'S 

·1~e ..... g.iS, ,.ere.· d.'.t. ".'OU. g.h ... I~E:S. '.~~ ~.o.m .. ,'to.~~e:~. so ..•. a~d C.he.,". tho e ~.~3t~S Of. '.". eit . wage tepart submission$ arid ttl !>p~dfic:a!I\! view ~he em;}rs thath.av-e 

been found: in ·their wage rep-ort subMitted, 

~ __ !_."c~.:c· __ .. ,-,~c. ... _.-"-_.'~~ .. ,_~ ___ .:.~ __ -,-~ ___ "" .. ~ __ 
106 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.076

Appilcallon InformatlOn Report 

os,s C;\~S~oi-ner.s· Wlth:Q~t any. rnal1\!~l}l1t~rlienii(ln., 'P;,:l~t ~f th~ EWR, "S\ljt~ of : 

... ·service-s." 

Ir~iS .. ~~R s.u~te ~p·p.li~atioh.aJI~w5 ~fle.lJser.t~ ~hoo'se'~h~ ." : :", 

. OSES.. l$pe~lflc apf)hcatlor1 "tQ.w-ork w~th after ChOOSlllg the optlott" to 'fife w<!ites' .. 

. . . !.fr(jrri ih'~ !astlA.~S seril~!,\ .~fcire:Mteriflg~hi'l' EWRsu1te'ofs~'!'\IJc-e:~,' :" . : 

I-'-~-~---=~-~~~~-".~-,+----' -tlr=h7;S-:" ~:CW-::R'-: s'u~t~'~PP!ic'OltI0!1 ,a~k:W~ ~:mpIQye.~ or ~~bmi~ters- to"' . . 

cl?rr.ect.~.age.~~p.cir:t5 that th~y have·a~r.ei!~Y ~plo.aded to S.SA 

.;iiil 9S0 EWR vi"tf a Form W2c".: 

1"'C'=7"~","-,~':~'~' ~: .~. '-"~' ~. _~~~c~_·~·~·' 

Coih~ct"s d€l!n'quef1~'TitlE! If a'nilT~tle .X'V1 -Overpaymemts using 

v~rious·d~bt.mlle~tldn t:O-Q~:". -roar:> lls:ett 3re'~ r~fefra.l·~o T:r~asuoi f?i' 

.. Qf~et.{)f fe.deto.!l·1 ~~X refunrJ~."a~mlnisna:Ove·p.aymei'lts. and fedei<lll5alary 

. . IP.imen,,; roportdel;nq"on' deblto·Credi'Su,.,,,,. '.' . 

. ~':'. ·~~~C~N70:n5·rst~:~f.m~~~fram·E;.~~~I1_d~ta ~~try mg~~}~r t'~ ~~ QRSI.S: 6. pSCs and OD10 d-n-d·end. ~f ~;~y. ~atch pro;:e!ise~ to output ~h.e. da.t~ f~r 

~ __ ~~I-'-~ __ ~~7-".~ __ c~ __ ~cl-'-~~~~~,roce~~~n~ .. ~~~I-'--"'~~~~~~ j~~ go~ls of this 're!ease '<l3'e: ? Extracting ,th~ r-e.CEuired :data 

.. .. 

f~~~r~! Asststao{;e Award ~~t.a! Syst-em 

from'the Title II ODS DB~ d~taba5e.}·Extr-actjng trre·re.quired d~t<i fr~m' 

the "!itle }(VI fc ,O,?"S OBidatabas~\ ?:Storiflgthe.:eJ:'trac~ecl data in ~e 

· YyMDW 9racle. ~~taba-se, ? -Providing i;1'c.~S$ to st.anda· 

·FAAOs is a. I.':ent.ral source.Qf irsformation -On domestic 'ffl1 • .mcial:assi~tarlc"e. 

p~ogr~ms: 1-01" t.t'lfi F-etleral.G(i~.!'irnmen~. ~~~5- proJec"t'i;; :a-dmi!1i$t~'r2d by-

· OMs" .an~ rnan{lBted" by tiiefet.l-2ral Furtd!~g Ac-cntmtabifiW ~nd. 

T~.<ln:Sp.aren,q -AC~. 

T!;E:'·s.V5t~m_proie'S.:i.es ali.eged,SSN data.of abs.er.l:t par~nts, 

veri~es if5.SN is.r:~rreital;1d: iHdk~t'e'~wherr'in~,;ufHcl~n:t'd~t~ 'h~s be~n . 

'5tlppned"fot~y~tlfic~ti~~ ~r if m()~e r'{'!~iew of,thl.';·d~ta sen~:~5.r~q~tr~d·. 

Reii1state.unp-ostccle"'frnings hi3slt!'d.Ofl the. IRS individual 

· Master~i!e, .. 

IAIt?ws.tne ~~b.!!~ to t~~a,te th~.s~rvki':1~ ft~ld.,!)1f:ic~ that is:'· 

~~~~ __ ~~~~~~~ __ ~~-t~~--t'~I~~e'~t~to~l~h~oi~rz~ip'£od€"< ,'. . . . ~'-'~:~~~=~4 

Ail~W:;, ~~p.!o#es.to. l'inrj~~.A·$t~tJi;: ·Of. ¢JiPet1!;:e'~ouch:~~~ 
107 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.077

Appi1catlon InformatlOn Report 

~"'''''"CC~"",~'-'-'-''",",-'''~'-''="~L''"-'''-"':C~";"'4=='"c'~ !?!~~io!k~i~~~L~~:~l2.·\· ~""j~i~ ;', '.~ ~';' ~~:~·~2~~~:~iS~~:i2·: Pri)vi~~~ f~giti\te.fe·~~l1:~.<'Irlagerfient irlform;:;;t~<n'l f?r. f~E!ld' 

offfi:e ~eceipt~,. "e~ding al~rl "dearances" .. Also prQ~fde~ Ml o!"1:.f~gitive fell'.!lI'1. 

submi":;s!om •. 

Front End c. iurg System ~~ _~~ ___ O£SAE Iso,n/caJ':'ll'e system lor DMA 

AIso'knr>wli as MIS-c~ll~r'1eQ!J" Refer€lol'1te Sy'~t8m -whtth Cr:;!'rlsj$I;S of 

PS[B9ST, P5UM!T, PSPRUNfS tl-rrlvlde MBR data to vari-ou5 lJ5ers upon 

I

request These- requests ongmate tn ViUlDUS OAS wmp-onerlts. PCs FO .and 

ORSIS Qtn.t":r !>V5tem~ It prol!:e$s~s .exc~pt!l:it'l- d:",ta from other P'E ~ub:;ystems 

. . . fccirhicrting ,this irformation to h,-!msn read~bleformats.lLlMITS) and .:' 

. distffb:~t~~: th·\') o~;t~ to t~('i·appr,?pd~te. !)ff'(~'e f~r·c:wt:etHon,. .. 

The FRA senli~e' r~ a.:eofilp,ut03:tiQ;rl,al-<lnly·servicE!o The se~vi~e, 

computes -the ~u!l retirement uga (~FlA) rn months~ th@date-ot mA, Ma If 

I

fRA has been aUaa'led. 1t dO-E-S not fe'qmre a dJtabase con:ne-ditm, The 

seflJj~e d-oes call the gl~bal- refoeren(:€.-table -t:ore so:!-f.\Il!Ze to feU-lev'£': tile 

f--"C--:'~--'··"---"'-:--"·"C--:"---·":~","-"'--~cC~-,:c-'"-4~-----t;~~:~;;~;:::::~~~:::;~~;~G;;~"hme"t ~i; -.--------- Sends ~r?l:ns~~t.iOns to :ri"t,ie :tTO~' pf":o.ce~~f~g. ~~c:Qf"~~.Ti~le :l re.sultS. O';'.D6: . 

~nd pa'ys w(th~e.fd !Yl0ney tQ the states. Also fetei~e5 file f~~m' ~h'ild' 

$I.iPP.Qrt !;",O/lt~'il"ti,~g oE!l.e~t~hi~ Wjtl1~i)lo;Ii~&' ¢~.d~f"$.: 

This runctiorl.compLltes the Av.e~age CUrrent Earnings (ACE).for use in 

I.::OM·r:fLlt·il"'lg Wcwker s ~.o~p.etiiatj(}~ f.~iibljc ~i~.;bnit"/·BC~l':!fit·off$e( it' will -t{,n:pufe'th~ ~igh:l,~ High ~~ ~~d:Ar0W 'AC~~i 3li~:wni de~ermine 

whictf i~ th.e hj~~~St_· 

. ·A!I.~w"$. ir'lV9kin:g pr,?g"tIH'rj$'to ~~~tLlh} some C(lmmOti Titre n 

~mh"ie:ss func:tiol"l Ui:Hiti~i !GUEST~'GINSU~ GFlUMl?l; GRACr; ancl GRATES;" " " " 

'ORSIS B1l51ne'ss fumtiarn.Jtilit'y'that determilleslns'ured status. , ',' '.: 

---~- RAr~S(A6o~:vO~~5(i~vo9)j;rf~1';;7fh;-i;U~I~g-;;;~~t;t7~Ii-;i~;-

e~.::h;~n.titled or' reeeJ:!tly.terR:iirli'!ted beneficiary vJh'eritney :;Ipply: 

CQt'tlPtrtes. tne,-6'riglrlarbeneftt~ (QB~}~"aJl:d,:~QjlJs~s: the OS' fQf".the· filmiJ", 

ma)\'fm'um (FMA~) :o~t~r:min~s tf:w.:orlginal:reduction betor \O.~Ula~d: . 

redlloos. the b?nefft for agil to get th:e' monthlY'b-e'neflt amoul1f"(MBAj . 

Ip(:r~~$es the MBA fbI' d~l~ye'd (i;\tk;;,~ent: tr~di:tS: (ORCs, an-d'.adj~~tDlejlt~. 

of the tj"!,d!.lction fc!dor {ARFs) .. Cal<;uh,jtes :. . , . .' 

tirihia~~'s~~~Sd,:afld .:hitd bctlefjtd~~'ret·i:r.ehi~nt> sl.lr~i~df . .>0, 

ann ~i,s.abmty·~l,a.fm~ ~~It~)'~~t,~~ l;!.e~~fit:; !o~ ~id~~S, •. ~Dthe~sl f2ther~,: 

.. 'I~~!.e~ts, d .. ~,S~.bled, wldow~ b~.n~fits {OW ..~;, disabl.ed ~d. u. ~t (;~i!-d:r~n .{D,ACsh 

;,mcl the !Tllmrryum !}ole ~ut\,lwi;)r fat~. {MSSRl detE'rmlrlatlon .!\dJ!.I$t!:i .. 

"l~enefi.~s.f~~~tlti~l~m,~nt,~n '~orE,tha~ ,?ne S5i'i (dual ~fltitle:~eJ'l.t: .', 

I(OE)fmufhfJl'e '. . :'. . : .. : .. 

r~l"1~i~'~~.mt (iVl~)t.o:~pli,e~il:~d~diJn!i;.for::WQ~~E!irs,~,'eomp"~.~s~t~~~/p~blie: disabUjty benefits (WCj~~BkgQve.rn'l'Tl-e:nt ~ension o~fs.et {GPO)~ and 

eClf!ilngs: ~nde!" the A"nriu.a"i..Ear~in:~s:Te-st {~n~ .. 
108 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.078

Application lnfofmatlOn Report 

~,"~",~:":"~,:,~",,,,,,:," •. ,-,-,",.,::'::""'-".,",,,,c, .. ,.'':'.,,,''f==:'-'·~ ~!~~tQri: ~:'·~-.:~,j:.:::~~~·.:Lj~~·~~~:L~:~~.L~t:5~L The. ~£neral. Utili~y EOO!rnif!gs SLirt)m"arl.raHon roo~ (G~:ESTI is'iJrlJ~jd~d ~(J 

er'~~lir"f-llj"e Md" ba.tih:~OaOt, ",!,ei Ale progr.ams. to'if\Put-~ t'1:umb~r' 

Gsa· Data ~xl:nange " "" """ "" 

--:.-_---,---_ ... __ . -'-" -----'~-. -'-.-

!h?td~;',.s iden'llfving inform:atio!1 ~n'd recei~e. p-redse.e;nt1ing~ and : 

~J,)~erage rl~ta f~r en~jtit=;~·e.nt arrd camp.litatio~ piwpose$.:rnis !.!tititv 

e~t'tacts ~a'ta'fr~:n the folt6W'inl:{so~r~es: Ma5t'~r:£~rt:'ling~ Fi!~' (M.EFY 

M"l~lple SSN C:rO"!:>S~i-ef~fe~c:~:Data~-a.se (MULlX) qisability: ~ail!"Q~'d, .. 

A!I~nJ ~nd. Mflita~v 5erYlc~'(DRANrs"r f:ile". Numb£!r H?lde~'$ Idetltlfic:ath:m 

(NLJMrOEN1) ~ile-.· .~dditjQ:jtar earrlillgs:lnf(;t~atioh,!::an b€ 'supplied b~dl!e 

.eque~tor ann intll,J'd~d by t;UEST, Th:~$e~"re.mif~tarV s~r\!Ica- petlQds"'for" 

le~rrii~!is"cr~"dit~), J~~a~~s~)~~~~~rilent~~rr(}tl!>~ ?~d ~~€I, ea!~.i~g: .. :" """: ,", 

"" ".: , :".. : : : 

ql(EE-DO"l~:a :si~R(:I ~lo-t1~: i.lti(itv th~t ~~~ds p:r.isted ~ndJ~T 

ul!'~~!!ted. det~i~:5:from tlie:rvtEF l'!:!cord.Jf~a~ a r6~!ne" than""i,1I r~ovl:!" 

The !1ediJc:e"d For Ag~ Utmtv cal,culatcs.-the red:\..a:e"d mOl1tltN b-en:efit 

;:;n"\"\of:lnt fo'i thi! .entftleod niiA'ib~~ hol~~"r"(.NH);H a .piA ty~:s btJ-~~ (:alcl.Ilo:ifllif 

~nd":.t~~."' ,1'I:umh~"~ ~1"~eF1S e:flthl"ed.l the:n "t~"e-l'. IA:is ~edu."ce~ bY., t~~ o"r.i~j~~! recludion fa-cto)"' lnt~is; functioo.lftne NH doe"s. hot h-<lVe-ari-\f"red~ttior). 

ORSl$, !~:~~~:i:I at "fu~1 teiir~m£lnt"~~~:tlr later} zer~~'i~m be ~e~~rned"~~:b.r,gi~al "', ""lr.ed,~(:,t,i6." ~~i~r, ~l1rl.~h~ PIA,Wil}""be ~et~:~e,cl a~ ~~~",r:rl"l~c"ed monthly 

, "Iben~fit amount. This fundion ~s invoke~ wiien the case stops pr~(:essillg 

IQefor~ "the ,'C',?mph?tkm:iO! ra~e~:~o pro\flde"~h~ ~educ~ '!t0fithtv. b~i"leftt .l8m"o~nt. "' . " 

The G,!,;v~mr')l-l!.!"l1t" fllfo"trn~tlon Ex(:h~ilg;~ web~jte is:a prO"i~l;:~mariag~d, b"y 

the Office.{)f System5 'Eie'Ctronh; Servic"es"bivision 'of Non-Benefit Software' " D'evei-opm~t tosES/ciNSD),·Th]!i-w€b5ite"i.lro\frde~"t; ceiltralilt:!d It';catio"n 

Jto abt~in"~fifo:~8~lo"n on :afl:OU~ data.el{Ch~ng~s.:"" "" : 

~ ~. . 
109 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.079

Application InfofmatlOn Report 

I

AIIOWS l'-Elglstsro!'!d Ui;;ers. of !nte-;:;~~;-(jAt ag~l'Id(l~ t<l qu~'!Iy SSR 

d",ta tin- Indlv~du~ls req1Jestmg S5f and rec.tlf\[ing st<lte iJssistatn::il. Onte an 

05t$ agencies- s!.lbrrut -data on assistance giv~n to an mdlv1dli"d Th-Is 

m1nrmatl6t1IS us-ed by SSA tli d(ltenJ'tlne the am~H.lnl.of a~s!:shnt:¢ that-lS l

!tldl\1lduaIIS determmeclto be elIgible for 551. l'eglstNed users- t)f IA 

f-..:.:---,-,-,--,--.,-,--~~----:---..c_-C'-:'-::"--C--f~-.-r:::-~~:~:~~ .. :=~~-.----.-. --------------- AlIl?w:; regi.slere:ci vs"ers to.qfHce 'of Chilct S.up;po-rt 'El1fo~(;em~nt tOCS~} 

repo:rt1ng reporting fUE's. Files are -transferred to O{SE" rri~jl'lfraine, npt to 

;;1t'1'i SSA :appli~atio!1. 

I

lbeoi:lPPiiCatit''I:fi allows.Totallzation" partne:rs:to llpJoad Information ab.o.t.itSSA. bene-fk:iarl-e"s:who have dled in th-eir c;oLnitrv, fm:SSA's' :use' in, 

.•. '.,minat;"" ~"",fi"; ",;",o,",.t;on~"O\" thoi, ".0,"''''''''' th.y!)"i."" , reside in::tneUS-.: ,'.' , .. " ."' : " .. ',' ,'.> ' 

W{)~b with WIf.S 0,:1" ~hema!lifr~li1eCIC~:s.i~e.Ac(:ept~ clle·t'l.~-' 

slde l'"~quests <It'ld'routes tnem '~o the -torrect CIC5 m"lxhde, <lTld coHect5 

th~ res dnse from th~' modlJle " 

"frlis-,is. th"e appHC<ftion ccnifiguratiofl file U:S"e,d by GUMI=WfR " 

IGUMRii!BT:;;;:iiit\i-~~-·'~:-c----::--'-:-'-'~-1O;;~---'-I,';;;~;';;;;i;;;;;:th~GU~OCOo·;;;;il"PI;;; •. erii;:;;r;;;ti';d~:-';;;;;-~~--·~~ 

":!ealth infor~ation Tel'.:i"mologymana:ge.me'r§t 

infor:ni~tion' 

" . ...." ------~-~-----~-~---------, 

Interface 

Help Ame-rica.Vote Verif~E!~_·_· '_. __ 

Hel.!? ~ml'l-ri~;;fv~t(;! V~l'ifi(:a.tjmis NIl 

OASS!> 

05r$ • 

" roviries' enhal'lced ASCII EBCDIC tfill"l·sl~tlorl~ 

" . . , -~~-----~---~-------.--~--~.~-~~~. 

H-ealttor IVilt·anautom8ted.MrsV~tem is. thi=l tooltkat wH.1 ' , 

I

PfU\I.ida data al1'!1!ysis t9' mi:lnitt?r.the·work !oa:ds an~ provide·t!end 

:aMlysis !'u1d infrirm~tion crt a v-ari~tv of IJ<:Ifrabie such as tim.e and 

~Otati~n~: HI!,.WU.~f~~i~~5 ~~~n. ~it~ i.rrf~tm:<I~i~il: t~:~~k€.iu~~~er impro'!l!;"!ment~ <'Jl'1ri.enhancements to th.e dis-abil!ty pro-t€:'>s, 

I . .::_..~"~._~~ __ ... "c.: .. ~c,:::,: __ .·.:.. __ ~_··: :c_-'-___ - T~i! ":Ilrw~l ~p-plii':ation provities .. a ir.arlsp.Q:rt'me(;h;a~ism t(? 

reqtH'!?t and'receive'medi:cal !nfoT.matl~n fot the purpose o1"aclJudk",ting 

SSA dis<lbili CI.ai"ms 

SSN'verification fDf,vote'r registration via MVA's: 

~r(l\ti~es Mlotl !l1:fotmatlon wocess.ed In-the HAVVsy:;tem. 
110 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.080

Appi1catton lnfOfmatlon Report 

f'''''''''"~ii.C""~~."""""",,",","i~.-'':CCic",",,,,.,.'Li~'L'-r==''-'~I~!~~fan, lL~~oji~~" ~ ':"':i~~~~~l:~!~~'~~:~~L~~2:~ "' , COTS.~ase~ 50ftl.var-e,a"f'Jfl1i"catii:n'l. (h,iillfed :from HP Asset M~l1age~. 

IAppointment OSES 

ProvM-es IT A.ss-et Man~ge-meI!t fa:r tfi~,physk-al, ~ha~cfai. and:cqi!VactOal 

~~ta of .al~ OTSO m<in<ige~ n:.As:s:e"ts. 

The. :operallng svste-m for ih-e: Cnttng.e) Asset tItld :Problem 

1.~~P~r'tj~g5~5t~~ tC~J:iR$i ~~ ~~"\I}.~t~ p~dmrd'sel'\lii::e ~~~t~.r.v,.~.,2_ , 

tl~oos. is a, mahifr.ame"OBl: datab-;;!I!i"e- housing ~mp:!Qvee ~l1d' pos~ti(ln 

da~a:·~ai.niY cre;j"tE,d frdm t~e'Dept of ln~~~ior;s ~P~"T~~ ;n.ajoi".fu"nct!on. 

I

"Of Ii'RODS is to". r€s.p-ond-to managcmlmt r.equests.al1d !ega'! :arid,' ",' 

5::o~gi'e~s~o~~i inq,Vjri~~~. Repo-rting ab·i.lf0'~s .d~~tribll.~~~.thtci~.gh ~r<lde ~f'W: i~ormerly .H~per.iol'tl: H~OOS. ~ata,~~ a:c<:e~~~d}:1VJ'n<:!:'Y other 

.The Onlil1'=! A~p¢~tlrieflt ~chedl.l!edjApPQitltmeniJ is·an af;i'plkatiorfthat 

'oIlm·provlde 9~blk U!'ler;; 6ftliEl SQd~! Se-curitlf Admlnt!;tr~tion7s (5.SAj 

I~t"sri:let servI,c-.es ~n avenu{!·of schedulln-g' a;1 appointment with a.. fletd 

offfce Dnline. 

MOiiitori!1g suUe :- !nclucling T~PS.: [TeAM. for AD,' Omegaview ,,!S well-as 

9rrii!g:allW;i afl~nts.Bon t./OS &. Distrjbut~d "(tor m'ci~jtijring z/os, WMQ, 

OB2:! CICS·ami ,WAS),"", .:,lliM f!voli Manageme:nt Servkes ,~!!3.M tIvoli 

OMEGA~ON DE on l/OS.- 19M Tivoli 6MEGAMON Xe-'fo-r·C1CS: oil '7./0S18·M Ti'ltlif Ory1£GAMON·XE'fot C!CS·TG. an z!OS·' .. mM Tivoli OMEG-AMON' 

XI:: fOI'.tml ~erfbrma.n-~e E)[P~tt !?rl2!tJS. -iBM ~ivo-!!·OJ\:rIE(;A.MON ~E f-or 

,M,ess~gjng on ~/OS >U3Mlhlo~i Ot0EGAMON Xi: {m liStS & tlist-'ITCAM 

for"Applkathm' Diagnostics on;z/OS .& Di~t'-'ITCAM for Tfan':S<3itio~i;. for 

'IDS 

AU-QWS: the· public tQ complete retirement, spouse ilf(d 

tdjS~bilitY app-,ii."i!:a~jo.n!i o~,'the Int~fnet,·'PfOV1:d·e5.:Stci'tl.!,s of C!ai:n~·ffel.d vj~ 

the IntaFne:tJOItTd I\?!LS.dalms w~er~ th(!-·dall1,ant has· ~equ.astad s 

confirmation !lumber,' 

'The ~I;N~{:hec~ Cor"e 5erviee is· us:ed to def~nt'li,ne ii;the s.SI'lJ 

being req·liest:ed ·b'ek;ngs to-aI'l·llid(\fdual' of"E~'traordin~iv. 

T~i5'appl.katiori pro"id.~·s:Bn .I~traj"iet-shigle -sign ~n solutjiln, 

: "that leverages thii ESf!n-te,\:actions bli:rb.o.ieen the ·ACU·.and nOf!- fS! 

W\'lrhtiJ~i.j-il$·~~ ~'n)V~i;I.e·a login. to- iES.l .. ;fl~ble·d ~pp-,r,-a~j<?"n~< If·als;J ~11I;~i,;;r~ 

the ·ACU to mImic th@'iESr Inter~dro=n with i'l browser bl1t d:l!ilJ~rt: the 

D.H:j{enrl i.l'lter"actioo,to Java EE·r~ther that fES!. This provides a 

potentiat ~I(tratfon stfiiltegy away f~Qni iES·F~q ~ore ;u:pported 

Sing~~~S:Jgl1 .o.r'I :,;oll.ltfQi1~: 

: lihe !;--Maitl proje,ct Introduce!> tbe ~·oi1cej:lt of pwviding <l-centr"iIzerl" 

.' ·1·llJ~ati(}njD'r a1l" aHhe SS:o.·lntr:ar.el' ~PP!l{:~flofl~·tlee:di"g. a·,security· .:. 

~SES ': ~rttertat~,.f~i5 ~~t:~r~ty in~erta~ce ~~~:u s~rv~s 'as a ii~le.'p=oiilt·Of, en~~ ,fOf 

~_--''---~ __ ~'--__ ~~_~-'~~~_L-~dS~~S Jntranet ap~!f~~t~~~~' . : , .... :. ~ 
111 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.081

Appilcatlon lnformatlOn Report 

!(ERS provh;'l~5 SSA p~r'$(;l~ne~ w~th f,!fa~m.ati{)n.~f,.·:Ce.rtifj.ed and. 

t~~!i~ation €a'r~lng$' r.el";~rcl,:! tQ as~l~t ,in p~~~es$.ing.~he mO$t.ccin?ple~ 

I

ClafJ115·thai are ex-cl~.ided fro,ill MCS and providing 'ac(.l!ra'te estirtlates: to c"laim~~ts. It also i!to~essl.is .b"attt. H!~U:Xf ft.~ g~a'd. Q~atte.s bf Coverage 

I~:~:::~;~~~I)' "",,,,'"",>11 "~d"'''on."dT'"'''lti"".",,,p'oVe •.•..•.. 

~~~~~~.c-'-·C"7~-"---~~-~+Tcch'~' '~"~n~ln~"'ne' 1~lrastr",t"re.to allow applicotiQns 'hat 

r;e$ide :o~.-diff.flr~~t platform:s.1We-bSpl-u:,"re-, .Wfl1d-owSr.u\\ll~r Ia~.t".l ~~·s~oo 

Instan.t Messages' to Agency' U!<l!f5. This'applkatlon IS b@!ng deSIgned to 

· 'al.:tommnd,ate'load b~t8m:rng.~nd dP~imize 'message d~nvery t~ iev-erage: 

'the' Agency' S I!1S~;:n'l't Me5:;;I,i:ging Iftfl'a~trudut~.Cl.l~f~~Hi be5- 20011LYIl': 

lOlO]_. 

I---------'-:--,.-c.----.--:-:-::.-,--:,.-.--,--'-:--'-':~+_------ Th;~i:tLENT-;y;.;-"'~;;t~I;;-;-i-h. -S",;:;;d:;;;-,;';;;·r;;;i;;-"-wh-ic;;i-;·;~;';;;;;;j--

Mahlframe lf1t~rface 

integrat-ed Registration Service> 

· Horrft,h~ SSA ~~lr'l·1V!ent.l ~nd ·~ofu.vire for s'ome o.f t!;e'menu seie.~t!tll1;5;; 

sp~C:ifkaUy :tvj-denc~·,. Aclr:nj~j:!itrati\{e Sal"i-cff~n~:a~d the::di.sl'I~y of di,ent 

data .ttlrotigh (bAM,' . , 

the cllerit data.·~cc·ess modiJle-s anttthe l~atch.p-rci:ess- necessarY for ~+:-'--:~--t:tt;;iCklr'l1'!i "!tnt t(<Ill'liadtoos. 

This project suppo~is:the IDMS.front end c.olledion.CICS 

screens ~Qif PFOC-essillg CDR, E'arni!1gs~ i?~ni!l.and Titket tu 

Work actions. 

· IRES ~r!J\Jia~$ tegistratic'ln., authentiCi:ltio" ~nd actaimt"rrrillm·l;l.l""Iarfctj 

1*~~nt:t!~r'lS f/,1~ <!:I.f ~pp-li.t:·atio~~ ':;Qnt~ln!!!d. in .tJie. aU~lne!l~ ~eTVj~e's.. 91)'io~ 

'(~sq} .suit~ of~E!t~fc.~5·. lR~S''$ m.ain ~~~~'tiO"n is t? tontrol <1tc~ss to 

____ . rin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_~~~.~~~_~'~~~~~ __ ~'.L~~"~~'. __ ~_~ OEEAS:~Q.I!~.~S- .1.nd·st.ores MW:on ~orkioad c.~i.Jnt5J Sah'lP.J~.St :$taffrn~ ;lindhour5, 

The !n.teractlve ComputatIon F<idiity, {I~n'is: compriserl:ot t~e'f:!rigipal 

online Tit!e·RICI' 'pr:oce~~ that p~Qvicl~s::alitomated compllUrt!Qntf! suppi:l'I:t 

tn tht;l· p;lI;vment feliterS .. With.T1:R the onl1rie Workers (omp~nsation 

· (We) tiortio.n of !eF was' a'Qderi. 

~mvide:'a:n online request for a replacemel1t SSA·I099 or 

i042S;'(fi;lr n{m~dtiz€l'l;sJrl(lil~resi~ent5'" 'rhe.replace:meJ1:t SS,A" 

1099/1042 i5.s~nt l1' USPS with'ih'30 cia s, ' 

Internet 3820 Proli!d€5 the.publh: with tile abilitv to complete the- Dis<ilb1!itV 

_;.:..~~_...: __ .-:~'~-,...;.~ __ ~_ .. ...:.-..: __ ._.o:....,:. , .:.:..~ .. ...::.:._ 'Re 2.~hnili_S.8.:~jl1IDj.JlJ0~,~2-__ -,:,:_~,:,.,:".:-' __ ~_._., ___ ~,:,.~ . prollid:es·tne pub:!h:: wji:h'~he abilfty t:o complete' their 

Internet A~pea!~ Ap'~eal{SQ1!561} ~md DI.!iability R.e~~·~ppe~l (SS:AL~441; 

Jnt~i"riet Beneflt Verific.atlon letter 

lnt4!met C!;'lrrls'St<;ltus 

OSES 

onllr1eo 

Thi~ application.allows a b~m'eficiarv to request a'proDf of. 

Allow~ the p!Jbtic to c~:eck tha·statl.!:i of the:ir retlrmeni -i:1'a!:"' 

011 tl1e'l~ternet. 

l~his ~p~licati~'n ~lIows a ~e~~:f';:~~r"Y t~:st~~t. Dj:~i:~ ·~ep~s!t.o!:th.ltir .':hecks 

101;" ,cha:ng~.~,het~ curr~nt Ol~ect Oe~o)s!t t() . .anot~~i;" aC:C-OUl1t I)r·fil'!:ancl"Cl1 

I~~~lttltio'n vja.th~ inte.rne~, ' , 
112 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.082

Appilcatlon lnformatlOn Report 

~~~~~t~~,;,'bii~;\j,;~;:~~"'"~;;';~;;;~~~" ~'~~',': 1"""c=-c'~ ~~~fiiEiibri,:S:~~~,~~~£~":::-O.;~~~~2.:~~~:~~~~L~2~~ , Thi~ $y"ste·m'disPJ~ys (Dr prints)" w-~rkl~d t~acki~g:listillgs arid' 

~n~.!!!..et i'Elssword CI).angE(~f Ad£~~_"~ 

interf'let Pilssword (h~ck Your S~oofit:t:; ." . . ... 

Wrai!agemel"J~ 5U·mMa·~y, i'~ports·bV ~j:e~d,·offft~ ·c~mp?!1e~~" .. 

IE~R appl.i.c~tit!n fs ~ G2G ~(pp!icatlon th;;'lt~nabl~$ State: 

~ureaiJ'of V,ital.~~ati5.ti,~5- to verify d:ecedent.S"a:cia:1 S·e.c~rity ~umb-e~s· , 

(SSN~) prJor t~H:he 5ubrnissiem {If de~th refl-~rtit? th~ SSA. T~e State is 

·over th~ lnternet: 

·OSS~ Use'tne'internet f-o-rvour 'Change of Address'· 

.. 'O~ES : . Pro~id.as Ti'i:!<;l It at1~ X.vll"~cip'en~s·~~erv 'Of t.h~i'r i'fc.to~nt. 

hiformation. 

!ntertle~~J"~lt'.~~~..9ltQ_,-",-.--,--_~-'-.~~_---,-_ .Qi~ __ ~o~s·pub!!~~'!:£lJ..u~~.:..e!.!1_£~$·~~~,-~~~ lntei'l1eL.:.~ __ -,--~ __ ~ 

1RMAA Stati:itics 

0$£:5, fAf;l.Plic~itiona~loW$Re~tl'l$~n~athie pa~~$to·t:i;ln:pletfr. : 

a~c(')\n"ltiri forms online via tl1e internet. 

,T~e I~SS ".r0.;:'~~? p~o~i-a~s. an I~te-rhet,~lieh~ for fel:!~estiflg.~eiivery ~f a: 

PESES, rsss do~s n1?~ ~I'"cidu~;':;'·~he statel1l-cnt..~t ~~ss;es thertiquest to 

'The i~~O ,a~p·!1.~<Jtion ~l}ows: ~eA~~{!:;iar!es."tlaim~!'!ts·, Fepr~sentatl~~, 

p~ve;es'Clnd other !li~jyfdua~s rec;eNi~g serviCes.from this' ilget'lty;.10 

. 5:p~itY·~h.e.rr,dEmv:e-ry prefer~n!:€:when re~eh,li~g:n{}ti,(:cs'~! (lt~er.. pfl~te'd 

~~terla.lsfrC!m this ag~n~v .. ' 

We-h.Seruic:e)·eaf tlme.\deri'fica~i·(}rdt)r Oe-pt of State and other agende.s:to 

~~E!}q.·,~.fifK ~~e.~~N; of indiV. itJ~~.I~;, ~~.'p~ of S~~t~'wll~. u~~ :~!~.se.rv~te ~o . 

verlfv th.e. SSNs ot .jrl~i~itiu~ls :w.~o h~",e. submit.ted ap'p-Ucat~ons for" ". 

~~~~ .. ~.. . .. .' r· ... . rfOPSSHs the new system ~~at js ~f.ahned to rep-lace the existhlg 

((nl.lpr~l1erlsivlll WOl'k .Opportunity SUppOI'~ $y$.te~{tWos'S),VOtat1:Dn?,I. 

~eh:abi~itatE,dn R.e-imburse~llnt Mafl~~ement'S-y5tem (VRRNlS) an,ci th~' . 

m~jnfram~ Tid<et"to,Wrirk'(inN).ClCS $icreeni. i:h~(~ew !ii5tem~ ~iII· ' 

~!!~~ ~or.(:oritract~~~rds/H(:ket a~s.tgnrt,-erit ~iid 'p~~ents of.a larger. 

·1."'"UPOf EmplavmO.'N,tworks (ENj, 

'D~ter~i~~tkm 5~r~i~e~':: As'~f l?~~e~ber 6~,20~~'a!! ~o. sites: are at. ~ei~as~ 

15. 

Supp-orts--dis<JbnrtY,i;ase proc"essing in l'.Dlsil,bi!ity petErmlhatlarl . 

• lser\Ji.C~S. i~ slte.:s:ar~ a'.t R~!e.i.~~ IS.· TW6 ~.it8$ '~~:mait1lng. Wit~ ~t¢~~c;ti~n. 

·d.tes ofU14[ln"d. ;!/2B/1L ,. ,.., , ., 

Irem !)':r'r~-ctiOh i~ the e<iirnings $'{steYn,that'enabl~~ the'usen; 

·aft~e.SY5te~·tri·~:,~~~d.:~8.rfli:rlg:s ,de"tOll!S ~!' a~ ln~l"'i~ual ~~.mb~r. ~Old.!:. r's. 

{NH~ Ma'><ter,Eamings-File.(MEF) (l(ord •. Us:'Ua!iy the NI+wm bring a . 

.. ;.t~i:;t~~e i?y mis~tate;';ertt to't~.e:a~enti~n of SSA.· '.. .: ": '. 

_"~~L"w·~..:..:....w,.~~~"::,.~~.""~",~.:":""":"''''':'''''~_'::''_ ..• :.....,.....~"",~_~,:"""""",w_~~:''w~ 
113 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.083

Appilcatlon InformatlOn Report 

. ih~s syst~m allnws ~a~ag.e·mer,t t:o- tr~Ck:thll'l. it~~ t:iW~li'i:':tjOf1'~Ql'~rol:uf by' 

': C:O{)!.lnts that a"roe -clone bY'subordinate offi~es.. 

b7~~·~~·~~~~.~~~~~·-+~~~~·-·-·~·~··-·~·~~-·~·~·-· ~--~.-~.~. ~ 

OEEAS' The IVF Core. S~~lt~.r~tul"l"l!!i d;,)ta .fr~m t~e Intr~ne{ 

J~y'A W~~~!!~.E..!!~,~!~1~2~1!£L~.~,-~:,;;,: ___ ~ £.E.?~.§_ J~~~c:~!~~~!.!!!tJ~!'~~:£I£~~~!!!~..:._:...:....::...:.. __ .:.:..:.._;...~_· __ -,-_ . .:._~,...;.:,,-,-

J~WS ~$iJ:1g a I?ata <i!,me-rated E'nvJ~~nment OESA"E U~ed bY.~!1?pl~y.~t!s ~ith:(li5abmties·to: I.'read'" t!CS SC'f€en:> by': 

. orso : .sohMa·~li'l.s~~P.~rts"lo~rr;~iitigfur lo)vis Datab~~~·~Vste~s. Th·!'l softw<ire 1;. 

1qur~aIM~mag:e.r .. ~_~ .. ~~_~~+"--~~+' .... t=v=.e·r_~j~_';~.16_0_l\l_IS~O~) •. ~hfS·.ist~e.cul:ten~veT~io"l1;~::.....-c.:-~_~~~ : : .. inn:Rn.~t .(l11~·inl~Al'1i:!t web"ap~1f::.atiO:l"\"I,I~~d ~o yjpport ". .. ..' 

l

OOARrs Automated Scheduling py.ojil'et ... This is <f cots ve'ndor product:. .. 

" .. tai!~"~ed."to ~~~eirt it1pnt.jroh:!.t~~ ~M~'d~ta~ase'~lld ~~t~matk.~nV .:'~' 

f"-.~'-C.._~-:-'----.---..~._c_--.-:c--,----'-t'---~. ~(heduloe- cases,. . . : '.. . : .' . . . . 

. : IT~e:tR Case'T~a-(:idng Syst-em"Wm a'!low"mal1agers a'flt! R~gjcf1~1 :. 

, . ,- . 

li~h~d iEh-g!ish"Profideh"cv:" 

l.R- s~a~f. agt'!ricV:wl-de:to: inptJt gr~eva~cJ? l!l'~iJrm~ttqi~ En a ~nj:rorm manner 

v~~~al.B·asi;::.bas~d ap~Tc'i:\tlbn'~~ !O'~t~~'forma~ an~ ~to~e . -:-. '--

· la:ng:uage/t~xt,';:llong'with choice's for the 'rNA not"fce-.fonn;attirig s·ysiem.: 

Afso·l:Ii'a~jde-s.~ "L~"t~~'Notes sea~C:~ f~:cmtv tls~d.to·IOQ.k !.iP.!".l~;tite 

~his i~.;i ,:"ainframe b~sed a'ppi~t~tf-on that colleds and stcir<:,s.Mrd<'l:f? ~n 

the -diff-i!rei1! djent'-l~mg:U·;;fge$. for.which SSApfovldes sei-1lic-e. "lEf' di3~a'is 

colle-d~tI we~ldV <'IIid .. u~ef:ftci gen~r;ite.Y~a~ly reports.wl'iktl <'Ire <ic.,;e~·sjble 

from-Efl.t1lS, a!'l55A-iKitranet she:. lEP datB is sotlrce"d from-the SUMS ." 

· A w,qrkload rr1a~age!1're!'lt:and triu*inltsystem used to control: . 

· .~ar~ing!l i~qLli'~i~s ~h i~itjjl.tfalms;fft::tr"l th"e p~bliC or ~s~ FO~s on. ~re~ 

t:larrri~:~arnin $::: 
114 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.084

Application Information Report 

~",~"""_~~_~"~"~""",~c~._~.~.~""c"""~",,,,,"+o,,,: w",' "",'~",i;:","~ ~ QS~~IDI1<~Ei~o':::'~2l:. ··;·,·::·..::;~;l[> ::'~. ~i:i!~:~C2~{L~~':';~'" The pUl'pose orthe M~n~a~o~.,. Smart 'Cai'~ togon Errolj.m~~~ ~M5~l~)' 

ap~!itatiQn-'is to prC!v~r!e E\1dj'fj~Llaf SSA ~E!'5 ~.\!it"h a w~y tc- el1i"'oi! the~r"· 

'own Ai:tive Oire~ory actounHh th~ Mandatory $m~~ ~attJ L(}gbn'{Mst~} 

iFLitia1:iw:~".U~ers. will. be.. able to verify "that thei.r"t:'IV sma1j card "is"·' . 

.. . . 

' ..... ".:" .. ,'.:,.. ". 

: fli~dr.O.r1al.and ~ubmit\~ ·~¢b.To:~·m:~~·jd.';h ~.ill ~.hr~·ll1~~ logged ~tT ad:~~e. 

dir~~tO:ry . 

. us\')'r il1 wi,SCL,This:WllI b~·dQne: un'del"", t:h~ s'upet'iision 'Qf. <:fSLtjSyst~~s, 

Administrator: upon .submi5s·lon, a not11(cation emaii'wU! bE·5.erlt to'the 

-RE1qU€!iferl ,SLC, "rid S<ec~ritv Office:i. 'O;:1£e thli': user is emo'lled in MSnE' 

r~pl;l·rtlhg.se:n;k~i ~tl! ~~:aVi3i1a9'1~ t6:gi~~ th.e rlumbet'~f ~'!irol!-i;'eI ~$.ef~"· 

for:eac:h prga"ila~~on, 

irldlvkh.la'l~ with a-~mjlii$tr<lti1.1.e dght~.I)V":( ~'~o~~er b$¢t (sic s~'i-l~lp Qe$k 

:, Staff, Global P.:itmins •. et'c ).to g:iV~ a \lss!- -a tempQrary e:K.teptiQn fr-om . 

: 'MSC~ fQr.v<l~i~l..is'perl~d~ 0: ~~m~: Th~ ~~hnlni5t~atQ{Wm:~e 'acting.;tS: the .. 

. .. : r~qu.e~ter .and·!a.lbmi"tting the-, web' form rOl', the affe.::tcd'l.t.eY. This 

!Bppiitati~~ i~ tn be' used ~he"rt ~.~~er forg'lil't~, I05es -or~~e~"k:i'·the]:f ,ard . .In 

:I~-dd~ti~~~ jt c::a~ "~I~? b,~ l):se~.fQI'.t~~.po~a~·~x~,~Ptl~t;~ ~~~r] ,~:Ij~e~· h~$·tc 

!be: i.nvol'l(e:~.ln a ~~oj~c:tforw~~c~ t~e~ nEe-d to: ~·s-e.'d~A~~hl'e ?rrect-l?rv.· 

!PU\l'and, p~5s;word. U/lo:n submd:tmg the web form~ ~he'affett~d IJser w~l! 

I

be rerno,}ed fro'm Msc~,arid:tneir Ai::tlV:$' Oireuory user a'ceo.cmt.\!"diI.·be· , 

:eset. A·n~~ifi~o.:\tion ~.01~11 ~m,the~ b~ s~nn~.th~, affect~ius~r;th~ . 

requ-e.ster,'and the Se(:u~itv Offic·e"r. The affected·l.1SEr s. acco:Utlt"V!nr. ',: 

i3~t?~atlcany b.e r,~tlJ"meti:tQ MSC~ at ~he.en~:Qf ttl~ir peri.od ~f, .' 

tert:p;r.~~y~x!:~~tf~n. .'.::- .' :" ,'.: . :: 

.citS diu .. colll:'!ction. !;V~yt~m for MAOC-AP~ h~t~rfa;:e:> with 

A1PllM+Ol. !Cf. R~P ~ayee, C))e~t; M~dica.re alld MB]'{·f(i(~ata. A b~tth 

pprQc'e~$ f(lrmat!i,.MADCAP i~p~t d~t.a "and a.eat~:$ MBR f!nd~.r~. 

Allow.$ for the; 'man'uarSJfacessihg rifal! initial daim's'and post 

~:nJitr~tri€!l1t ~tt'i~;ns- that'ar'e '~ot' .n.l:tomated. it ·e!>~~;jI;shes,.~iodiH;es and 

.rayment HistorY Ul=t~ate 'Svstem~ Thts.system tipdatesPHUS 

data'~tl th-e" p~us~ M~~~~r dat<rt is.'seTit't~. the: PH·~~'.upd~te· ~!ieli 

pay~~nt,5' are:made nut5id~:6:F ~ ~?st Entitlr:m.ent ~p'pfi~~tio~ pr.ogram 

S'~,~.GA~~:t~,_2~ __ ~~ ___ ."':':.w_-':"""':'~-:.:..~'::':_··_,,,:,,,,,,,,,:,,_ 

-Conv~rt Master Files to·DSl. 

lhls S-EMl.ANNliAL Ope-ration lOQks-,for rndilli.cJuals· . 

!E.rtR~NE.O~~LY ~ecei~ing ~en~fi.ts fro~'t:h~:5a~~:Q'r ~uitiP!e account 

Ii~m~e-r~. A.IE;l,rb; 'ar~ S:~~t, ti? fie-Ii::! oHili:~$ t()r l?mc'e$~i!i~< .. 

Thi~' system IS a seri~s of prag~~n:s, tha~'~rov~~es a m-~aT!s for 

-oHk'e:s. to re!juest.anti :receive seie-c;:te.ci.MBR filforrhatl~m In speCial' 

formats ba~~d 'on 0:1 ~a,tc.n ~f J:)ro\JI~!:,d !let8: this i,s p>"lrt"of t~e: p~.s.ea:rch .. 

~~~~~~~~~.~~~L..-~~","~~~~~~~~_~~~~~_ 
115 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.085

Application Information Report 

M~P.:' Select System 

This ~fysteWl $al¢t':B from thl;l MB!h 1. Files:f()1' !;I"MeHon- ·of (:¢l't~iJ:'j 

b-enefidary s'pe·Ciai paym~nt.s.' 2. "File"s of ca:s€s.wlth. o"e~paym~l1ts I"n the 

~pei!al·pay~eht a.i'lT?tint fie\~t .~, ·.F~I.es of benefitiar!e$"s.tibjeo::ttO"t:lfl 

increase" !Ii bC!neflts due 'to an' adju5tm~ht of Redu-ctlot1! fado~/De!ave{j 

Retiremei1.t Crei;lil: 

I

MSR -M~;::ter Fire ~aiI1N:nant-e·. T~i5,~ppl!i::atiol1·d€1~~e~ ·age,~: . , 

~a:ta fton'i.Hie:MSR. A.f~nttrcmth;;Jt.w~s·r~·rnov~ ft'.lln t~ MaR UPDATt 

iRTAPlAUD) ope,";on who. ;tw;~ re-w,ittom-;o- "O,o;;'ethe:Mon,hl:Y 

.urage the h~'altncare :p-mvi-ders to eSfablish mediCal"rec·Ol'ds:that ar,", 

l!lter-Operab"le. l~veti?ge th~'y!lectronlc standardi"nd'pro-du~ts, aS50d.at~d 

wlth:the ~arg~~s~~le ~:n~·jnitj.at~""~~ a~d gat~erm~di,i::al inf~rmation in·.il~ 

~'ut,!rnated ~rQ(:es!i with liWe or. no lluma'n lnt€'rv€ni;io~!1l: a. ~jm~ly 

f~Shj.Qn, ~.ni:i i~p.t'('ive ~hf:! ~f"fic'iMty ·;itl:d·aic,l.I'rai:.y of.th~ d)sabJ11tV 

f---~...c--,~.,--~~~C"~--'-':-':-~~~-:-+-c-~- - ""-----~-~-

!m~io5e5· hjgnN Medlcare- ~art B an'd Part D premiurrl,i'ates'on 

high~in~t?~e .ea~~ers .as.d:efirmd bV ~ta:t!Jtei Adjusts t~O$~ ir:npo5.itiol1S on 

enefic::iary alleg.ations., yerj(jes t~El ~~'CUr3C'l of .ttiose. 

op-eratlJJn' thatswee-ps thi;' Medita"re. qill:tabiise 

<'l~oi1~~ of "<:1ft t ~l'!d:D b"E'one~it~ :w1hi'ts!d ti"y.S.SA 
116 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.086

Application Information Report 

Implements PlI10~27;.(;h<l!,,!ge'S iii the way low !ncnme. 

sub.sidillJ~L~£p.li~atioh5'il·r~ p~~te:§~~i_-':'~~~~_· _. __ "~. 

Dailv ar.'d Month.!V Medrcarc selections from th,e MBR. . 

'IThiS appilcatttin cr~ates' p:nterrtional 55! deeming re"i:orl1s ana ". 

tra~smits: t,h~m. to.eMS, a'! ~.~eeld-y·b<l~f"",·tl~lng·the·S51 E~~·cti\ie.·date •. ". 

th~ Medicarl:! E~igibmtY-Aate ~·Ii!i:M-S'R:d.ata to bumi periods I]f pottlintial 

SStOeeo1in: . 

Update and malr.t.ai:n earning!:> data"base fot use- bV'ot~ef 

w~tl:l-m~·ahd.~tt)"ii':l~ -tiJ(lrh~n"p'i tot~I5.·1:o·~dt!'.'Iry: . '~~,...;.-,,~"_,.:,~_._:' :_. _:: 

!11~~~~'C;"i! use"o f~i" a):)lplki>ltiQns; wner~ d-e~~H~tI MI d~ta i$ $t~r~cl in tli~ . 

MESO.D~'d~t~~ase.~~d.~~~ ~er:~:~.c ~eus~~!.~ Extract J)10·gr~~JG~~P'PS.·· · ,used. to pun nUrYlMrs from ME$OOS. to provide balance'and loggif)R, :. 

'!i~for~a't!~i1.·111 MSHARE to'm~?~ b<lianc~ ~nd l()iggrng.t~,b!M. :.. : 

r.·M::'-:;r';-:.;'-'-w~n7"k-::S-fit.rv""I"'ce~s-:o:-p'-er-at-:'-·rO-"h-.:-:!:!)C"a-ta'-'-c-":c--+---~··-':~·-tIT=b.c.e-:-M::E=SoDsA~r'""5i5t, ofa,etof;Qutines, ;'Mowl, and· ... • .. 

St.ore API It~OIS'"fo~e~'~.r'li,~es apPii.~ations t~.~rj:e .. ~nf~r.'!I~t.i~n:t,~ th:12< Ele-d:r~l'ik . 

. S.ervites Operationa!.·Oafa Stote {MESODS) OB2,:di'ltab:ase. inst-eatl·Of the 

': (:Om~(I~.lt'lt~r~et Bac~e~d:~U~it rC~~A) ~raf~iC file.' .. ". ~ .. ' 

Management If'lf6tm~tjo'n fot <lpptlil"lted Rep re-a-tfs the MIS~:. 

~opV'of 'tt~e App~rt'tti!d: Re~nJ~tab<J~~ arld·the.MJ'S·F ... ~py' 6t.tne $ihgle 

p,ayme~t"sy$t~m. da'iab1il"se"an'd <lcwmu!es. TI c~uni report:for,di:splay 'On :' .. 

t~M~f.~,.-.:.~~ ___ ~.~.:......~~_""~~~_"~"':_:~~_~~_~~·~_ 

· . 1hi~.project"rec-eive:s ,31;:l"min, r~cotds froTti, th.~ CI'<Iirns Svstem.'.End of Month, 

Operatioj)s iCSE~!?OprW~ich a~ processed Iii th'e'?C-s?1'l a,t'm~:n.~hIY ~a~is-, 

Three:tvpe'fi' of actions arEf'received: Original Awird~~ T~rminatloI15, ~irn:f 

l

c:redlt:AdJustmenis. $-ev-eral tabu!atior'l,.are prep~red for the Office·of. 

~e:qlJlr~m('rit~~ eval~a.ti'6n <i·nd.~t<l~istic"S.{O~ES}.h'Qm'tI~dit~~ data', The 

· !f~'tOr~~ are the'.' pr~t.;~s5ed througry,:a~ 'clctr:nd~d ~dit.it1g arid ~~t~~ 

• 1~~'r,recUQ!l prt!~~d~~~ ·~r.:nth.l~, pr:odll~ing.an ex~~~~i{)~ me ali~ . 

raOUI.tiM' '"owin&.hetypmrid ;,equency 01"@5. .c 

C:- Mcc·,7fo-· '-::"-~~-t.C::l'n~I;C!tC-I.-m.c.e.·C,--'~·--_.c.C-.;-,-~c-;-~.+O:C.=S:::'SC:-"- ~r~!,ides ~'o .. t trrt!t·I~~~~tNi~ml!t€m~n~J~rm~~.~n ~~ t;:;~~~ 

MI !~, REtooP 

~'rta'" levy "~. 

Mr Sf~g!e.Pay~ent.SYst"7m 

SSN-!eve! 

DRS!S.. 'Provide" montht)' arro \{e.ar.'to~datc·t"~tal~.from tli!.':·RECOOP.· 

55~€-m--.:..~.~·_·._ .. ,",""_'~.~·._·_~,:,,::,,: .. ~.:...-,~'._.~ 

. dRS'S. Provid~s totals ~ia' [.[(;:5 for the on!i!ie'lini ~ev S stem" ". . ~RS!:S·. . Rea'd the DB2·SPS datab:as~ on the MfSF aiid format and' 

dis la d ~3mh';r'e·nrtso·nEMjSs!!h!er··Jl'ltr~€:'"·"")'_· ~~_-'c~~~ 
117 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.087

ApplIcation lnfofmatlOn Report 

p"''''''::~~",-.''-C'""".:C",~,-,c=,~""":."",~",,,,""p=~~ Q!~S!fEiiQ~;;~~~~'o':::::i:Sis' '{"}. ;..i:~;~~ :\ "': ;'~.~:~·:J~.~f~~L~~·i~ ," M~nage-m~~t. i"n.formatiol1 fnr-SSNVS. :SSNVS ~IJows employers.t!-1 match 

Itlle;;' r~tQrd of.t'.i'l'hp!b"yef;! MmEi!$ ~nd SSNs with ~'bd~! S~(;l,Jtit'{ rei-:ord~ [b.ef~~ ~-re~~ri~g'and s~bm~tti!1g ~-2 forins.·~aki~g Sllr~. n~mes. an~ ." 

Ser'llte' 

Inform;;:;tfon 

.. . 

I

SSNsoon the W-t match our rt:corcls'is jm-portan1; ~e~a'u-s~ tJnmatched 

:" ~¢(dr~~ ~ah. f~s~!:t in t!:~~itiOI:l.~1 .p~~~e:;S[ng:EQ~t$ for'~ffip!oY~f$ and' ";: 

": ~.mcr~djted e.arnings for ~h"ei(e!lJP'vy:ee~.'. . . , 

~-+~~~.~.~~~~. -.-~. -~~~=c~~~~~~~ 

lo'g;<merate'a Prh:nary Il1su~ance Amount/PIA's) for: p-erso-ns: .. 

with,and wEthi.H(t rr;mtar"y !ienl"lce dur!n.g:ti'le period of 1940- . 1956"' . ... . . . . . 

:. MKWR is a.hybrid app!itatio~ (leVie'fage£ the''fl.m(ticmality,'(lfthe 

., s;ma'itphone,'s native web'brQws€r 'iMskle. a' O-owilrO-<ldable appli!.:·@tiorias. 

the.targ~t applicati(;n ~!atForrrl fo.r.tran~actlonal' ~S'e'~kes a",plt-c~j:OTIs) 

, ·Itnat aliows 551 ~ed~tents, d~~moys;,. ' :."", ,.:' .' 

'~nd ~~pres,erit'a~i,,:e ~ay~l;/:;"~f ~S~ ·rec!p.ie~t~,'~~.~eport g~Q5~ mQnthi~ w,~~: 

. amounts that 8 wage e:arncr was paid" in the pre\llmJ5 m-onth,'llSing a 

·'<tm~~i~~ d~vitec . . .' 

pro('e:S5.'~t is iI'~itia'ted by. a tra'l"lsa~ti~!t:entered ofT Hie Mts Me~~ after. 

~he, M(~,F~.o'nt-etld ~al:a i:ollectlo-,rl soCr:~Em"r,iMe' ctli:YIp.l~t~~t. 

Thli! W.!)~kj:O~I\:l M~I1~gemo?nt Sy!:tem for i:,'tial Cl;;lI!TJS 

(WMS'Ji.::) tra-cks Title 11 In-itial daims from thefr e['ltry into the: Moden~ized 

O~SIS·.· Claim~ system (IVies) by, r~;:ordj~g,eJth~~ .t~~ 5i:i~cific.~vents, ~n, a !:Iaj~~s . 

MOder~i2ed' ClaIm ~is",t.",·",,,·::,~ ~",O",·ti",C."S,"::-c·· -'--c---c'f'::~c,·~-c·~-+· P,+i",Od""",c."s"n",,,o-ti~ for'MCS :actiorts : 

M:o.ti"erlllJ:ed Oe.,jeidP"!!l~rksh.e~~~,_~, ...;, OASS.:~. t~Oderni.l.~d·~.,~IJ~.lopme~t.W(lrkSh~~t> .:" ". . ... ' ... 

,Mode((I~~e'd E;:Irlli~g$.t\1t~gflty ,RI!iVf~W. : . Sy~'tem . OEE:AS cr~rg~teq.c~:teri~.~o~ revi~~ :b~ .s~£lIfi~~ s~affs to e!'i~un~.tn:~ se~uritv .a"n~ 

, , integrity of tM E~mir\g!; !'l:e0: .C;on~ct~on .pr-oces:;.. . 

:SLt~porf~ di~abilft~l.case p~O-t~55'ing'y~ Di5abil~tv l)'ete,rmlMtiol'l S~~v1C~s, 

,off~ca~ {.A!<l.?ka~ Cali~(Jrny~;.IJ~I"'~<I~i'\':,,(:i1Jam} MjsS()Ul'i a;~d yir.gi,~ :: 

1.s!a!lds)~VVes~.ern ~~y~-eht'Serv!ce Ce~tef; !?ailas ~p.y,' N,orth, East:·~SC; 

Mic(Mla~ti~ PS(;~ SO~th.iE;1St'PS(, &0. fpU.f '010: Great lake5·PS~I.afldMdNE!.iS a Cl-C~ systern:tha.t e-011.ects dat.a fQr,up~a:es to t~e M.asi:~r 

s.et:t~fidary RIil-t:(,r(:V''''(iO~H.do.ei 'not mOlkntai~ filei. MONETwritM 3. 

~ipes of.Traffic.'rE!c~rds· to the 1~affi~ file. 

MOURS is a Tide XVI R.e-p-orting .app.Hc~tion .. 't is an ovcrNnde:r payments 

repohirlg 5yst~m'" Mb'l1n'5 gath!,!'rs financie~ inrOrmatiol'l'-U5ed in 

.. '. . ... : 1~.~f\lo~ing re'p~rt~ ~tli' t~~<)~~~ {S~tl!~~~~~. '. ,! ':. ... . . .. 

: ....., ' ,["9). Reports are sent to, the Treasl..(ry D~partment.: '" 

~.~.~~·~~~~u~.~""""'::.~~~"~.':":'~w,,--~_·~"~ _~~J~~...........::."~~_~:"'_~~~~:.......;u~..:.o....~.~:.,:_~~_ .. _" __ .~, ~~~,~~~~ 
118 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.088

Appilcatlon InfofmatlOn Report 

f~~~;;~~;d';iSr~:I~~;:~:''''';;':,;;;~;-;~'-'''''-~';,'iO",w",' o",e""r.',w': ~ ,¥;:~~::;~~;~~;~S~~'~~~;~~1~~it~~~~~~±~~~~~;:21~~~'~L 

~~~$~~": ~~~~~n:l;~::t~~~:~::~~:~~:~~~:;t::~~~s;::e:~i:~::~~t~:·:o~~~:~~~~ record ovcmi ht: 

fg!',""is~~~~-~~~~~.~~,~~4~ ~Sl Clalms~Tak,rig a:nd·uPdate'·P·rrid~;;s.. 

~' ~'~ MOnt~ ~t"~!ectj~~ ~e.rvl~:e{~ci~J :~Vi!.1 ~~r.j~~ tne M:O~ ol?tlons . 

jitese"nted:to, a, u!>er:.. Thi:s indod:e:;- the. defi;mlt rylO~ dat"e and <'i range 'of . 

. other'po.~~ibl,e ?'at'e~: i?<her ~ne, Lis~:<has's~iect~~~" Mm:}ate fro~ ~h~ 

pr!?lJidlil(l th()~-t:e;s!, the $'~I:~ite:~llfdf.t'~I:milieJheJ\II~Jt> : 

.. t.(~eate~ a·.fiI~ ~:.'D!I SSI. ~ccounti~g thms~di~hs tl1<:,t is seil~ to 

eol(;h stat;e on a rYi$l'ithly bMI$., . ~_' ~~'-'::~'C"""~~~~"-i 

(SP,?T i~terr~gat~~ th-e:Mi3R tci j:;ir~vid~ tl1~ Y-'l-ers"Witl1 

requested inform·.ation db-out h-enefi~iane5: eS'POT is nm 'monthly aw'und," 

. .t.h~ m~~th a·~e.tt~:e'.I!'~nthJv. MSR u~~<'§te: . . 

:-:-P'-:'d.~t.-m''''e-,ge~-'::CM=B"::-CO=R=m=-Tt:-07Ih~e'P-reV~i'O-"S'-mO-R-'h-, :-

to"cr€ ..~te th~'·Current months MAsTER and:tr~at"es. 

p~V'mcnt't~(;~fdS: ~~i- ~ef~rn1"a~·~hd,tiim$rhi$~·ibn'.t"o lreasl:lrV; 

Th"'x'~e~aU p~!'pti5-e of"the MvSoCi;tilSe-curf~'projett·is. to·pr·ovidc.a. 

pers(malized ilitern~t part'al tha't will be a vtab'~ self-'slo"ruice- alte'rnathre : 

-to: t?ur telephone a~d ji'!~~e.r~c;n ~eN'ic~~ S~fvjc~s.~i~ t~~' MVsodilisecurity 

'pD'rta(wiIlbe avai1ab'Ie-~(J .' '. "' " " . 

the' e-rm~e .Soc-ial secu.~ity :Adtrijr;istrati~rn {S5·A},custom.~r b.a~~.~i ... e, rco~~' 

b~!lefic'ii;iries~ ~enefjc1;;uies,' represe'ntativ-e 'pa;:ees, eKHhat,have' 

.. ': Ir'l"!gfste're-d ::md iiU'dierltkat~d vla 'Regi~tratroJ'i of Mi:lst' Everyone: .' 

. (-eAlJth·enti(,;~ti~n}, ... r~~ ~o~t~t ~i!.I·~~~OI.u'ag·~ !\eif:s~ivi2~ by, prO.i.ri:dIIi~<an: . 

easy to lJse, qynamic sn:viro.nmel'lttnat sl'Ie-orripa'J.s€s the rul!"sf'ectrum'of 

~ge~cv s'li!rvi~': !YI.ySQ~I~IS~Cul'"itY'\oVm·al$<i·!i~~\le as-a ·Pl.atfQ.r~ t~ i~f~'rm, 

the j;:iubli~ about.chal'lges, il~w online s¢l\iices/ rie:w ~eglJ!a1J0l1s. 

~nd m(!r'idat'et> that ~ffe-ct them. In Mditi6t'i, th~ portai wi!! D·ffe.r Tull.· . 

im:r:nedi"ri:~:~n.!in~.tustQm~; suppiJrt't~ et;tto-urag'e 'us-ers to ~~niait"! online, 

i~dudlng "'Id~o tl.Jtor)·a!s~ fA"Q.s; arul.tw?:w<:IV Co~.mu~jcatlOn$.I11(e·~!i~kto. 

~hat.an·d s{)cu;e erfl~jl;This·projed,a!igm'i,"!'Vah th~ agency s: sen/ke 

s.tr,at~gv b'l ptoltidihirthe-'user a tral'lspai-ent~ comprehensive and . 

. :' 5~R5-~lhlat~d~ie~ on~:orfry~tiQI'I~',!,-,ith <li';:C:~s:<.: to·m~it.i!Jle SS.A·:5e·rvke~ vi~: 

.the.-p-on:aL .'; " ..' . 

A w~.b ~er .... ke that wilt b,e !\\ .... olu~d by·t~e MV 5:5A app!k<lti-6n to: 

.. ,d~te'n)']i:ne vi.rhi(h-.t<'lbs t~ d~5plav-~o ROME" regist€fed/duth.e.!"'!ticate-d :'. 

·i::L!s·to~ers:.b-ased"·llPo~ user:roies, Roh~'s are- t~e ~a'b'dillpfav codeS' from 

the apPIk:::1ti¢11 and ar~·u.sE~ itt de-t~rmini~g'whidj t':1b~ wfil n~ed to be ; .. ' 

dhplayed •. Msrs: wifi. be'deployed using thE! 051:5 s't.:indard z/OSr SOi;aTis' 

cl~pl~y:tn~i1t Sl:rltJts.: ~s't~ I~ a'ItE~rful' ~ert.'i·~e·~tcess~bll:!'fW~ a~y' 

p!"!tfcir~ c:.apabIR.ol, making a HVp'$rt611t Trarlsfe~ Proto(.ol (HTTP) c-illl; It 

wm:not,h,ave:~my.pu;rogin, se;:~~Ety fl~td~, <lrtd·ca'i ~Ml. finmat.wllnle. 
119 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.089

Appi1catlon lnformatlon Report 

"My SQci-al ~~t:u:ri~'~ ~uite ~f.~H~.nt.1;'Ippl~{;aHci-ns.: 

'Autom"ted sv~tem ?i?Viding'e'SffCO"trO~1 .~nd~m~.~".-g@~me"j 

,An Intran€t appfication that trac.ks:.Ut!gil~ion·Case5 denied by aHA that" 

COS. l~.re· n",~w ~s'~ign~~ t~ ?GC~' ~O!S~b<1se·~.· 1t tuns on a U~U~: S~l~rj.~: Se·rv~r • 

. .. ~:" : rDat~ l!> !ltored in Oraclln:Jatab;;]$(!. . : :. ..".". 

~--;-,~~~~~~-:-,~,.--.-~~ . ..c+-C-'~i,; i\"r~~et b~;;J appikation whkt, COO";;'5.01 a eonsofidati;;;;-~~ii 

".. : tdisabilit~ lI~nd.qr.j:Jata.·rep~slt~ries. i~e.~.fient-~lif:s'i!:~rth fer I:lr~v~cll;;fs of' 

ODS"" 

ODS .. 

. mediCal h~form'ati~t1 vIa il r-O~ust sear~h aj.'ipllarice:t.hat dis~!a'iJ~ the' 

r€su!ts of ~elev!i!u::e). and prese!1ts ~'ata .in 'a'~og1Ga!,I weir organized; ar;d 

(:olisoHd!ilitiOti of the" DDS 1~8i'l-CY \t~"rjdi;ir"ij!e:s whj'C~ ~~ "" 

lme!lkal Jl~-oViders ~ti~ ~th~l'yen~o!"$ t~~t;~~PPci!t its" dfS~~i~ltY prot:~S$~5 

l

and a:ppli~ations into centraiile'd, s:ervicf! tiaSed". " """ " "::: 

" ~ata ~t6I"e; t~e ~i:!b ~~,I\I"r~"~~ Pr'OVi~"~~ t,he"1~OIS an"d "f~n:tt~oi1"a"ri~'o/ requ!~ed '" Ito .. upportthedata"rE'qur~e:l"I'mnts~c.r ca~~,pfrJces:sil'1g_:" \ ::, 

~..,-",,~_~~,.~~_~:c.~~,_~~~~-+~~,_ ,c~~' ~'~_~~' '~'_~~'~"~'~' ~_.c.~_~ 

"" St!~~e de"v"e!op;ed,a;nd"l}l3i~tajned" a'pp1i'Ca~ion used t(l"prQ~ess 

fe"clerCll "dfsabUi " c'.ases. " " 

To p"tcl'.Jicie earnings inf6rrnatt.on from the M:a;<;t.er Eami\lp':5 file ~Oi'" 

~eq"~e~t;o1"s f~"~m ilt~e j~ .,,'t_!ems "(~r'lfor"c~m~~t Rnd Bendellianrl"th~ :Offj~e 

.. ~{ ,Child Support a"n~ E:nf~rc:emel1t (O~S~) " 

P.rO\li";e~ .:fmeai1s of ele(;ttonj~ (OIptl.l're. ~nd s;tor'age bf'non "' :' ," 

svstem;gene~r.ttecl an:l~acts (r~h,rt~i:l to t:l~i~S ~f~"')"~~'t~t! N~n~ disab!llty' 

~~l!..~E.§.i.!Q!I~,-'~ ______ ~~.~ __ ~L __ .---,-_,_" __ ~~_~~ 

, ,This is- a- weliSeNicE!' cre<!tl?d to provid-e OQP "and the Regions , 

"'" :' , IWlth N[iNHdata wn~~'"requ~5ted:"rhe l.lser"wili m<lke a"r~que'5t f'or N:Otm 

6C5E,:~~q!.iei;t S~n:it~ """" : "' "" " OASS!~, ~at"al~ the "~p~ w~I"! go t~::O"~Ej;' Web$~r\fr~e:" ~etr"ie:ve t~Ed~fmmatiol"i"~~d"""" 

__ ~~_~~_~ ___ ~~"~_,_, ""~.~~~.~ :"_~i::~: t~ t~e_~s:~_~~?r~~~:~~~~t S:iC~~~:t,i~~~_~~_~ 
120 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.090

Appilcatlon Information Report 

TEtil1i!::X~ daiman-t$'who maY.have e~~ni~gs'fQr s'pet:ifh:: period:!l of~~me,!f 

.~n~i~id.~al is- .Io~.at~d aft~~ tol~r;;m~~s'are: .appll~d~ alE!rts"are g£ln~!'a~:ed ~o 

fie~d -I?ffkes for hivestig~tii:m:: . 

O~ic:e 01 ~~ar.ing. a~d ~pp.e·als ~ase:~~~bl~ : 'OAS-SIS Pr6:dLl~es tM~. report's:o"n :a monthlY"and. quarterly' basis>. 

:?Y'§'~~~.2.Qrts :..'....:.~....:......:_.....:....~~·~~....:.....:....".........:.....~.u,..:...~ _.~.;. _u~~· _"' . ...:..:....._._. ~~. ~. ~...:...~._.~..:.:~~.........;~..:......~....::........._~"~~~~_ 

· C~ptur.e- and Validat€ Of:frd~I·Urri.9ri Time wmketl by.A"F~E 

. . . . . ." ,. 

OHA"~asel~O!1~rQ~ Sy,=s't~" SIJPp~.~5.00A~ :wo-~ki(la.ds, (}Id.lega~v "applicatkm t~ ~{! r~t!rnd ~V the end 

-'~--.~--~--: .. -""":-:""':'--.. -'-":"'--."':"'.~' ··~·':"·'":"~I.Th~:l%-ir·~~~;;;R;~~~~~~t;~·;~;;fu;~;~\~~~~d·~te .~;:~~~~~~g;~y 

· Tr-e~sury rnfGr"!ati~~ data'f?r required prevIous years'; Data ~5.sent. to'·' .. 

OR,I, 

bR~S·fo~.r·eport P~~~~~'atio~, . , ., 

Ofl:S sto~e:;.a .copy·ot.:! n6tic~ tflat !~ sent to ~ut!"ber"ho!d~fS: (~Hl whJch 

the=fteld'("SSA 0sel's} tan fetrie.ve tn-help in tH'I:;we·ring.~ue·~ttons in . 

'. iElt~rv~f!w.;> ~~ ph~flfJ ~~!t~:' Tn·e. ~i~ld '<=ah,~I~~ ieq!,J~$t:a b~t~~: ~~pfl~t o.f the 

Enf~r~~~i.~n·(lr.IEI\'~. prC:vides t~e.~~pi1~!Hty to a'~"C~5$'a for~i'!tt~d PDf of. 

the St;irtemei11 ahth:ha.rlge 'deUvery preference, (on!ine or u~~, mail) fo-r 

St~tenient data:.The ~ystel1! Wi(t also sen'd:~~ ~ut'omated emaii'remlt'Jder: 

of! a VearlY.baSis to remi~~", t~~ us~r t6 Ch~~k their. Statement f~f~rmatiOrl 

, Allows; us~r: tQ reinstate W2:ttem.s wlthm;ltJ.~·oing l!1tO lCOR.:Oe-signi;'d fo-r a' 

.,·Ie"rir:afthat IS w6rking:On.an t;;>mp1Qyer lev~!' not:;;)!) in.divid~~t t~,,~i; Th~s 

: .uies the ~a~e .t.o~e, as t~~ !'.ysp~115e querY/relnstat~'tnat j~ tise"~ tr.l.ICOfL. 

~'---~~,~~~ ~--

· 'PS!VlI~PS is the major sv~tem that receives the fil"e for.the OPM Catcn.62. 

M~tch file", psMiRPS'madul~ US4SV3P that .. .. 

~r'oc~5~~!; this file.·p'rovid·e M}'!itarY ~~~dlt 'Iltro t~ O~M, . . . ....:~-=-~ . .:.-:.:..,........:.....:.-'-----. ...::~--, ... ~-.. --...;.:....----=-----. .:.....:.....-~.-.~.--. 

CSWEflRMN Md'CSPOBRMN tJroduce an alert tile f~r XEROX 

f;'.r' ,~e'rtain ~e~~fi.dari~s" who r~I';'~I\le.b~th. di.satilitv .a~d I~'r re:tirernent' 

benefits and . .a·dvu s~f\lice p<!'nslcm. tSGPORMN prQdu-ces an'~lErt file: for' 

.~ ~erta.ji"l b!.'!.~etid<lrles Who ~~elv~ RS.! b~n~~1;1-. 

PSMrR.PS f~ the. major 5YStt!M that r.e-ceives, the: file fOT: the'OPM/MBR:' 

Medicare ~at~h,.~Qt!u·,~·~:i851 vip· that p~~~esses' thiS: fiie'i~' an ~n·nl.lal 

job'to p~ovhl~ ~~Dl~ARE.ii1f~.t~ OPM ... ,· 
121 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.091

AppilcatlOn InformatIOn Report 
122 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.092

Appilcatlon Information Report 

,The P,()z:~en,tlt!emerit MSl?age"01-ent fl1formatjo;):I~[MI).projec~ 

~as evetopecf as pa~ ofth~·P"rogr.a'in.Beri@flt~ IV1crderni1:~~}on 

!Proje·cf,:to.a~t!reS5 th~'PErVlI n~eds of lJs'~rs t~.~~ugh,?ut th~ 

SSA:.::ommuflity;: P"EMI provide~ 1;lr;.1talled-"ahd. aggregate receipt/ p.ei1dil1S; 

~!}·~·(~e~ralii.':i;!·d~t'a; :<1$ ~e.I!,.M oth-e( ~!·~f~gil': 'a~ l:.'i(:ti:C~~ Iyn f~r- ~l;U1Y 

Title'U and'Title:XVll'i£ tran!"a~t!oris prheessed -lf15SA,field offices (FO'S) 

'otess"i!1g cente-i's (PC's-). The data enahles·SSA managers to make 

n,s "regarding s:~!\ 'statfl~g;.~udgelt ttainiligt.~~rk a]IQcatiQ~s. and 

(i~ iC(,~~tol. T~·~ prog~ammlltj'::,$v!>tern ~6lirc-e~ fmm ~"!dr PEMi 

"PI'·d.,t. ;nd,i<le' CIC, T •• fIt'.1C1CS), Debt Mal'!agement (OM), 

actioi1~ ~he object prt)gra~s. have taken that affed an~ 

R, These ret'or:ds ate U5€d, by PSPEPE ~i.'.l·wado,&e f",:ld*,r 

~tmty for Q~!c!{ Disabmtyp.~.~errr!lna~i'(!tl {QDOr: 

pe'~ hy IBM -.use'c!: ~'!. Ep'C;S to "score" fniti.il dis:abji~ty c:a~e5 to 

iet !f a qulck.d~tgrmi:naiion carfbe niade by th~ ODS, 

The SPN!T'will pt6vlde'~.fr~mll!:wDrk for (.isl~g One ~'pplicatiotl to.tlefil1~· 

t:~ek e,!~"P~ ~s~~ct, (l,r ~rojec:~s'~o~ ,p~.-:tf~I~~~. It will i~e,~~~'~,t~!I"'( ~~ 

replace or integr.ate -with 'existing fools·sLu:h.Cls VISOR/ 

c. SPMT will. provkle. ~'roject'Manag€mcnt fl:m~Uotlaiitv 

<01$ ~r~a ing fT pro·p~sa.IS; .rY.~ving pl'Clposal'S t~rO':lgtl i1n .~~pr<?1(:81 

iso'!er MI f('i~ field ~ffk.e 're-celpt~;pe!1d~ng <'l:nd 

Aiso'pto'lides ~1 on priSoner 5ubm'i"!isior1s' .and incentive 
123 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.093

Appilcatlon InformatIon Report 

PCAtS i"s a~ or'dim:? .. intR~3tth.!i! Naficflal (::ise toritto! S\fsti!m ' , 

sV$tem~ .. ll~iso provides enh~lited'i:ll1d oCt'JI''l.5o!ldat.ed maM-gel1'1et'lt 

II{L~.'W~~kfi~~. sv~te·~),. ~·s~tl,'~Y·.th~J'st;s, t~~t ~'~btrols a~'tft~~tk~ P$C 

::',~~:.,;S,~~:,:,I:~~:'.~~d, :~~r:,~:,e,',~~i:,!~~~n,.','~·,P, "r:o

g

, ram, ~~,,~~~, a,'.~,:~I~:ns,' ,g," ~~,'.;~~.a,t,:~d=""by 

1-~·,..,-_~'-'-____ ~,_~~-'"c __ ~~4 __ -'-I",i"",jo",r,"=.t,,,",w"~. ___ =~'=-,_', _' __ . . .:...:' :' the PrO-Ci!:';$-lng Cent~(Attibn Cbrit~uLS\lst~ri! 'Work Samp!i"hg (PCAtS) 

tra"cks .actlon5F.vh~ sa~pling;tQ' ?~t~rmin~ the t¥.pes··ot attivfties and 

~CtiOt1~ p~r~ofmi?~ i~ the: Pr~~e5s1nti(Ceiitefs. 'th~ fe5ulti~g.d~ta.of 

Samples and Rosters"isthen ;;?ni into the Pfoc"essihg tenterM;:mag-ein"ent 

~l'1foril'l.~ti{)n- (§7CMIj": ' " 

~(]\,,!ns -a:~eg.a~v .wo.r'~. me<l$l:Jiert'l'~lii ~Y$teril fb~ ~h~ Ptocll":!s-sing .cl:!hfer$. H 

cap·t1.:.1r-es· aiid sto.res. worJd6~"d·co\mt:s.fra~ the Pl".ites~,rlg Center Att'~~ 

C~nt~oi Sv;te:~ (peAcs) an:r.i"work samplIng "taffies f;om PCAts W6rk 

SilmS?~~ng (yy~}, ~v~t"em .~~d.·.s.t~r~s tti~ ~~ita in .Q:~2 ~a~a~ase. T~~ ~a~~ i~ 

"--'~-'-:---"-"-";";'-:~-:-;--'--'c-;;..,c_.,.-,-.,,-_c."--..,.-+~---i::o~:=~~S:~~~::::::' ,bVP::,.,,;n

s 

'.n_~~J._~" __ _ !P.~S·'is use'd' nati6nW!d·e.'t·o··sch~d·ule ~~d" tra'~k'the pr~gre~s. oi 

l~~~?\ha:r~~.a:~.'a~d S?~t~~~~.l'~fr~~h~~;;t,~r?~~it~~ 

Web-Sphere; ba~€:d:applkatl0r!"that ilI!OW~ the TS-C a~"d fO 'pe:rson~ef to 

req§.l~~~ formsfp~'f!lp~let~ on.the publ!t's·l:lehalf. !h~'5~ p}:~inplilets ate' 

p(j~1:~~ byqj~im ~o·n~r~:ttorS. yerio:o" prOVjd~~ ~he ·?tJtom.:I~N1 ~~h~tih(ln~' 

JA.VA bas~rlllti"litY..that ptcivide-s COm'm\lhlcatlQ:M·I::u;rl:we-en the 

E!ect1"~nl.c·Fo~de~ and .D!c~~~!~~R· applka~i~n'~" , " 

Queries of :varim.iS .n1ast~r fjles'are' l"etUl'n~clti:J. the sctei:!n or sent to'a 

prbit~r. o.u'e·ri~s:jtist read ~he data'and dfsplay the. infofm:atlq'n',: (ie.: " 

aanKS~(}t;, tU; I~~ ~HU~I :~EU\,rHI~l; OR·SIS. dQ~$ not ,?W!i a!l.q~er1e"5: i,n. thi~ 

C~!fecl~. ~;!t~'ef~tf'ln.l~lIy·dMa fl'or:n.initi€ll dai~~ ~pjlli(;~t!o~? 

usi~g !?MU st;;h1-d~rds ~nd trf!ate~ .. e;Kt:r~n;·t 'a:n~'~I"t~pt}rt for: stat.isti~al' 

SSA witli a rueni Trust fund information; 

RaHro.?d· Board Audit ~;;itc~~ S5ft payiltent it;f~i"maticn: fr.(J~ 

the MSR and trltic~1 Payme'lifsyster:n's- to paYments·at·tu'!!!!". qe-ing·ma·de 

b the f(i::!it"ro~d Soard: 

l~is IS an-o.nlin,? sljste·rf.; that fOi"~.a~~ a ~E!·qLi·est.to"i:~~ta!h;1 . , 

,soclal.sec·uritV MBR 'directlv from."SSA, Thls informatidn is,·u~·ed. to callJla:te 

tn!? t~Rra.ad:t~e~: 1 pOI'~h)n of, th~'dnl1.ui~:.·The:JADE·$-ysit":m.jS a.dir.<:!<:t r~'altlm~, dat~'.ex·'ha~-ge t:Qmn-;un'kat'ii:m link between se~erai RRB.ap~Hcatkm 

I sys~~ms. ~.~·d SSN~ 

mal"liframe. 

:(:omput~~:tl1e 'mont~ly be.rH'?fit.amtlunt (MBA.) f?t~2 

-'--'--.~~L...~-,-,--"b"e""n","f"ic",i.",rr",es,-,f",oflC and P1: • .o..:..~. __ ' _' _'_' ~,~c.:...~_~_~ 
124 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.094

Appilcatlon lnformatlOn Report 

1''''''''''C''C:-':",'-'-'c''''C'''~~'''"~"2-''-''''"''""C:"":""''''"1""",=CL:~~!~if£:!Jo~<"~~~~:,~{~~~j2;j~ ;":.,<, >:~,2~~':~.C:~2~:~~s·L:~~. Validates trar';s.act,,)n~ ftJr (;ht!-~k debits CHid aedit;"payineirt 

I·o .... e;·ca.~cen~,tfon (Pott 3~~ dv~cks ~'~e~ 1.4- ~Ohths:~I.cl: 'fI'~EDh: ~~Ii~ates .. f6r~at5~ re~ects ~rwali.d·data a~~ creates a dai!v rep-ort,: 

EFT int~rc~pt~~.hold ch~cks;:~~t~rn,tt1e~k~.~·n~ ~n~vail~~les· .. RCRE~.Kl·N'"· 

l?R5IS: ed'jts ~'!1(( balarttes the- inpu~:fite$< -The: re'''~d~'ar'e''i'~fonYI~tt~d ~~~ :se~t . 

". ." toRCREACL ::". , ." .. 

~~J "~_" ,"""~" ~"'"" ~": ~:~_:~"" """"~" ""_ Ott~lS B~lls ~n~ c'cintmf~ T!t~e ~rand lithO! XV~ d-ebts for ~er!riin~te~:' . 

. 2-,,_~ __ ~~.2-,,_~~+-__ "~~b~e~n~efi"'lc~tig~i~ipient~'H'_""" __ " __________ " __ " __ =-~~"-~~ 

.. , IUptlate'and control Title Ifand.rme XVtmNpayments, TrEl5t 

. '.' . . 

~ep P:riV·e-e:'AC:'CO.~l1tt'ng E~c:ePtlo~'"-'-.~'--~ bAsSIS 

Ifun'~ 'Jou~rlaling "l,t\~c~~nting~~. ·B~ne.fi~i.~ry Not~~e~ '~nd F.~Ii:I~r 

Documiaht:ation. 

~a~ of ~!I¥~,. Pr-oc~s5es:"!"~~1~arll;:e da1a:"f:o~·;:m. ~!Jto!i"l,at~d ,st~!"lntn~. , , 

: procl?!!s In the MATPSC as well as" data: keyed via OMS 'screens'to prQih..ic.e 

·r-e:(:o·rd~:fO-r. upda~e t~ the: rme 11,'iH'le:xvl, RECOOP a!1:d teo ~·Y::ltem§. 

c;-on~ro:15 d"~~elo·Pme~t.of ~~e~~io!l:abhi !~f~rm~tio" on RP 

I:R:-:,,~p"""a~.-c"e-:!)C:O~W-o-rk-Io-a;i-A.~ort~"·-:-~~~"-'C*o-;-A::::S"S:::ls,-"-f:n:-:."';p;ca~e;e:WMS!istin !!.3nd. !.l~fTe~.· ~~-~ 

benefiJ::iiu" Payments .: .. _" _" _______ ' __ 

. firol~-"jJeriorms bl,mket corh:ctl-onsto employer, reports (W3) wherE: th~" 

s@me,inf~rm"atian !lik~ tlie:EIN o'r re-PO!t year} is f(l:cor·;ed:-on.e~ery: : 

·'hdiv.rdtiaJ rep·o.rt (W2) with,i~ t~·~:~~p-!f.W'e1 r!,!'f?ort~ :These (;lJr~ei,:tiom ait:;' 

'~.e.f!~ctt:!d ori.the.!"l~F, ,.' " ." "' 

.~~---:~~_" _"_: _" -' ___ ": _"" _"C __ " __ " __ "" " 

,~roij~c~"S "MI.~ui:nm~f'{·rep-ort~ ,r:eflectit?g: aetiyity in ~~O" !~orn 

end. 

Provides o-ffjcl!.h~ra.rthv lnforMatlo~ fo~ r.~meh:~Lls MI. Central 

. andntherapplicalions. ~" ~""" __ . "~"~"~" "~"~-:-:C-~-=:CC-~~4 

~es~~ft:e' ~ccvtjnting5Y5terri/Main:!~'a~e' 9~~A~' .~llow,; ~ort~~ Ce1ilt.ure. of DtS e~,,~oyee'~~urs cha'rg@d to ITABlime am! Attendanc~§1~~m~~~' ~"_:-'_: ~4~-.....'-I",."",ro",v",ec[p~s, 

" " 

.~--~---~~"---~~~--~---~--~-~---

ORSIS: .. 

l'~l~ ap!?ljtatj0r:-1;6~1 aU,?ws',th:e: pU,blic.tn come, in',,":18. ki:1~ 

aUfl;!:Hm~atkm ar1.d ~o"-e'stimates"~fth~rf P?$!iibJ:e. retir£!merit.il!"cort'!e,·Th-~ 

,21ppflcation W~II als~ <::lliow t~os-e "U$ers to.gEt ~h~! • .esth"n.at~~ in Spal1l!i-h. 

This dailys"\?S1em p-erf.orms iic(;:Qunting fundkms and p.~:o-dul:es 

daily ~nd'mo~th!¥, r~ports. Th~:~<,!jIV .rep-or~s s~ow,the d~bjt an'd'credit 

N/ 'orting for rlie- da . 

, Se"nd$ f'lot.'!-(t!~.eirt;,st;'Jp pavrnen:t."ani:! "p~O.ttH:OPY ri:l.q;ue:sB to ORSIS tr·ea.sur.,; pr~cessep.~i:count5 fecehi~bl:", ~te"r:ns from Ti'e-asuryi.p(;s·an~ 

Field Offices FOs'" 

OStS I='rovide-s pub!k and third-partY users witli the ability t"" 

. ~ __ :~ifp!!1~Ie-t~ tfl~~~~.~)~J)isai!.Httil!~QQr£t~:§~j.?:J~~i_~njll'\e~_~_~ __ ~_._ 
125 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.095

Application InfOfmatlon Report 

~ Q.!$:f!fI!~.tQn, ~:'·~~~j~3~ '·;>:.ii:.i£~~2:j!~~~~2~L~~·:L REAP hand~e'i! earnin@sadjl.!stmentworkloads. 0:hkts €.:a:nnot be 

Ipr;.u;:esstl'd"thr~(J.f:n:oth~' alrtQrn~t~ct·~Y-"tE,>m.s~ yh.ese itld!"!d~} bl.!t-~":~.\lQt 

Ilmjte~ to, t.ng W2C -proce5s, 7~liJ affsets;.~~eJ~~mj:z~d .C·oi"rectiofl ft~OR;' 

and Report CDrrJ':~tion'(RCQR} systems:. 

Debt M"'hage-ment ROAR<:as-e S-eltittioh tot"".i",;' ~~cSAN~C ·re;~~ive~.di'lily :fI~ft5. t~:at t'irig!n;':!te with f!nMdat it1'S-.ti~lItj~s th;a~ 

are 's-ent to SANOC:frum:tmi Federal R~5f'r .... eJ3':fnk tljt~ugn rre'a'sury'",ylth 

rd·i~ect.di?~~S!t enr~l.jrrie~~s .a~d·corr,e~tfO.~S. S~N'OC ~Yi!dS:~~tC'~ ~~{,):5 that 

me- s~nt ~~.T16 for update of the .s$~ ant! to rl.for u.pdate (if the.MSR.ln 

adC!!tion·f.'~'-hefl a da~e-:Of d{lat~'i:,! ufJ.dated.~nthe: MBR for.a T2 'b-e:liefltlary 

with direct depo~it. Oi.:J0gX :S~I"!~s·a flle' ~o SANor;; which if! t~m1~.s·enii~·~ 

notifi-cat1ol1\o~ck through'Trea'~ury in(~e!1:v~ry to. t~e firiancial [ns:tit~tl0n. 

Tiii"s cqmmimicaticlli ~eives as m:itific-atjofi (j;f the. dea~h d tI~e beneficia.f'i 

~~-d th:e' b"ar:'K. US~S t~is.~n·form~tion.to:clO$t:!:CU~ t~e b3n~ ~c:count,' 

lans in th"" D~lIas R~gi~):I'''',. SASRO AF captures the numb~r of 

Slu;tessful ;::m.t:l' fai~ed req!Jests 00 5A~Fl:O trans2lt:tiol"iS to d€~errri!n€. what 

ir1Tormatitlri SSA l,!i:ets i:I't:e~'s ' 

Seartll of the MbR ahd:"Eamings.MUltX"dat;b:ases for dai~.at1t5 ~ecEivil)g 

ml,J~tiple b.:on~fits·fromti'!e ~es!)etthte systems.. Matches a~c:.<lferted and 

s:.e~t to Enf.~rcemeiit·Operations.for pos-!;fble ben-efit"ehfor!:eI"i1e-nt. 

rhi.s·.Wi:;:ard kjnten~ed to liel~ a Contr.ading Officer.Tc'~nit.al ' 

Re~re:S~l1ti)tll.l¢.·l~-qTR) ~~(:otJn~ fo" ~t;t::a~:si~iHt)t in :p.~tcfla;;es: ~rE;'!;',I~.et.t~l'l:ri 

$3))00:. If is used to ~reate'tf!e requlreQ·Settl(m. 

508 CompH-af!te ~orm.for· SSASy'dl~t a t'~rotFadlilg Offi':~r (~O) 

will ht! resp~n51bl.e for re\,1fewing, 

Su"p"pm:ts S08 d.eterminatkil1s:for mlcro~purchas&s ~. ~. ~ __ --'---'---

?~~p~rt~ pefe~\ ~eporti)1g fot.S~l:;t~Qn SQ~ (0091}i:lflf;'e 

.-.:~~=-~-,"--"-.,-_c-:--'-"-I::-::=cc-I-:,E\I'ajuatiGl's ~upport5. ~~LiHn'g of i:lp-pf()vah.!o~.SE':ction 5.08LJnd\le Bu!den 

Wa1 ... er~ 

SE'ture.Messaglng is a cummol1 component developed to. allow 

SSA: Agency: repiese~tatiijes to I;;-6mmul'Sitates-ecurely wltn othc'r ~tat"e 

and governmknt re~r~s-entativ~S=. a~ 'well as medica! !!,rovide~s. 

-,---~~. ~-~~~-~-~~-~--~-~"~-~-'~-~-

The Tu~d:ioi1 of this 5-vs~i:'lm: is'to adju;,f.the e:~l'liing5-l'eco~d5 f!lr !l~lf~. 

emproyetl iodivlduals who"tlave han the wages <.:fdjusted as:a res.1J1t 'ora:n 

lRS action U.e"~Yclft> et~.) 

1

1tle ~EWR application is-met!" tn,ensure.tn~t th~, -eamlrigs iHld wag'" deta 

~f self~,=,=~p1~v~d i~.di~iduaIS re{:ei1/!l'~ ~ro~'!RS rs c-o·m,,:r.ted ].rlto a ~se~.~le 

~fp:I"~.at.~~d p~sse¢ on ~5:jiip~ t9 th~ Em'!=*)yei B,::!ial1d~g 'Svsten? fC!r 
126 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.096

Appilcatlon Information Report 

Socia! SeclJ'ritv: Number,Verification Service 

Q~!!,~~-'-."~-'-~_~~. ___ ' __ ~_:.c~ ____ ._ 50d21 Sa.curitv. Nurtib"er V~rificatrot1 service 

MI 

OEIAs 

DEEM 

OEEAS 

Scn:iaJ Security Stafemerit M! 

n provides: a.. me,an-s for,ensuririg requlrementof 

have been docume-rited .. md apptov-ed for 

ITh~ st-o"pe of. the SPS project is to. provide a"national system" 

thaf Wili"automate ~tl~t'fl~V fee':p~yineflts·i;in~ ~th~~ Title If p~~~eni5 that 

(;<u'ln~t, ~e m.~de:thioughthe,.rllrr~li~.1~itle lI.svstefn .. The.:~.ati~~at:SPS 

sy~·te~ ~~Jrc~n.5i~t of bot~ ~nl!rle'anQ.~afcn~tO:ces~eso 

Arol:hitettlir-l'ls thl'et suppdtt~' pr¢~e§~,to·g~!:her tlnii translTiit a"ll 5sA 

I

" ... o~~-ce .. .5. t~.at· ~eq~.)r~. ~h alt~rn.: ~t,~Jo.,~~a.·t ( .. ~~.~.i,i!~~ ~ud~o., ·CD l ... g'.,.PT ..i,:"" Thes-e arch1tectur-e's prOCi<!S$ ahrltr~inmit SSA notices flightly' to d 

~()n~rd:cti!cl.\Jen~O-~ 'f~ p-~oc~~s~ng -and ~nilf~. 

--~~~~. ~~~. ~-~-:=~:-:':::-I 

~.u:t.Qm3te!l ~<I~a ex.chang(l be-twfl·~n'state agency (HS, we; ,[Sf 

wq an~ S~:~:en:plo9'~es-"Authoi"~z,ed. S5A ,~t:n~I.oy~es query ... t~te ~€ne~it: . 

jn.fQ~~~tfoll ,to·en-Su.fi:~ th'1lt pmp:e~ SSA ben"efltS·:1:fr~·pai·d to i.ts.recipien,ts·, 

vjde.5- MI on'nb:rhp'ers (if c.a$e-$ defecte-d In' theie S"SNL iF 5 st~m. 

IJr.Qfi'~~_~ ___ ....:_~~~_~_~.~_"':':..:....:._~.........:.....~_. ________ ~_.:. 

Tht!: S.S;,N~~ Mi !?fi:I\J~~~!;:,~umrrlary .in-!t?r~~'~ion .for the Inter.net " . .' 

I

S$NVS ~pplrc~tiO~,. Thfs ~yste!!l h,dud'e~'tHe followf~'gJ'/!i approyed ' 

" ~,·("!It. e':t."i.e;·.l .... ). A.·. in~,in.:: .. r .•. ~~. D. 62' :ela~iO!l. ". ,I. ct." .. ,," .. b.'. s ...~'.~) St~l:.~atd. r~,.p~, .. rt.'\s c:reilt~d on, an orso st!'f'JerI 3) i3rlo ~nti!rprfse 5.erver, " ,." 

SSA.accounting· system 

SStJiVi-s used ~y st<:lte:1V'!0toTVehicle Administration:;; to verify 

S~~s. before ·tss~.n,ltM::7 cf a:.dri\(ers.lkens~" ?f:lcl.~ritlty:ca~~. 

S-ocial. SeCt.lrity:~tate.me~~s ar~.:Serlt.to·workers 25- arid oide~ 

and not in pay'. the Statem'erds il'ldud~ e~rnings. hist!lfY ana estirnat~s of 

the $o"ci.al· Setu~iti ,be~l"ifit5-'workers, ~nd th~ir f~m·illes·tarl.mqied"tQ ", 

.Ioo,-moy r."(lrds s:~mt" demographics, WEF':"GPO~ and" m~fluai re'v!i:'w: 

presented.as we~ldy and ":dl'eru.ta~ month 011 EMiS fOf 
127 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.097

Appilcatlon Information Report 

This ~J'p'!i-catrO!'l pr~t:esse\t~e ~pe-dal Disabilitv. Worklo~d 

The PS2·SDW Control .Fife is updated. d<.!Uy.wlth data" frqm 12: 

IDE; Th~·SDW.(orit~QI File I:; U5'~~ to ge~erat~:a·rr·a:I-ei't.:(m the MC~ 

The- S!"fO Web ServitE'!.provides a m"ecnalii5m for appHcations 

to retrievi! SNO .. !nform,ation.Jhe s~rvjc~.provid~s·the.fol!owil1g two . . 

~sel:;l to"retrievoe·SNO"informa.tion- based of"!;i .claimant (il::wunt""mim.ber 

!{COS·SN1. qet B~~I(.lfifb~nJa~lo:m fo~.qt~e.~· U~~d 't~ retrieve sNQ··· . 

jnfGf~at!IjI'i'~a5ed ~m a'n!;lm~~r h~kl€!r s S~Cjal Si:!curity N~mbsr'(f\!HSS~) and a b.e'i1efi"clarY.Tdent1ficatk:lI'1 cllcle·(BICj_ 

l.~.i~ ~p~l.j~a~l(m:~i!I. fm the ne<;>'Il. fer an -ove~ar:chlng 5~<'Ite!N 

th~t foJlows- deliv"eli Q(riQti~~:5:in' Braille, MS' worr.l fifes/ CD,. P"filltedl 

Certtfiad"·Mall; 

Thi~·svst.em ~u:HLJsts'i:"he Speclal Wage P<lVtrif!!1t (5WPl field.on.the Master 

Ea~nings file. The-.sW?!s ~n .amo'Unti>aid by an employe); tcit fOflliet 

empl"9y·erl.'tQ afl·emlJloveej~l'·servkes- peiforrried'ii'l~a prior. y~ar or"Y~i:'l'rs. 

ft m~lntairts orbit fil~s.'wnlch kel'!p tl'.<'Ick. of. th~ Notl"Retelpts) Phptaco'jlles 

~.nd S~O:P, ~a,V·rriel'lfS:~~ci.cess~tt:b·Y .Rt~E~CT. ~U::~~W~H.e·~P5l~i:CS th~ ~tatu:~ 

, o:~, t~~ NR.'s; ~H~'.s.and 5P'~ b~ pr~~.esslll~ ,(;,~~~~)" t{ld~s. ="' .. 

f--'--c~~----,-:,--,,---"c,,----'-~'-'~--~-"---'+"--_J.~,-,--.-_c~~.-'.:.c.c-._' ___ ~.,.c.:_,.~~c~~_'::'~ ______ ~_ [SASRO A[)HS:fs arl ~~t6m.~'ted ~~ta exi::~~fi.gE! appl~(;l'ttiof1}:letw:e~li.ss~ 

l

and A.r~~1"l.sa'ii·O~p-ar:tmE!"t. ~f Huo:,:!-n 5enrkes. Thi!re}idi~!"ige f~j!ow' " 

standard p:ata {xc:hange ·agreem·e"nt. The appllc:etion aUo~s auth~ize~. 

S5A -USN5 ~o'.,:lbt.ain thE! $t~::!te infurrriaUoill'durillg benefit in·fe~\!ieW5. 

, . , , ,.,' , 

SASROis·an.·ill.lt:timatecl-data exthan.g'e .betwe:eh a state rJ.i';encv·and SSA 

for th~ p.lirp~$~ or prO,!"idirig ~l,J.th().~lzed, '55-A. emp'Qye~:!i ·a.;:te'S-~ to :!l~ate 
128 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.098

Appi1catlon lnformatlon Report 

f"''::':'''"'~.i.~"''''-':'':''''''"':~'''"-=~''"'''":':":""'"':~";.''40:::: w","","'e",'~:c;.<' ~ ~!~~f~n"'~:~~~~lid:::':S::': '~:.L~;~~ ;< ": ,':~:2·:~':~_L::i:~:~~:dt~~'iZ' : .Edits ss~ Inpl,.Jts- "oline ~ni':l lJ-atch"\=lm:grams.."Online"!r . 

?S~Al/O~~~/S?'I.Vf~~ <'1~~' b~tc~ in' 

TITtE16/SSICORE/SSlmmni 

!hi$·a~p"itcati()l)· inp~ts trans.actions from T~ H,e. : ": :., 

I:lACO~/t)Uj)r::X):. c'!n,d.N~mr~~i'l~; ~h~ tr'u~5~~ion:s a.re, irl)JUt. da~IY., Thf~ 

funt~jOn. Si~i!rts~he.S.S~~~"'!lY'~~1"OFF.:Th~ van~~~tl~~s .a·re ed!~ed"~nd .' 

~fo(n"l~tt~cl in~Q' th~ n(l ~5f'E ~:l;~~-d~r~ format'i:U1(l i,,~~t tl';). ~~-e" ~atch p~. 

land fC u~~.ate·~~no:-tions.: : .' . :.." 

'Prod1JCES dia-r:y, files; on the Ml5J= that arE' f€ti to ChiNet for, lise- by t.he 

"!Chicago '·~eg!o.? ~O:~.d·i<ltv jiS~ln·gs:,'A"lsoj:trOV"ldes.'ari O~llne.v" "SA~ fiI;e"TOI' th;e: 

: ~~!,~'1i7 IfS~~~~.te~~~5ts, .... . .'. '." .: ;. 

Bbel< l~n'g 'data "i.s .input .~9l'1th·fy :Fr.o~y,,~ Dep~~me:nt of 

labi:n",via CQI~tled.olred,:Blac.k ~ung ~ati;'l·!:s. !Js~d.to·(;red·te·,:OS.FE, ," 

Trat'lsactiGft<:OI'\':e:t~e"i?5Pt tril.nsactlon:s;.OVE,',iUe-"bU'il1:, th~se.·.'· 

transactions fire iilputtlithe S51 ~aily cut,?f~ to"be. updated tn f~e S~R 

dat':l' is. u:pdat~:t~·th~ S~R. 'une'arl"le-d irl.co·me ~~trle:s are b.u!1t to·th~.SSR 

a~d"S.la(:k tunE ~.ata 1s upda~~.d to th~ ·M~S1CS·.Pt:nd.in~·r-ile-,." 

5sieP;th7:s a w~b-b~se,d jnt~~et system dtnrelojJ·;d.k;;=-a s)Jedfk M5SI-CS 

", lp;;'Ith .f~T·n~n~·ntle x0:e~piov'ee:'!ipetja!ist~ (L~:J 5e~1ce:, A"ep~es.e'~tativ~~ 

·i(5RSl:! .Teleser\rke Center Representatiy€s ·(TS:Rs).a!ld·--Titi~ n:Claims " .: ' . 

. Re"pre:se,flt~thl .• S.:{1,n.· C.RS.}»:i~,$treali'!110e.$ ~~e.~~rk pra'c:e$ie!l' ,a:nd ifl've5ts, . 

i~ valu.e-d .;;mpiove.es by pravrcllng them with the s:\?'e-daliz-e'cl t\;1:ols needed 

Itu work with' the SS! pui?fi~. to to~p'lei"e~as!ct tirl1e~y to d~te-rri:tlM: .. 

OASSIS ··I~l!gib. iHt!'~f~Ii~.i;lfi~S" l"nis ~roje~.~"~ht} i~pr.QV~:'i \'!(~~~d~~I,~~~" <1·n. d ~U~!~i;>. : !iervlte by r~ducrng.cllstomer re-: -co·~t.a-cts .. The'abi~ity ~o m~ke imni'e-d~ate 

~ l~nput ~nd.uJ)d~te5·at,th~ ~i,~st 'p~j\1t ~f -contact iin~.raijes ~Sfpri.1:gfa~', 

.1 ~:t!~::I~;e<lUe;"g over~.ym~nts and in,~easlng 5S1 p.v~en; "'"racy. 

OASSIS 

'IMatcHes, S5N's ';ubmitte~ bY·!ilW enft:lr'(em~~t .a~11c1e-5 

OASSIS' .through.iit·!~. lI.with SSR Mast€r'·flle. R~?!ies: S~'rt1't6 OIG:·",li·':;; 

_"_~. flgJ~1~_~·~~"~ .. ~_~·~~:~~_~~~;~~~:~,~~.~~.:.w~--':.~~~~~~. ~~'~c"~'~--'~"'":---"c"""C',c-"""""C"C""'c-c"""C·,~-_c_"t . (ontwls. On.e'time- Payments (OW'), fefund§.~ d01Jhle che-tk. 

l1egotiatfo~$'(DCNh .p-ayrnent:~i5t.ory charges;.nHLlnte~ c.hec~~; ~nd tn~lieg (h~cks- . .. . . 

Processes 5S1 ini"tial Cliams' . 

: .Tbe Immigration hitert'ace'Subsyst~m:recei>Jes dep.orting i'lflQ I~alling 

OA,SSIS' l.r~c~rdS ffO~ D~~olftm~~,t ~f H·o~e!~nd·Se'~ritY. ',DHSl thr~ugh ..:- .. 

·£ru.l.~era~ioli VAr~ficati~n SYsft."':m (EVS}.·.. ., 

~~-"--'-~-~'c-'~~-~"-"-"---c-c--c~f--~---- -" -" -"" -~-" ~. ~" ~"_. ---" -"-"" -' ~"-" -~-~-'-~ , .ri:le ,~Sl.l~conie Servl~e i.s·a'Web .SerVke using ~ava:a!id )boss ,'. 

SSt Ihcome Service OASSiS .. Dr~ol5 to- eval!fate' a~d po.st im:om.e..d~ta' to t~~.M~~!C.S: 
129 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.099

AppllcatlOn InformatIon Report 

SSIIRS Inte-riac{! 

OAsSo; 

S.$lQuer 

Qffice -of Chjld S!Jpportand'El1fa-r(';~ment Quarterly Wages ;O!nd 

~~~e'rnjj!oym~nt p·~ta.l~terlat~. r~js.q~a~terj.'tf.m~tc~ (W~ge Matth 

(!-CfW!\!lH Qtcurs~he end"a:f Mafch,l-Jurie}'S-eptsnd De(;o Di.lfjli:gth;§~efno-I')ttl)i. 0(:$1; w~g~,··ul1emp-!Qymefit.I~·5 109"9; 

IRS P'en~iOFl; ;Jnd M-Ef d:a~ ar-e processed. On,c thiS data:ii;; proces~ed. 

d.i~ries: ar~ paste::d ~o 1;he·ssR. Tney ~rl? as !oUows:"lR~ r:ENS'I~N (5i"!l" MEf 

(K6· AND K7) OC5c WAGE iSl).DCSE.UNEMHOYMENT..IU5) IRS 1099 (59 

POSTEilIN~EDETE"MiNAnON RI.iN·) . .... . 
130 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.100

Appilcatlon lnformatlOn Report 

Read~ $S~ Mast~r fife (monthly) to g~l"!:er~t,e'records -of SS:!·l'{!tipie~ts; 

::ldi~ri~u~~~.p~vm1mf~e,ra~ed c~,a·nge re~Q~ds t~·:h~.SO:X. and the'O:ai1v F~X .Stl.~5'istem~.~la:the ZOt Me. ": .-:" ".." ,. 

~~. ••• •• ..~. ••• • <. 

"The 55, Wor!<l"lad Ma"rlagement servke' holds w-orkloadltem ' 

ii1forinati"Qo~ f.:.r. us~ by the S51 $y~t~ms . .app~h':.<ltiom.,l'h~ initJal "Vrir5·i~tl}s 

behig:b~~lt to. SllPPQ~ A~ll\ete.a5~ 2 .Wo~lda8d ii,itl'lgs. T~l.s sefllice wilt: OASSIS .. fnitiaiiy bO. ,,,,,iSe" from·bO.th AFI "oct CICS MSSICS:.pplk'tion<IOr·tho 

pUfpose Of cre;;lting, stl?r~ng. and i1stln:g work items •. 

f-'--~~-;c,.~~·~~~~~'~""-~~-4~-· -.. -.* 55'. Fi;;;'~! file i~ ,."i"t;th:O.p'r;n:;;~tof t.b~i, ,.rom,j,.flndo, ~ •• 

. .::I;~D:data ext!:,ac~ Is"s.e.nt ~~tkto,~5Av~a':c?~f1~.ct:direct. o"n.~e,t~~ ?Ol? ' . 

. ' "inplJt,'is; fedi:wed:~s·l.lall'1 the 3rd Saturday ofthe motith tQua~er~", Feb., 

O~SSiS: M",y,.Aug.~·~"d NO\l,},.t~~ ~d~ j~b is ·trigg~l'~~ A~ aje·rt.'fH~. (~fo.rma~ed 

S·$f'l:. ~nd AR~ ~!nl"r~£O~ds.'[jre creati~~ Ttl1:~. ~~B '~ini retord~ and ~RB dat~ 

ar~ !.!!>etH6 treat-e:OS'PE Tr~I"l!>'3tti()l'\s."On:r:ethe D$PE t ... .atr~acti()l1~i dvs, 

.~r~.hUi.l~ ~.ne~e:~r .•. fI"Si:'l.Gti"~n.s ~.r. e i~put t~ th~ SS! ~:~.ilY C~.t •. ff t~"?e. ~~dat~~' .t$ the'SSR M.i'lstlJ!f. t!.1-cort:!. ~RB ttan$~i':tH;:Oh data; 1~.l.lp~a1~~ to thi)S.SSR" :: 

Unearned if!'l':omfl"'entrtes ?Ire buili.:~o tne :-" '" . , 

SSR ~nd:Ra:ifra2id B~~rd data is up'date~ to.the. MS5ICS' per:di':li:t .. 

.vA triln~ctiotl data is u~d.[Jted.ta the SSR; Ui"ea-m~d 

are .r.)llIi:i:.to,tJ-'~ 55'1i 'r!1d,V~ ~~t8'IS u~da~ed.t"t'l t~e. MS.~lts 

·1,.I$~d. t~ v~rlfY'5$N5 ~fld re~~iv~ NUlYljl?EN"r. 

·re-turn·fo·rmat 

used'tq Veflfy" 5$Ns and nice.ive NUMIDE.N'i 

:,':"'. it\fol'tnaVO!i·inr~nJf~fGr'M':&t.·: .' . .": .... " .'.'." '-:'. ' ... 

rst;;;;;t;;;rv,;iIk.;t;o~;;t;;;;')It-.;~·~c~--:":4o-~~" B~t~h.:svS ~mt" $p~d{i.~a!~y.y~ed b'l,*e 9~fke Q~ Ch!ld ~;;~~"~~~ 
131 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.101

Appilcatlon InfofmatlOn Report 

SAWS' !nt0tmati{;l~ i!i- J..!se~.bVthe:SotJ~1 Se~uritv Admini~tration (SSA[to:': 

'ii!'$tlmate r~'SQur,e needs. pl~n- for re"(.rl,.ljtm;ef'l;t)" jU$~!fv O-oS .bl!dge~.~!1d 

·5t~ffing:req.uests, det~f'~ine co-sts' c:ifwofkjoad~,:~n.oca~~:5t.;r~.· ~u,:s~ DDS 

pn:~dt.lcti~ityr ~stimate cost!> imj'.18ct"l':tf !.egisfati{n:,!,.tra£k: statu~ of \vOTld(l~'d$: in arl"dltiot1: ·t.o: ·~~.<II\r'dng oiJei'ati<YIiS, pfot::ei;:s:.a~C:H"~(?dtll:thtitY· 

change"s. "Th'@.sAw? svs:~e~ cnlletts.work ~~mpling data.f~om the DDS". 

offices. SAWS' illvolves sampling the.:;j:ctivities o{al(DDS E!tn"ploye.es.tilre:e t1mes a. d'~v for a' .. . .. .... .. 

w:e~~·fOf. a totell(lqS $~mplt;'ls. in ~~"th qu:arte.~·O-t ~fl~ fist:~l ye .... ~ {FYJ. th~ "'. 

samples. ':I.re .us~.d to ·("reate month:iy. quarte~lv arld'~'~.rly .reflort5~ 

SOlQ~I.is ~:CIt<.! exchMge·~anl!ecti0l! c,,:tween ·Sti;l;tf! Human ·SerylC:es and 

S5t'l.. SO:i:o.~fis. eWell-based llpp!i~ation Ilia a Vp·N: r.onrH:rt::tiol"l whil'.:fl 

'ellable~ a~th(lri~d s~~'te jndi~id~.af:5·to ve~itv Numkhnt·i~formatJol1,arl'd:· 

: ~etrteve Title II and Tit~e xvi b~ne(it informatiem: : ., ,. 

,!e~tfu::atl.dn. svi:s i'l,lso p-r?\t!des ,C~t!ZenSfiip I!,rorm.atio~ f~om.:th~· . 

Numideflt·and pas:'les r~C"ords b) other.system!;,{SOX, BEER; BENOEXi ., 

·pUPS).et~;j forproc:es·sing:·· .. . ,. . ....... , .. : :. 

Irhis' jS'a batch querY that providEs ah overnight response to:a State IS,. 

·1~.ee.~.fO.~. ~.~~ ... b~ne .. ~it .p~wm·~nt in.,:f?::nat·iO,~ ~~~. ~~' .. i~i sec. U:~itV',~~·mher. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"4~.c-.~II~~h~: ~~: ~~r-~~-H~~-.-"'-i·c-·e ~,~~id~'~:tw~ ~~~~·~ti~'n~:' 5i~rf~g cl~~a ~~·~'~e~r:;evtn~·· . 

. . 

5~brag~'ACCes5 :and StoragE Han~Hri~· . 

:··Id.ata: lhe ·s:~rvic~ recejlJeS:tl1r-e·e·p2ram~te-rs: ·dllplk~ti-cm~!ihar.e-d data, n-on~ 

· d.eitruc~~~e,~e.'fUfi~d~~a1{].~1 ~n .... ~ e~Plr~~ro.: ~.'ti~~ for.th.~ ~to~~~e DP~rat~.o~''':· : Trw 5e~!,e encryp~s- tile ·apphc:atlon-sh-ared data and !(1sertsthe th-ree. 

· pi·e(-e$.Qnnfo~·m~tiOil into tile STASH d~t~!:;f;!t$e, The- $tQ·f~ge, :, 

: .[1 OPN~t~o.:n:.r~t~~.ri.S. a.t\.!d"C,~t.j~i~rJ .. ke( TI'i ...•. :". pp~!C~ .. tiO!,\:-C~1'ling.t'h7 0. p ..e~a.t.jO!'l . OESAE· Sh\:!i"e-5 the keywith'.app!rt.ati~:lnS ~~.at ne~d th.E!- ~ata. The· s€rvice re-~ei\les 

· twa.parametefs;· keV·;lmd. nOi1-destn.Jd~ve real,tindie-alar fdrth.t!·.retrieval 

QP·e-f;:lltl~ri·,·rhi::,$enrh;e~' '. .. ., " .. ,. . 

. Ir·etrieves thej1at;l"c.o~respon:ding· to t"e:kev~ deJ:rypts; OZln·d retu.m5 it.. :. 

~~~.~ ............. _" 

. [:rhEl SUMS Appeiil5. Operati(J,;,al, Dat~ Store is'a nSl datahase residing em . 

P.p~.a.~d.'~IS .. f . ."It. is ~IP~.at.erl .. dai!y irith"rlat .•.. i,.o~ '~~~e~· ~ata S~~~C~~i SSf~, '. MS.!i1C5, MBRj Tl.dus, N~OSS:, ~D·CS ... .. 

: & (PM$ MLTheJ:l-tiqio:E!'.oHhis dE~ab~se is:~o pfO"'id~·,MI· . . 

~tr-ossJh~ ,,~ti(de·ieye~?~ ·an app.eal.. :.. . .. .. '. 

This l~·a S,lJ,MS- data ,w~rehtaj!le ;lIppliC"!ItiQIi..th.at pr'~yid.es 

StJMS.COt!l'lts a~,d·peff~rma~ce: M.e'asurEi~ fo~. C~f1~lri~lng· 

O!s.ahlii't '. Reviews workload. 

Tl'li:S:is a ~~MS- data warehouse al'pHcatio.rI th.at pfi:,vides, 

Ppoc-essing Time E"nh3~ment5- '_~·:_·~. __ ~+_---':-f"",ro",i:.",s.,,~·r"," '-'!tL.me ~nformation.ior lhle'·XVI Jriit:ia.t C!3",lm",s.,...~ . .:.. --c:~~--.-.C.J 

SUMS iJ.~mograp.hks'a;~d. se:~(t1"l ~re:~ .:. This S"fste~ tio<:l.er tM $UM~.!..lmtir¢n~ jl"f~h.lde$ ~q~~ cor'nmol"! 

Br-eakd{)wl"l; n:O-duf.e~l·~~:~el.l·a~ th~ pop.u.~aifo-n o~ th~ ~I!em ~'em?gra·p~l~.s'an~ 

Em· IC e-e- Chara&::t-e·ris.th: . 
132 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.102

Appi1catlon lnformatlon Report 

.J:: ~rk\'id~s 'sum"Marv ilif{l~m-afiohw;thr~ tile r0 t ~~I~tra1·r~u~e:j'~~iO.r(·": : 

. Protessin-g Time ;:1"n.J;I Poerforrnance Re·po~t'i' Tnese reports are based 'On: .' 

OE~EA. S .. , ~a., t.<* fr~m th.E ~nuri;. -eratjo~ program~~ti(: WSotErn:Jii. d~d ... ~d'.lh this . 

.. ~__ w:::~o:r:::_~mar:~~~~:Vl"~::OEAB~~::=fficet on:As, Pro ... ide$·Eff¥m~rati()i1 Wor~lo~d -counh via MI<:ent"ral. un-der .. 

the ·S.OMS 'urribrella~ 

PrQ:yict:e~·detailed w(lrkjQa~ iT1-~trag-em~~t.il1fo-rmatI6n fQr 

~~u.~~~ati6n' t:ralis~c,ti6ns'reCt;jve<l fi"oll!-,t.he ~'~og!'a:m~~tk 

EQ!!I]]~~tiot1 sy~te~._._,.~. ~.~.~~_~~. ~ .. --~~.~."-~--cc1 

rroYi~€~,toi~I'S f~t~~~'SUfX1~ t2 PE~peratior\al'Da,ta Stor,'2. 

Thj~ is. a SUMS.data:wCl.reiWuse appiicatii::ln, th,:,t provi~e.$ 

lilfurmatiori ,s,ummar}loed.(oi.irlts) on 72 Initial l:iaimsr T1S 

1~~~<lI·[Ia-i~~2..'le.t(ll"itun~t.§!~~~~~~~~h·u1B1...~~ ___ :....:.. . ..:..::_-'-." 

This.i~ a SUMS·lritegra,led W~k M-easilrer:oent:MI·Celitral. 

~~p)rc:~ti~'1 th~t ~~~~'d~~ tre OqWR, P:O~5, WU~WY; S:~~ple ·Sche~l;lfe.·.: ' 

and- ObWS ~r"rol" R~'pO~ an MI·central"~s.ing.WMT data: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--.~~~---.-------.-----.--".~.~~~~~~ .. : i~i5"i~a S:UM~ data.wareh0!-lse appl.fcation that provides ii1furm~tlo'fi " 

SUMS MedkandRMAA Data WarehtH.lse"& Mr 

Ce~tr~! 

(si.lmmariiE(d 'ounts}·oo Uh:dtlnowllig.Medkat~ warkload~~ Low-incorrfe 

§~lhsjdV, f!~~~t~rrri~i"l~tki!"lS; ~~b·s·i~y.Ch;jl':iging"~V;;'~tS, gnd ~j;::~31 

inwmfi s.ltbsidy, ~~d.et~r·rnli1:rtion:s;.:Si.ibsidy.Ch:<,"l)g~ng E:,e~ts) ~hd Ma'mlZlI 

C;:ltre~tiQns~' 

, Thi,$:is- a 'SUMS ~.at.<! warehou~e ~p~liC.at~o~ th:at Pfovid~s .. 

f' __ ~~~~~~_~'-."-__ ~_~-'--"-I~~4,"ihforruatj()-!) for. th~ SDO.·and sob' diary ret:Joorts. 

T~i~ ~y$teffl prQvt"de~ RZf~! C?Uhtg via MI C:1:!r'!tral ~nd aJ;l·h(J"c.·· 

u-e.fies. 

This is-"a·?U~S'dal.a ,,¥a·re~ol.lse apPlication. th.a.t provides.: 

1--~-c~-.L"~.~-c--_c_~---_c_--~'-""C--C-'~-~1--'~~,--j"(~~~~1i_t!meJ!j!Qr~Jl~.9J1.~~U~J!i~l!1£~~_"~.....:.~_.~ __ ~-C.-~ . 

. ,.lTl<lis is. a" S1,JMS:d;iJt.a W;;lri'!tiQuse·ap·plic<ltio.n that provides" " .... ". 

rp~b~~~iSi~·~.~im~:·fnfu;~~atlo~ for Ti~l~ !i initial d~i!tr!i:and"re"C~~~ider'~"ti~;~s, 

~~pp~rt~ th:e"~C$ lIAS: f.!r:Dces$.. ~ill)w~ f~(entry of.p~op{)$.&is, 

a.dm.!~i~;"ati~n b-f :appro.vet!: p"rojett'l<~~d a. ~·er:;0ftitlg·sV~~e0. 
133 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.103

AppilcatlOn lnformatlOn Report 

, . .. . . 

~ystem;;rtit: AU.en yeriffcat1un"'for ~ntit.l~me-i1t 

551 ecomputatiot'ls is- al1 intra"net appl1t.atfon to assist field 

b:,~,'~·~:"_":~_" __ --:'"""~.'~'~."~'~.+:::-::""~+"'O!n:.~ ~sers ~lih' ma~uaJ S§lfg~g~~_, ~·~~~~~~~;~·u~w.~u~~·: Calcu1ates 551 -Deemed lnc"orne"and hehe-fits. 

~E Se.rvi;::-e& ~o-ntrol.Cffii!'le Irlteh:epf Ope~a~fQns- - bOit.ch . 

~k~~'in fie!d.t)ff1cesd.m~u~_·_' ___ ' __ 

provl~'I!:s ~eilV;n1;:tJrithlv·~nQ VB.atl,. (",?l1i'rf:S.f-ot:~~o-C¢!i$i.rcg 

re5 !ts"h"t e"of"T2R iu:"thm"s via the. !ntrane.t.·" 

-~'~'~--~--~~- S!:reen Splash allows callers 10 the SSA SOO # to r.eC/?lve- faster atccmntre!;;IJted :!'1i!i"V!'C~ by ~l1ter!ng tl1eir perScm~ll!1form~tIOl1J :!',-,~h a$ n*m~ ~r;d 

date or birth, uSlllgspeethielephony tech-nology b-efore speakingwhh all 

llbo Number ~gent\ 

, ~u~h~i!tlc~tiOri: Us.er ~!; corrl'l~f:t!'ia to sS'A c~t.!r ·t~E'! phorie.lJia, ""':Ti:tO!1,l.J';er 

ir';~u·t is: reteived via the :ph?n·e ~n~:im u~~r i~t!;,,:rfac-e·ls inv\:?IVed:. 

·rA!!ows)!r~ b£~-:Iefidal)' to .requ~~t;3, r~pl~te:nen~ M~:a~d-' ~.~~'" 'tlver th~:800 Number. . .... 

AUOW5 U·S~~S to C~fidli.ct'5SN ¥e:rt~c:atj.~n~ over.tne telep~c~~:. 

l'he . .appli~a~ion.·u·ses- all ,,(the ·same fia~k enCf ~Qde ~S- sSNVS .. ·jn aclditi-o,rl, 

; i~~e app!i~~tiofl also,uses.a ~Zi~~' re'c6gnit~";m· servi.ce-td-.i~pro\Je acc:urac~ 

1of t~~ V(lice retogl:lition ~s1';!d wh':rl th'l1 us~'f" sp.e.~ks, :: 
134 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.104

Appi1catton lnfOfmatlon Report 

Telephone P1NjP';S5WORD 

Terminations. 

Title U.'fr .. nsactlon fiistory Query' 

+:,c,",_~+.:.~~~~ .. c ... c •• _.~~~~c .. ~~ .... ~~~~~.· 

This system bliiids MB:R"up-d~h~s fnf. ~m Cessation; ~:de-t'itled 

. Per!9d of Ellgibmty~ P'rovislonat"P.<l'ym"e:nt tra"nsi;rctio[1s and 

Ex Edited Refnstateme"n"ts "EXR , 

rhe Thiro:l:.pa-ity Pavm~nt System'(T~PS) .Is a register of pap"er checks that 

ar"e Known a5-.Third PartY,Orafts. These drafts'are'ls5u~d tQ"vefidofS. fiJ'~ 

goods a~d:~~r\liC~S;.l:o s~ ~mplov.ee::;·rl)r reirii~I.].~5am;';!nt ofp<'lYl!'leflt~ 

and fo'benefrciar!~s for tlrogr~rnl11;!1tk Emerg~nc:y and)mmediate 

P';;;I.ym~nts, 

Third.Partv Qoetv (TPQy) allows S~at~i (;c;unty welfat~, loc~1 hQLisijjg 

atlfho-i"i.tl~sJ prfvat~ sector 1~~~I~rd5, m-e"d~c,;:d pro,,!ders:rirrd otnl!i'" 

. r-e.qaesting income t'll'.-he~lt~ ma!~'rl:€'~J'j;'c£ ....' 

[o(fr~e~~~.?btain'~dditi~l1a! ~~nefit 1nforJ!lati,on,f~om !he .sodal 

s~~.,JjrijtV.·A.~mi.ni$~r.atIQ .. ~. f. !,-:l"l'<t.he .. ""'.'.t.pa·rt, t~js i.n. ". 0. ~;,e .. s v~,ri.l.ic~t.t?".· ~~. cu~ref'it bel1efits Of dtites (If entitleMiO!nt f.:lr aPP'Iic.afd:~.or redpie't'lts; of 

1 

.. SI.at.e,.p II (Retirement" .. r~g.~a~~ Survivors. (AF.i) .. ~'':':.GOd.'st al1d.Df5abmtv.ln$ur~rn::~), .. a.m. p.g; -e. '.'.1. w. ~~.m.tlV .. Title be.el.i.g!b XVI ..I.e. '.".": de.' .... T. ~t.l.~: 

t5uppiE!merlta~ Security Ini:;Ome) or TitlE' XViI Uiealth insurance) of the . . 

jSOd31 ~~coritv-Ad>. 

}itl-e-'It t:arQi;:'e~sing 5um~ary Business FtH1ttlQIl. Deveiop~~ Paid.. " 

I

f.v Process!"!s .•.. ": .. lJ~· p.". .. V .. a b.~~.~"~.h •.. ii:h i'tl .••.. .• n ~.i.fies ..•. n W .•. :.o.v. e.,.~p·.aYm.:' ent .. £ ~n. .. d ·u. !l~ ... ei.p .. ". ¥ .... m~~ .•• ' •.. a'erle netting to !l"'Idu:Q'e ov-erpavmeflYS: and .underp.avmeflts 

Deve-1op-s Household netting of QverpaYll1ents·and urlderpayml:Jnts, ' . 

Adjusts the MB~ fol" Gar~ishment bv c<llling tn(o Garnfsh"ment Oata bas~; 

Pays Lump Sun-I. D.eElth P'aym,ei'!:ts whe,n En"Htlemcnt and EligibilitY 

detflfmines ~ha! paynie~t. is d~~u .Matures·ti!'1'e·ly BOU'OS Po:r,*;'new 

overpayments Supplif:s .additional Interim data to NQtit:e~ regan'ling 

oVer"a'!,m~l"!t5·. ',P-~OCI'!S5e5 ~atl:l~ll"ig actIons i:e,; -?-d""<lt'fce .file award 

'~aturfties ~nd Matin'es deferr.ed payment dates in sp-edal payment data , 

and 

pr0I';:e;5s~'$ r(;;Q~ffert:;!l.''.l for P,~rt 8·5M!. pre'.T1i\.im5.: Re~!;:ts tCl.i;:h~~ges-.i!l 

~hado~ bata.:that b~rallment~ !::niitle!'fl.eflt and 'Engibillty,,~!'Id 'Rates have 

app,!i~~ t.o. ~.he Sho::d~w r"~~m~. I,E~ ~eac~s to Ma~:c~~ng~~ that ar.e apPIi.e~ 

to, Sh-acl>:!.w hist~rv ant!- date Md RFD .:ha,nges -apP,iie:d t~ shaoo\"J his·tQry . 

f~~termi~e., ~V En~lttemeflt:al'1~'I;;Ugj~!llty, BU~I~s' MaC: by .i!pplYh:rg al.! 

detllle"tiOflS to, tn~ M~A.. i.e. 5Ml {irldudirig HSA paid p<l:Yiib=!e "Ina FiNQ) .. 

G-arnlstrmerlVTax Levy and ,:rP-Rlies rounding ,irovisi6f).'>JlUilds 'rounding 

::.Ii-Id S:~il bit"code:!i~·~d:BPD.i~:' , . 
135 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.105

Application lnformation Report 

~150. iQnc~t!l~s data is p~pce5sed, dlades -are posted.tci the SSR. :rhev·an:~ 

"·!OUbW.:.lRSPE.NSfON ISH) MH lK6 .: . . 

AN[iK?) OC5£ WAG, (52) nest UNEMPLOYMENT IUS) IRS 

.1~~9 ~5B POSTED IN. REDETERMINATlON RUN) ." 

~at,a frtlJ'n Ex:c~ptiQi1 Control is sum~<lrf%el:f ,nto categories and·fed to thE! . 

DaM W:<lrehou~-e to: pr'b\li~~ r~cerp~~,~dear~ncesl . 

and pe~ding··td'Jflt~.d~ta f{Jrth~ M~'~0nral:R~~oit'OOWR: 

. ... ... 

< :nw ~otal!i~t~nn:,?a~a'E~Chai!g-~{~EXlproj~ct' i~ an'~)[<:~:a.ng~· rlf:deat~ 

!data .b'etWeien" SSA and fQr~ig~ .totaliza~i~n coul1trtes. 

This'system tDni'rois hew data: is split .. nd dis-tribute-d to: 

into vario;Jsoutp'Ut.flles-1i\Ihlch ar~ proc€'!'!se9 by:varJoL!s systems ' .. '. . .. .. '.' . 

clifferemt systems. TRSP'l-lr"fAN CICS·r~affj.c outPut •. Add!> a routi"rig 

'Ii"dic~to; "md,eg;i,n·,o. : thi't h~ad~'~ of. ~h"~ 'reco~"~_ yal.id (e~~r~s a'~(l sp~i~' 

. ~~~-,----'----j-:-::-:-.~,:" . ITOt:'~~ t~~ ·SQ~.f~1 se~~~;~~ Ad~in·is1rBtiQ~'s· T~aining qh!!~~"~()~~n~ti~tI ' 

Sys.t:e~: ~t e:liab1.e~.t~~ Llse.r·t-o ,'rel:rt,e and pro·~e!.$ irajnlrlg l"!0mfni~tromi=ffJ·r. 

i~di\li.~lI.a1 or gr~up5 o.h~mploye·~s: . . .. 

C0l1t~! t~e vo!ume.~hd typ-es:n~.trafl5actjo~s rlir~ctf!d to the .... 

.. C!CS inputs., build flfl:Qers.·f·or·pt .. s.we~p and.:CcMoltd:1lfi6n. .' . 

!AJS3 ~'E ob;ect·pYo:gra~. Controfrec·irculation.of AJS3.traflSi3C~[~ris: Dir~ct" 

.oR'SIS . ~'64~: Inp~t t~ S.SA~C:S.:MCS ~~d'Pf(G~tr;~f·tog.e-tl1e~"·f~l(ON.~"-d·~th~t.·' ". 

Ic'-'--'~c'--C-:-~~~~'--:-"'~-'cc:+~~ ,£ote"raveldo<umelits ~autho~i;;tion,loc;I;'~"che" andv.~,h~rs. S;gn 

TREASURY Data t"c:~an e' $~r\;'h.:e 

and <:lpprovE! <lOi;uments ~te-ctro!'1i,ally. Create·.transadfons far .th1i ': 

·OEI:AS. !IO~l1Ci;)t A~t~1.!.!}.ti~ffS.Y!;t!;~"(I'AtT5)·tQo·obliIiit~ fut'!"d!""~t"\cl~r~lmbu.rs.e.the 

ORSfS 

t,ravel-er ~or' 'tra'J'~I-eN:pen~~~: 

P<'l ment Files: ttl Treas'!l:.'i. . .. . ... . 

. ' ThE)se Op~rqthllis s.eild 'data:to 'tln'.:A5U~Y·\'ia·(oririect: Oirect"i~ or'de-r.to: 

!MAKE'~f' Wm1HO~D' raY~~nt~:of·S.~A ·iiENE~I!~.'··· .. . 
136 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.106

Appilcatlon Informatlon Report 

ODS 

~ Q.!~~IDr(~~~:,:~j~~~·, ~:<::i.2~2:~;···: >. i:2.~~~::L~,5j~~L~~·~~ 

IUnii=orms (fO~~e~fy.~flterprise ~~iuti~!1 ~~6r~s,.wi~:.be the agEl1tY's way 

lota5::ceSSiil{! :e-tectro81icverSfQnS of f~rm5. This 

f~ia be a ~~~~ hi~~dIV ~ij)pHi;;~tftsfi w.it~ ~·cc~ss.to: f~rm~ cap~.·bi£:::Q! b~i~~ 

1:;:~~a;::;~III'bl.' sign.bl., upio.d.bl.to 'ho", ,M .v.ll.ble. to cthor 

:-::-:~-':=--"-::'--~-"-:-:---~-'-:-1f::O=EE:::A-=s--l:::Id::-.n-:"~·fY·:"'· ,':"o,-re-ct:-'l:-:d.C:O-:;t':-:'tle·s.;~;~-r-;;;~:±hat:a·re u~erifi€d bV 

VIEWS C-entral 

. the [VS:$ stei11,' 

tl:1e VJ:l System,. devetQped by the. Dlvision'of VaHdatl-on ahd. Testing 

T-e~hn~i¢.sv (DvTI),' pr~\ild:es ~i1 iJtltijm~ted t~91 fo~ ~repa~i'rlg validatio.n 

pl~.n.s:(VPs~. T!1~' ~vs~9m.i~d!Jde!'s~ ·A ~(;l'!,~ra! ~af~b:?l~e .6f.VPs;· EI~dr~n,k 

VP approVal;.: CapabilitV to request actlons:-(.ln the V~ u:slng the- integrated 

~'e5S<lging featur~;, ~p<.'lbmi,~,to 'pl~~~ approv~d,VPs o~ :the pm wetl 

p<lge; 'formatted. ~rjnt of. the VP;··Unks t-o t:iroieduuis on th!i:' t~\FIT w~bpage;. A !'l'u':~hod to' collect ~,i':ld d!s~!ay oI:~)I"nm~ht~;'An !'i'UtUt trail of ~ct!~ns 

I

t.all. ~n!.A., be' !l.it. Y •.t.". ,i.!l~k~~ .. ·.", vp.,/tta~.~~:.e., ~~.~'.n .. ~, ,~~,k~,.'~~.e.m. "~i.Sib.r .•. , t~ O.~h~.' .. IJserS; and:Assig-nmt=nt 'Of edit/refease' permissions by the VP. alJtho-r. 

. . 

VA p:rvces~es 'each monthly fll@ fm;'" theSete~-"m 

Adl!lin-lstr.atiory,{VN to ensu!',e valid.dat~ j,~:beil1g~-eC'-e.ived. 

-~ SSifield-offfce' 5t~ ~ave l'ead_-~n!v'atcess to' th~ rurntS~-~' 

database to Vel"!fy mrUfary_distharge'info'~ma:t:ion ne,e~sarv'for dai"ms 

prote$sitlg .. T~e V~AQ'(an ~e fcun4 cir. the Dafa Ex:c'~a~g:e Q~erv Me~u 

_~~+-,-,--_--,...,...D",~QM~· .... . . 

Thi~ i~'a web--l)e:s,ed·I~TRAN.E! <lpplic;3~iQ!"\ th~t eledm:rli'~~IIV 

i

CO!"ltm!s 'the wOfk'f!ow for-pr-eparing a reimbmsable'agreement ,a'nd . tOl~tin~ ~~e'~gre~~e~t: t~mugh t~-? :~~~:i~~S:'~~~!~va! and.s'i~n~(lff ~te'ps. 

This- applicati9" ~ouse5 factual informatirin about: each- of the O:(lt3' . 

E:)(th~'n'g~s' thOlt ~t.}·~~r~en~!y ~CCUring:i!t th~,~gel"i~'i' with, f,ide~~l. stat~~ 

'!it~rn.~tion~l, al1d private 'entldes: 

!nis is ;:rw~b: site where users (:an, obtain,user gU,id-es for. tho::': 

I~f?~~,~e~t Wor~~fow Tool 8~plicati.tm ~t:\'~_ge~ inf.o~~atio!1.a.b:m.!~ vn:w~; 

~~-~ I~h~~i; a~·ffurt t;;;~;hit;ctthe ~;';;s~g V;~It;;;·!;;-t-;k;"~;~-;;S(V1Rr-~ dient-server -applkatlOR mtQ -an enterprlse leve-l applfc-ation.. VIP man~ges 

iilPJlQlhtm~-nt and walk-In trii:'!ffu: fbrthe Fle!d Offi-c<es' (FO} ahd assigns 

them tQ the FO staff!l1 an effectiVe way to mO"llf'l1lXe the wait tiMe of the 

~-~~~~~~'---~~'-~--~~-

l.lS~~ "The VIP protess also includes a publTc mterface- kio~k tnat collects 

.••.. , .• 'Iv",,,ar ;nformat,on for us. bV the VIP "",base 
137 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.107

ApplIcation InformatIOn Report 

office~ in a:nd'aro"uno tne Uriited States~' This"applicatio.ri: ~m r€.~ ~I'-chftel:t 

. . .. ":" dpp~j~~tlon,:vn)lfwinasS!5~'in'tfle' ':- '." .""....." ~ 

Vi~it~t. !~~~k~ Pt~~esi ~'R~'~rite-

.Ittle existi'r1g-c(j~'nt server.apPIIc~tlo·n (VIPFi'lt~ an E'rtte"fllrise levei: "'. 

OR$~$ . miff'l<:!gemflnt Qf ap~o!ntme'nts: and ~alk-in traff(t.for t~e fre!d offitf:~ an~ 

. . 

VisitOf in-iak€J:~r9c~s~ l<i~~k . OSES 

~$:s-ign "them to "the ~O ~taff i~ ~n ~~,:=t~ve ·w~y. tQ ll'1in,i~l;te·t!1e w~it ti~e 

~f.th~ ~5e'~LThe VIPR !d~sk'is: th~' publl~ 'interfac~that w11~ch.~i$lto-r . ". 

!i~fl)~~atrdn;Cirtl'~e'bV:ViPR"'" .," . ". ': ': .. " . ..:.:, : . ::":' 

.IT~~:":'IF'~ J<ios.k .()~p._I~catl?n is' de.sig~~ ~?:C?lie.t: f.~for.'?1~tiO .. J} 'cHroectIV~~o~ s.SA.(:IJs:tcmef~ V!!>ltlng fie!d office:' ~o better' man<lg-e the'wQr:kfl~w ~rthlrt. 

~h~:~.; •. ~d ~ffic~: Th.e. ~1~n(jDs~ app!kati(3~ rS".~·M oTt. ~.·o.a·f:\·p"!~~a~(6ri~ in·: 

'. develojJmen~ I..m~e.rthe ~mbfel!a of ~h~ Vi~l~o~ In.take ~rot:ess Ri!write. 

Vlpq)~j~ct. .: :"... .' ' .. : ..... ;. , 

VISO:R.is:~ web·biI!sed appltca~i~n th.at pWjfides·t~p:jev.e.!: Deputy 

t.o~missjptler for Systems foes} ~:;magemel'lt at1:d'~t~en: with a'''qu'1ck 

": 1.fl1@t1ce" :Of:~tm.·gM.£lraJ :'n~ajth" 'Of projl":cts. .. The k~\1 ~~~as'inClude s~npe~ 

.IS~h~.d.u:~.e~ ~.~~l.~$t ·re~Ql.Ir~. ".5 a~d J"i5k5."·T~e: ~~PJi~.~t"iO~:d~~Pl~Y5.~thi. , 

"E:x~"tuti'le'Oli,,:r5it~ (EO) 'and i!on-EO d<lt~ fo\'.Oe-veIQPf(lent, Plat'lrltng & 

.. ("~!V'IS'Ma;ntenance, eYdk.land NCCrM~as~<,.. •. .••...• . 

The VOC;"ltic:!'1<:!! keh,a"b!l~tation Rei.mbursE:'!metlts lVlan<igemelit 5vst~m'ls a 

:!~~se pro'tes'sing applk~-li'OIi supporting sst> rei~b~rs.e-ment5 -to St~te' - : 

·1~O .. t~ti~~a.I.~e~ab~jH~ti~.'!i'Age~deS·.1~~A5~ fur ~~fi!ices 't~~ V~A pt",?ill~eli 

~o:~ur ~eclplen~~,. ..' .' .' '. .. ...: .. 

The: system cteates a death master file.. .'. .. .. . .' ._ 

1

1hi5-systan 'su'PP(lrts tommon 12 data -r:nl!'ec:tion for W-6rk~f'S .. 

.. ·c:om. pe~. ~atio.n!i;"i.iljl.lt· Disa."~m~ibehefi~; ~:rS~ ~ov.er~m~~t Pe~~i~n · .s~~efj.t$- :ot',proee-5S:ng of 11 b.~netjts<::: ,:.,: , 

weh'rAls a web3Jased, Automated' Time &. Attendance System 

· I (ATAS) th~t 1~.int~!id-edt{) r.eplace-.th~ cum:!nt !V1ainframe Tim~ .:;: 

· &: Att~iulan-Ce sy5tel~·dMT~). . . .. :._ .. ~.~.~ 

·I-Main. SAVE is ~ data e~!;;~tI!nge t~~nectit)fl betwe=el'i:~he {:l~partme.nt-(jf 

'. Hoirlel~nd -:J.e'ell.fit\! ~I~d ~SA ~s.in~.I"M~ir1"a$ t~e_i'H.l~~!c!i"1t!l:~.tio!i to.~! 'to 

<lc-cess tJi;e OHS SAVE .. rppll.catiol1.to obtain ·primary.verIfication 1:1'11 

i~m!g!'~-iiioh'd~:t~m~116"~-I'ld d~-t¢rm,iiing ~'n';;'l!ien ~p'p!ic~~~'~ 'rtlfhigl';!ltl~n 

stat!.!s; 

"~2~"~~~_~_· .. ~. _. _._ .. 2"·~:-:._·_· _._. c.~,--.~~ " W'f: de n6t h~'Ie"a "fro!it-e~"d" l1iodul~ in Ml{~ for M!A~. It-is!1'~ ih:~n¥ way 

· ~imlla'r't'~ia ~ICS ;.Ippikatiorl'th:at ~o-uld.tl~lfe had a,'~n::ait'( meryu'~ ~r other 

,,-~"--~~··--I~'---,:...f~' 

VYiildfall Elimln<l:tio-n Pr:ov~~ionlGoven;me!it ORS!S 

P-el'l,S!Qn Offset 
138 

f 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.108
139 

Kelly Croft Attachment #2 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.109

~. 1111111 & ~I: .. . "'~ ·ArISTR.~-

Cloud First Plan 

{Revised and Updated} 

December 2, 2011 
140 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.110

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 3 

2. Background .................................................................................................................. 6 

3. SSA's Cloud Computing Strategy ........................................................................... 9 

4. Designated Cloud-First Projects ........................................................................ 13 

4.1. CARE Through 2020 ..................................................................................................... 13 

4.2. eVerify High Availability Platform .......................................................................... 15 

4.3. AAMVA/HAW Verification Services ...................................................................... 17 
141 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.111

1. Executive Summary 

In December, 2010 Vivek Kundra published his Twenty-Five Point Plan for Reforming Federal IT 

Management. In that Plan, OMB mandated that: 

Each Agency ClO will be required to identify three "must move" services and create a 

project plan for migrating each ofthem to cloud solutions and retiring the associated 

legacy systems. Of the three, at least one of the services must fully migrate to a cloud 

solution within 12 months and the remaining two within 18 months. 

Each migration plan will include major milestones, execution risks, adoption targets, and 

required resources, as well as a retirement plan for legacy services once cloud services are 

online. 

In February, 2011, the Social Security Administration (SSA) submitted its original Cloud-First 

Plan to OMB and identified three initiatives that the Agency planned to migrate to a cloud 

solutiol1 or that represel1ted al1 extension of, or enhancement to, an existing cloud solution: 

• CARE Through 2020 

eMail Services 

eFOIA 

Due to subsequent budget developments and additional analysis, SSA is removing eFOIA and 

the Agency's eMail services from its Cloud-First Plan at this time and substituting the eVerify 

and American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) solutions for its Cloud First 

plan. This decision is based on multiple factors in each case. 

eFOIA 

An automated electronic system (eFOIA) supports SSA's management of its obligations under 

the Freedom of Informatiol1 Act (FOIA). The Agency's staff use the eFOIA system to process 

requests and administrative appeals within the timeframes mandated by the statute and to 

minimize backlogs at the end of each fiscal year. The existing eFOIA system is an internally 

developed and maintained system that uses Global 360 (G360) - a custom tailored, 

commercially available software (customized COTS) solution. Software licerlses and associated 

infrastructure are supplied under existing, competitive-procurement vehicles. The eFOIA 

system is based on aging architecture and infrastructure. Future costs are expected to increase 

and the long term viability of the system will diminish. The existing system needs to be retired 

as soon as it is feasible to do so. However, it does continue to meet its baseline goals and to 

deliver its expected benefits. 

3 
142 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.112

In expectation of a near~term replacement of the Agency's existing eFOIA system, SSA 

personnel evaluated the five-year life cycle costs of seven options/alternatives to the existing 

system. Cost estimates for the proposed alternatives were based on market research of the 

potential offerors specializing in FOIA COTS. In addition, SSA evaluated each of these 

alternatives on the basis of qualitative measures. 

This analysis indicates that a COTS product - which could be deployed under one of multiple 

cloud-based model options - would have the greatest qualitative value for the Government. 

SSA understands that other Federal agencies (e.g., HUD and VA) have developed and/or 

deployed an eFOIA system that might, with minimal adaptation, meet SSA's existing and future 

needs. It was further noted that such an approach would be fully consistent with OMB's Cloud 

First policies. 

However, severe limitations in funding and staff resources necessitate suspending the project 

for FY 2012. SSA's existing eFOIA system continues to meet its base requirements and the 

Agency has no alternative but to allocate its limited resources to other initiatives that have 

more critical or urgent needs and that must therefore take a higher priority. 

eMail Services 

Subsequent to submission of SSA's original Cloud First Plan, additional planning and analysis 

concluded that the Agency's existing eMail services are not a good candidate (at this time) for 

migration to a public cloud model for several reasons: 

They are deeply integrated with other services applications, processes and functions -

including identity verification services, user authentication and authorization services, 

access controls, collaboration and com munications services, etc.; 

They are an integral component of SSA's unified communications service strategy and 

architecture; 

They are used for mission-critical case processing management services and functions; 

Users and user groups are not well segmented with common requirements within each 

segment - a basic requirement for successful migration to a public cloud solution; 

Personally identifiable information (PIIj - some of which includes highly sensitive medical 

records - cannot be exposed to a potentia I breach of privacy by allowi ng such information 

to reside anywhere other than within SSA's own environment; 

SSA's existing eMail service cost less than the projected costs for similar services from a 

public cloud provider. 

4 
143 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.113

SSA will continue to extend and enhance its eMail services within the context of its broader 

unified communications suite of services. These ongoing activities extend beyond the 

timeframes specified by OMB in the 25 Point plan. Accordingly, the Agency must withdraw 

eMail (as a stand-alone utility) from consideration as a Cloud-First initiative. 

SSA is continuing its implementation of CARE Through 2020 - a cloud telephony service that will 

significantly enhance the Agency's public services. 

To replace eFOIA and eMail services as Cloud First initiatives, SSA identified two other 

initiatives, each of which is a component of the Agency's SSN Verification Services. These 

initiatives are described in the relevant section below. 

SSA's Overall Cloud Computing Strategy 

SSA considers the advent of Cloud Com puting as an effective and evol utionary model to 

enhance and extend the information and IT services it delivers to its end-users, business 

partners, and customers. Going forward, SSA's strategy is to adopt Private Cloud Computing as 

the model that is most consistent with its mission and its business operations models. This 

strategy allows SSA to leverage Cloud Computing in order to extend the service capabilities of 

its existing IT environment. The use of the Cloud Computing model- consistent with the 

Agency's riSK management framework and its certification and accreditation standards - is 

encouraged within the framework of SSA's centrally managed enterprise architecture 

governance as well as its IT service acquisition and source selection processes. 

• The Agency's current security controls and standards will continue to apply ~ no matter 

what hosting/sourcing decision is being made - i.e., whether IT services are being 

delivered through the Agency's internal, private cloud; through an external, public cloud; 

or through some hybrid combination of both. 

• SSA's Cloud Computing strategy will continue to address relevant statutory and policy 

requirements associated with Federal IT systems - including IT security and risk 

management; privacy; data integrity; legal issues (e.g., Terms of Service); records 

management; OMS and NIST guidelines and recommendations; and other applicable 

req uirements. 

SSA's commitment to protecting personally identifiable information (PII) remains a key 

component of the Agency's Cloud Computing strategy and is built into the operation and 

management of its existing private cloud services environment. 

5 
144 


Insert offset folio 01 here 80257.114

2. Background 

SSA is utilizing Cloud Computing as an effective and evolutionary model to enhance and extend 

the information and IT services it delivers to its end~users, business partners, and customers. 

SSA is a single-mission Agency. Its core business processes (i.e., Enumeration, Earnings, Claims, 

Post-Entitlement, Informing the Public, and Identity/SSN Verifications) are tightly inter-woven. 

They are also highly complex in their information flow and relationships. The data and 

information requirements of these core business processes, and their mutual interdependencies, require an IT service environment that provides information and services based 

on common platforms, re-usable service modules, robust any-to-any network systems and 

back~end IT infrastructure. Additionally, given the sensitive nature of the highly personal 

information and data within SSA's systems of records, data integrity and security as well as the 

protection of individual privacy are critical IT service requirements. 

The design and management of SSA's IT service environment have evolved over time. As a 

result of that evolution, the environment has substantially taken on the characteristics of a 

Private Cloud Computing model as defined by the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST): 

• Utilizing SSA's IT services environment, end-users do not need to determine their exact 

resource requirements. Through secure access to the Agency's network systems, they are 

provided the necessary communications and computing resources they require, on 

demand; 

• Through effective monitoring systems, load-balancing mechanisms and automatic faHover 

capabilities, the design and operation of SSA's IT infrastructure and platforms - hosted in 

two highly virtualized data centers - provide for streamlined and optimized resource 

utilization and management; 

• IT service resources are pooled to a significant degree. They are shared across large 

numbers of application and organizational configurations and serve a broad spectrum of 

service consumers; 

• SSA's Service Orchestration and Management model leverages SSA's highly configured 

and largely virtualized data centers, allowing the Agency to consolidate workloads and 

applications on a centrally managed and operated IT infrastructure; 

• The capacity of network and telecommunications systems and computing services is 

provisioned to respond to variations in demand across programmatic and administrative 

appl ications; 

• Systems capacity requirements are efficiently planned for, and pro-actively acquired, to 

meet increasing workload demands through effective management of Resource 

Allocations and Controls; 

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• Redundant resources support high availability and reliability as well as to provide IT 

operational assurance, even in the event of a catastrophic outage within a specific data 

center. 

SSA's IT services are centrally managed through: 

• Deployment, configuration, management and operation of programmatic and 

administrative software applications in such a manner that these services are provisioned 

at expected service levels; 

• Management of computing services, storage, and fletwork systems infrastructure and 

platforms such as servers, databases, runtime software execution stacks, and middleware 

components; 

• Provision of integrated pre-production environments for both programmatic and 

administrative application development, validation and testing; 

• Change Management and Production-Release Management processes applied to 

infrastructure, platforms, applications afld services; 

• Provisioning and acquisition ma flagement of mainframe, open/distributed servers, 

network system components, storage, and application and database hosting 

infrastructure; 

Provisioning and management of a robust Security and Privacy architecture for the 

protection of SSA's sensitive and personally identifiable information (PII). 

The SSA community represents multiple groups of service consumers/end-users with many 

needs and requirements. SSA accordingly delivers a broad range of IT services that are carefully 

orchestrated to meet the needs of each of these groups. SSA's end-users, partners and 

customers have a broad range of network access options to obtain an equally broad range of IT 

services and computing capabilities tailored to their specific needs. Services are provided on 

demand (as appropriate) at each of the service layers to which the individual end-user or 

customer has access. 

To a substantial degree, the Agency's IT resources are pooled to meet the needs of these 

multiple users. Through the deployment of load balancing and automatic failover capabilities, 

IT resources can be dynamically allocated to adjust to variations in peak end-user/customer 

demand. SSA's IT service capabilities - particularly within its highly virtualized mainframe 

environment - can be rapidly and elastically provisioned. SSA's various cloud systems monitor, 

control and optimize IT resource utilization. 

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The following are some of the services SSA currently provides to its end-users, customers, or 

business partners: 

• Programmatic application services directly associated with SSA's core business processes; 

• A unified communications suite including eMail, video-teleconferencing, video training, 

collaboration environments, etc.; 

• Docu ment Ma nagement Services; 

• Office Productivity and Workload Management Services; 

• I ntegrated Case Processing Management Services; 

• Communication and Collaboration Services; 

• Remote Access Services; 

• Project Management Services; 

• Business Intelligence Services; 

• Financial Management Services; 

• Database Access and Management Services; 

• Application Development, Validation and Testing Services; 

Application Deployment Services; 

• Integration and Interoperability Testing Services; 

• Disaster Recovery Services; 

• Backup and Recovery Services; 

• I nformation and Data Storage Services; 

• Platform Hosting Services; 

• Computing Services; 

• Identity Verification Services; and 

• Authentication Services. 

SSA has substantially improved resource utilization; streamlined demand management; 

increased the availability, reliability and responsiveness of the services it delivers. The 

evolution of SSA's shared-service IT environment toward a Private Cloud Computing model has 

allowed the Agency to capitalize its benefits in terms of efficiency, agility, and innovation. By 

further leveraging Private Cloud Computing principles, SSA will continue to exploit significant 

economies of scale, provisioning its IT resources to meet increasing service delivery demands 

with minimal overhead while leveraging the underlying capacity of the Agency's enterpriselevel IT resources through a state-of-the-art network architecture. 

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3. SSA's Cloud Computing Strategy 

SSA is adopting a Private Cloud Computing model because it is seen as most consistent with its 

mission and its business operations models. This strategy allows the Agency to effectively 

leverage the Cloud Computing model in order to extend the service capabilities of its existing IT 

environment. Resources permitting, SSA's planned Cloud Computing initiatives include, but 

are not limited to: 

Further enhancing dynamic scaling capabilities and processing capacity provisioning by 

continuing with network virtualization and server virtualization/consolidation initiatives; 

Incorporating highly sophisticated technological enhancements to the IT infrastructure, 

systems and platforms - including statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic 

interoperability; 

Improving the provisioning, performance, agility, resilience and scalability of SSA's 

network systems through unified cabling infrastructure, and network convergence and 

virtualization; 

Enhancing IT service measurement capabilities through greater instrumentation of the 

infrastructure a nd the applications, data and services it supports. 

SSA will continue to ensure that existing mission-critical services, strategic goals and business 

operation requirements are delivered at levels that meet or exceed requirements while 

simultaneously protecting the security, integrity and privacy of information and data assets. 

The Agency's commitment to protecting personally identifiable information (PII) is a key 

component of its Cloud Computing strategy. 

SSA encourages the use of the Cloud Computing model, consistent with its: 

Risk management framework; 

Certification and accreditation standards; 

Centrally-managed enterprise architecture governance model; and 

• IT service acquisition and source selection processes. 

SSA's current security controls and standards will continue to apply - no matter what 

hosting/sourCing decision is being made - i.e" whether IT services are being delivered through 

the Agency's internal, private cloud; through an external, public cloud; or through some hybrid 

combination of both. The Agency's Cloud Computing strategy must continue to address 

relevant statutory and policy requirements associated With Federal IT systems - including IT 

security and risk management; privacy; data integrity; legal issues (e.g., Terms of Service); 

records management; OMS and NIST guidelines and recommendations; and other applicable 

req uirements. 

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Multiple strategic and operational considerations will govern the way SSA leverages and 

extends the capabilities of its existing IT environment as it continues its migration to a Private 

Cloud Computing environment: 

Workload Optimization 

SSA's computing services platform and its network infrastructure will be configured for 

optimized workload management. 

• Mainframe and distributed platform environments will continue to leverage their 

respective strengths; 

• The mainframe platform will continue to be favored for dense, mission~critical, high 

volume batch operations; 

• Applications will be hosted on the platform most suited to the data they must access and 

the type of work (I/O, user interface, transactjon~based) they must perform; 

• State-specific applications are being consolidated or replaced in favor of Service Oriented 

Architecture (SOA) model services that can be reused and assembled to suit state-specific 

processes; 

• Distributed platform components will continue to be virtualized and consolidated to 

provide higher levels of availability, resource utilization, and elasticity of capacity. 

IP-based Network Service Delivery 

The Agency's any-to-any, dual-stack, IPv4/IPv6 network architecture will continue as a hybrid 

public/private cloud infrastructure. 

• Network systems will converge toward a single infrastructure supporting data, voice, and 

video traffic; 

• Utilizing the Internet Protocol (IP), the Agency's converged network will provide enhanced 

features in terms of telephone services, video capabilities, and data exchange and 

analysis. 

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Utilization of Public Cloud Resources Where Appropriate and Cost Effective 

Sourcing options for the delivery of IT services include consideration of critica I requirements. 

SSA conti nues to include consideration of cloud-based services that may be more costeffectively delivered through an external resource - either another Government Agency or a 

commercia I provider/vendor, as long as: 

There is no Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or other mission critical data involved; 

AND 

• The choice of a public/hybrid cloud model is cost-effective with a clear and demonstrable 

Return on Investment (ROI) to the Agency. 

As with any IT service/sourcing project, the use of public or hybrid clouds requires a formal 

cost-benefit analysis to demonstrate a positive value (i.e., return on investment (ROI)) as well as 

appropriate security and privacy review and approval where PII may be a concern. 

Utilization of Technologies Related to Cloud Computing 

SSA's IT planners and engineers continue to focus their efforts on evaluating and deploying 

enhanced IT solutions that leverage network-delivered, web-based services to users and to the 

public through a broad spectrum of end-user devices and network interfaces. 

The Agency's existing IT environment will continue to leverage the benefits of virtualization, 

consolidation, and workload optimization to increase resource utilization and processing 

efficiency. 

On an ongoing basis, the Agency will continue to enhance the flexibility and agility of its existing 

IT services and infrastructure through deployment of new technologies as they are found to 

support and enhance SSA's service delivery models and channels. 

SSA continues to evaluate IT services and business operations activities to identify those that 

that might be better provided by external partners whose services and capabilities meet the 

specific requirements of the Agency and the Federal Government at large. This eval uatio n 

focuses on areas where the existing IT environment is not well suited to meet exigent demands. 

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Leveraging Cloud-based IT Service Deliverv and Management 

IT operations management wi II continue its emphasis on service delivery and 

management. 

New and evolving tech nologies will be evaluated and deployed based on their value in 

enhancing and extending the services provided to SSA's end-user communities. 

Consideration and evaluation of IT service delivery include an assessment of activities or 

services that might be good candidates for greater standardization, outsourcing, and/or 

deployment within a Cloud Computing service model. 

Consideration of Cloud Computing resources will continue to represent one of the 

available means to provide, extend and enhance high quality IT services to the Agency's 

end~users. 

Implementing Cloud-based IT Acquisitions Policies and Procedures 

IT acquisition and sourcing policies and procedures ensure that valid and demonstrable 

business value remains the foundation for all decisions regarding the deployment of IT 

services and solutions (including those that are cloud~based). 

The development, acquisition, and deployment of IT solutions and services will continue 

to be based on robust and mature business value considerations - specifically a thorough 

artalysis of costs, benefits, and expected return on investment (ROI). 

While SSA's IT services environment is highly cost-effective, senior managers and Agency 

executives continue to evaluate IT-related proposals in terms of the most cost-effective 

delivery model and will consider the costs and benefits of Cloud Computing solutions 

within strategiC planning and source modeling. 

By coordinating these strategic elements within planning and IT service delivery and operations 

management, SSA expects to continue to reap the benefits of the Cloud Computing model. 

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4. Designated Cloud-First Projects 

In response to OMB's December 2010 directive, SSA has identified three initiatives, which are 

described in the following sections. 

4.1. CARE Through 2020 

On September 30, 2010, the CARE Through 2020 contract was awarded to at&t. CARE Through 

2020 is a cloud telephony solution that is replacing National 800 Number (N8NN) and the Call 

Center Network Solution (CCNS). CARE Through 2020 allows SSA to achieve a number of 

economies by consolidating the two existing contracts into a single acquisition vehicle. 

CARE Through 2020 is being deployed to provide and enha nce the telephone services the 

Agency provides to the public. The initial deployment of CARE Through 2020 will provide a onefor-one/like-for-like replacement of current features and capabilities of the existing N8NN 

system. It also provides a platform that will enable the future deployment of additional 

features as they are approved and funding is available. The infrastructure for the CARE Through 

2020 system is being deployed on the contractor's network and is flexible enough to support 

future computer-telephony integrated (CTI) services, such as click to talk, web co-browse, and 

web chat technologies. These services will significantly increase the public's options to interact 

with the Agency's contact centers. 

The public cloud services architecture of CARE Through 2020 includes: 

A vendor-hosted IP voice cali/contact center; 

All functionality currently provided by FTS2001 and CCNS; 

Approved new functionality as offered in SSA's Telephone Services Strategic Plan; 

Capability to integrate additional agent contact channels upon approval offunding. 

Scheduled implementation of CARE Through 2020 is on target for completion in the May/June, 

2012 timefra me. 

Major Milestones 

SSA's original Cloud Computing Strategy Plan prOjected that the initial rollout of the CARE 

Through 2020 project would be completed by the end of December, 2011. However, issues 

related to the final contract award delayed the start of the project. As a result, the current 

projected date of completion is the third quarter of FY 2012 (i.e., approximately the May/June 

timeframel. 

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Execution Risks 

• Internet Data Center construction incomplete or not-operational 

• Scope Change Requests 

• Supporting application development and testing incomplete 

• Management information systems incomplete 

Lifecycle Cost Estimate 

• Initial Acquisition: $ 20,674,000 

• Transition Costs: $ 38,381,000 

• FY 2012 Operations & Maintenance: $ 58,088,000 

• FY 2013 Operations & Maintenance $ 59,290,000 

• FY 2014 Operations & Maintenance $ 60,635,000 

• FY 2015 Operations & Maintenance $ 62,754,000 

• FY 2016 Operations & Maintenance $ 64,941,000 

• FY 2017 Operations & Maintenance $ 67,215,000 

FY 2018 Operations & Maintenance $ 69,571,000 

• FY 2019 Operations & Maintenance $ 71,997,000 

Total $573,546,000 

NOTE: SSA's initial cost estimate for CARE Through 2020 ($ 630,344,000) included $56,798,000 Operations and 

Maintenance costs for FY 2011. Because of delays in contract award, the- transition period was extended into FY 

2012. The estimate above does not therefore- include the planned FY 2011 OperatJons and Maintenance costs. 

Legacy Retirement Plan 

With the deployment of CARE Through 2020, SSA's existing N8NN and CCNS solutions will be 

retired in favor of the Single, streamlined service. 

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4.2. eVerify High Availability Platform 

eVerify provides employers (and certain others) an automated link to federal databases to help 

employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and to ensure the Social Security 

number matches the employees name. It is currently free to employers and is available in all 50 

states. eVerify is operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - a 

component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - in partnership with the Social 

Security Ad ministration (SSA). 

In operational terms, DHS/USCIS provides eVerify's front~end interface with the customer (Le., 

the employers and certain others), SSA provides DHS/USCIS the back-end infrastructure and 

database systems that actually perform the verification. This back-end infrastructure, platform 

and software/database system is comprised of a phySical layer and an abstraction layer. The 

physical layer is designed to provide load balancing between SSA's data centers and features 

fully automatic fail-over, dynamic capacity allocation capability, etc. This back-end 

infrastructure is accessed by DHS/NSCIS over a secure Internet connection. The abstraction 

layer is designed to support the software and database systems that operate across the 

physical layer (i.e., the hardware and network connections). 

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) between SSA and DHS/NSCIS governs the operation of this 

verification service. The latter Agency reimbursed SSA for the design, construction and 

deployment of the isolated en vi ron ment in which the back-end eVerify system operates. It 

reimburses SSA on an annual basis for maintenance, operations and administration of the 

system. 

SSA has completed the deployment of a second eVerify node in its Second Support Center (Ssq 

to enhance the availability, performance and reliability of the services provided to DHS/NSCIS. 

The creation of this second node in a geographical dispersed location eliminates planned 

downtime and enhances the performance availability and reliability of the system. 

The im pie mentation of th is project was completed in January, 2012. 

Major Milestones 

Target Architecture Design Completion: 06/30/2010 

Complete Required Hardware/Software Acquisitions: 11/30/2010 

Begin Construction of Integration Region on High Availability Sysplex: 12/01/2010 

Begin Construction of Production Region on High Availability Sysplex: 12/11/2010 

Complete Migration from MISF to HAF/iHAF: 01/15/2011 

Verify operational status on HAF/iHAF: 01/17/2011 

Configure Global Load Balancing: 01/22/2011 

Evaluate Performance and Response Times: 01/31/2011 

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Lifecycle Cost Proiections 

SSA's life cycle cost estimate for fiscal years 2010 through 2015 of almost $66 million includes: 

Approximately $14 million in costs that have already been incurred for developing the 

Isolated Environment, which was designed for dedicated use by DHS; 

$18 million for fiscal years 2010 through 2013 to maintain this system; and 

$34 million for fiscal years 2010 through 2015 to provide administrative support to SSA 

field offices and a toll-free number to respond to inquiries. 

Under the terms of the SLA with DHS, SSA is fully reimbursed for these costs. 

Execution Risks 

Production Execution Scripts Fail 

Routing Configurations Fail 

Load Balancing Configurations Fail 

System Migration Failure 

Database Migration Failure 

Legacy Retirement Plan 

The instances of eVerify in the Integration and Production regions of the MISF have been 

removed. 

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4.3.AAMVA/HAVV Verification Services 

State Motor Vehicle Administrations (MVAs) which are responsible for the issuance of driver's 

licenses and state-certified identification cards must verify an individual applicant's identity 

prior to issuing the license or identification card. To do so, the MVA's must verify the 

applicant's name, date of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN) with SSA. Similarly, Statelevel Voter Registration Services require the same type of verification services. 

To meet these service demands, under a series of written agreements, SSA and the American 

Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) have established cloud-based system 

that allows state-level motor vehicle and voter registration offices to verify the identity of 

individuals applying for a driver's license, identification card or who are seeking to register to 

vote. As with eVerify, AAMVA provides the front-end web-service through which State MVA's 

and Voter Registration offices are able to access SSA's SSN verification services. SSA provides 

and maintains the back-end infrastructure and verification services. 

A Service Level Agreement (SlA) between SSA and AAMVA governs this SSN verification service. 

The architecture of the AAMVA platform provides a broad range of features and functionality. 

To enhance the availability, performance and reliability of the services provided, SSA is 

establishing a second AAMVA node in its Second Support Center (SSe. The creation of this 

second node in a geographical dispersed location provides for automatic load balancing and 

failover/recovery capability - ensuring the availability and reliability of the system in providing 

the critical services required by AAMVA and its clients/customers. Additional enhancements to 

the infrastructure and platform provide greater performance and reduced response times. 

The implementation of this project is nearing completion. The second node will be fully 

operational by Ja nuary 31,2012. 

Major Milestones 

Finalize Network Connectivity Requirements: 06/30/2011 

Finalize Storage Capacity Requirements: 07/15/2011 

Storage installed and configured: 09/30/2011 

Configuration of Integration region completed: 09/30/2011 

Integration region configuration validated and verified: 10/15/2011 

Configuration of Production region completed: 10/31/2011 

Acquisitions/procurements completed: 10/31/2011 

Production region configuration validated and verified: 12/15/2011 

Verification service applications tested operational: 01/31/2012 

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157 

Larry Freed 


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Kim Hildred 

Staff Director 

Subcommittee on Social Security 

Committee 011 Ways and Means 

U.S, House of Representatives 

8-317 Rayburn House Office Building 

Washington, D.C, 20515 

Dear Ms. Hlldree: 

! received a leiler from Chari man Johnson asking me to Send 

question in order to the hearing record for the May 

Security's information tec:hn,oio'9Y· 

my response 10 a 

healing on lile state of 

Chariman Johnson's was as !oilows: "You slated in your testimony that the percentage 

of online sessions were initiatied from a mobile device nearly ill 2011 to roughly 

15%. What does this mean for a-government services in the of government 

services CQuid be best suited for mobile technologyT 

The main impact on e-govemmenl services of increased usage of mobile devices is that more 

and more standard government website:; wiil be accessed from phones, smart and 

lablets, which will necessitate the translation of if not all, government 10 a mobile 

environment over then next ten yeers, While and departments have 

made online citizen satisfaction a over the or so, the mobile environment 

requires a new set of standards t() deliller information and services io citizens 

on smaller scmens. Sites a full-size experience may not meet citizen 

needs when the screen size conlent is 

can use Ihe same technology they use to measure and improve ihe online 

channels, mobile channels. The to know if mobile sites 

applications am meeting the and of citizens is ask the citizens 

themselves, There are federal who have mobile surveys in and 

the hope is that as mobile Increases, standard critical 

to provide 110t only adequate mobile experiences for citizens. but ones in order to fulfill the 

promise of that mobile can offer. The more have to interact with their 

government wheti19r it be from a 

Ihe less they need to use costlier channels like call 

and mobile services aiso increase efficiency in terms of 

communicating with Iha citizenry. 

As for what kinds 

they aii are. Mobile 

go',ernmen! services are besk;uited lor the mobile environment il1 truth, 

another delivery mechanism for a traditional website, so 

or service Ihal is available on a website (which about of them), 

going to see more and more access via mobile device whether or not particularly well-
158 

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159 

Valerie Melvin 


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United States Guv£!t'nment Accountabj!lty Office 

Wash ington, OC 20.548 

June 29, 2012 

The HO<lorable Sam JohnSO<l 

Chairman 

Subcommittee on Social Securily 

Committee on Ways and Means 

House of Representatives 

Subject: Responses to Ques/ions for the Record: Hearing on the Social Security 

Admillislrolion's Infamwlion Technology Modernization 

This leiter responds to ynur June 19, 2012, request that we address questions submitted for 

the record related to testimony thai we presented at the Social Security Administralion 

(SSA) oversight hearing on May 9, 2012,1 At the hearing, we discussed, among other things, 

S$A's progr<lSS in modernizing its IrlformatlOn technology (IT) systems and environment. 

The enclosure provides our responses, which are based primarily on work conducted in 

support of our previously issued products 2 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the responses, please conl",ct me at (202) 

512-6304 or !Il§.!'!!LlI£@.'l~_Q..M:" 

Sincerely yours, 

Valerie C. Melvin 

Director, Information Managemerlt 

8M Technology Resources Issues 

Enclosure - 1 

1GAO. Social Secotity AdmirtlsO~liDn_' Tedm(}luqy Modemi2d(J(;J,~ N.e€ds 1mproIJed PI&rmin{! and PerrormarlCe 

Ma,~sw'l'i:!s. GAO·12-12:3T (Washington, D.C.: May 9, 2012). 

":GAO-12-723T and GAO. Soci81 Security Adminisiratiorr improved PI&r"[(Jing find P.enOmJitIlCe M~ilsures An:: 

Ne-e-ded [{) Help E')SlJ!'8- SrJ(:Gessfu/ T8'Qfrr~o!ogr MWemIz.61Mr1: GAO-"l2-495 (Wa5hlr'lgton:, D.C: Ap:rl~ 26, 2012). 
160 


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Enclosure 

Chairman Sam Johnson 

House Committee on Ways and Means 

Subcommittee on Social Security 

Questions for the Record - May 9,2012 Hearing 

In your statement, you said that Social Security has spent $5 billion on Information 

Technology (IT) modernization over the past decade. 

a. Could you confirm that $5 billion is about 5 percent of the agency's overall 

operating budget and less than a tenth of a percent of Social Security's total 

expenditures? 

Our work determined that, from fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2011, the Social 

Security Administration (SSA) spent about $5 billion for IT modernization efforts, which 

included money for enhancements to existing systems and the modernization of legacy 

application systems (collectively referred to as "development, modernization, and 

enhancement" or "DME"). As reflected in the table below, the IT modernization expenditures 

ranged from 3.1 percent to 7.1 percent of the agency's overall operating budget, and 

constitute 5 percent of the overall operating budget for the 11-year period. Additionally, 

based on SSA's total reported expenditures for that time period, the $5 billion dollars for IT 

modernization represented less than a tenth of a percent of the agency's total expenditures. 

SSA Modernization Spending as a Percentage of Total Expenditures and Operating 

Budget (in Millions) 

Fiscal Overall Total Total IT Total IT Total IT 

year operating expenditures4 modernization modernization modernization 

budget (DME)5 (DME) as a (DME) asa 

percent of percent of 

overall total 

operatin~ expenditures' 

budget 

2001 $7,216 $471,929 $225 3.1 0.05 

2002 $7,562 $491,864 $245 3.2 0.05 

2003 $7,885 $509,436 $342 4.3 0.07 

2004 $8,313 $531,638 $520 6.3 0.10 

2005 $8,732 $569,907 $526 6.0 0.09 

2006 $9,108 $589,519 $399 4.4 0.07 

2007 $9,297 $626,290 $317 3.4 0.05 

2008 $9,744 $660,326 $404 4.1 0.06 

2009 $10,453 $733,205 $532 5.1 0.07 

2010 $11,446 $754,106 $816 7.1 0.11 

2011 $11,423 $784,535 $693 6.1 0.09 

Total $101,179 $6,722,755 $5,019 5.0 0.07 

3 SSA Budget FY 2003; Congressional Research Service, Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues, August 

2009; SSA FY 2013 Budget Justification. 

40MB, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013, Historical Tables, Table 5.2 Budget Authority by Agency: 

1976-2017. (htlfd/WW\v.\{Ihitehouse.gQvJomb/budget/Historicals). About 99% of SSA's total spending is mandatory spending 

on benefit payments. SSA's administrative spending, which is discretionary, amounts to about 1 % of SSA's total spending. See 

Congressional Research Service. Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues, August 2009. 

~ OMB Exhibit 53s; OMB Report on IT Spending for the Federal Government for Fiscal Years 2002-2013. 

8 GAO analysis. 

7 GAO analysis. 

Page 2 
161 

f 

[Submissions for the Record follow:] 


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Enclosure 

b. How does Social Security's spending level for IT modernization compare to best 

practices for similar entities? 

Our work did not compare SSA's spending level for IT modernization with that of similar 

entities, nor include identifying the appropriate spending levels or the proper mix of 

modernization as a percentage of the overall operating budget, which would be important to 

making such an assessment. In this regard, the appropriate level of modernization activities 

undertaken by any organization depends on a number of variables, such as what system 

enhancements and accomplishments have already been established, changing technology 

needs, existing IT infrastructure, and changes in mission needs and requirements. All of 

these would playa role in assessing the appropriate blend of modernization activities and 

maintenance efforts. 

Page 3 
162 

James Strassberger 


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Submission for Hearing on the State of Social Security's Information Technology 

Mr. Chainnan, Ranking Member Becerra, and other members of the committee, [ very much appreciate 

this opportunity to suhmit my views on Information Technology at the Social Security Administration. 

My namc is James Strassberger; I rcccntly retircd after almost 42 years at SSA. I spent the last 17 years 

workiug on the "PEBES" system (named [or the original Personal Eal11ings and Benefit Estimate 

Statement) which provides the data [or Social Security Statements, for the highly regarded online 

Retirement Estimator, the new Online Social Security Statement, and the "PEBES Query" used by SSA 

employees in dealing with Statement and claims inquiries. 1 have previously appeared as a witness before 

this committee in 1987 and 1989 as a representative ofthe American Federation of Government 

Employecs. 

[ will discuss concel11S about appropriate teclmology at SSA, such as the question of legacy COBOL 

systems, appropriate public service decisions related to information technology, and appropriate processes 

for assessing, evaluating and managing information technology at SSA. 

The COBOL and "'Big Data" Issues 

At the May 9, 2012, hearing, Mr. Freed, of ForeSee Results, presented scores for SSA intel11et services 

which showed many were rated as highly as or more so than prominent corporate services. The 

Retirement Estimator's score was 91 on a scale on which above 80 is excellent. The core functionality 

for the Retirement E'timator is provided by ,ystems written in COBOL, and in use since 1996 and earlier, 

including the prof,'fam buill [or the 1996 Online PEBES, and used continuously sincc. 

COBOL lacks features of modem languages, but our COBOL programs work. Please consider this: At 

the height of the Haitian cholera epidemic, a team from an American medical asqi,tance NGO parachuted 

into the mountains. They jumped from a C-47 from which U. S_ troops had jumped over Normandy. 

Within a lim ited budget. replacing working technology is not always the wi,est investment priority, 

although often, someone would stand to profit from such a move. The SSA budget crca(es a zero-sum 

game. Which field offices should be closed (0 fund an arbitrary, accelerated replacement of COBOL? 

Dr. Scherlis ofthe Carnegie-Mellon Software Engineering Institute argued for SSA', moving to "Big 

Data" and a "cloud" of servers. "Big Data'~ is most useful for searching for patterns and associations to 

dctemline such things as the optimal disposition o[ police patrol ears, and the dynamics ofthe 

Chesapeake Bay as derivcd [rom millions o[measuremen(s o[ chemical and biological [actors, It is also 

lIsed by Google and F acebook for the processing of personal data which, if done by government, would 

be illegal without probahle cau,e in a criminal investigation_ A specific case for using this technology for 

maintaining earnings records, adjudicating claims and computing benefits has not been presented. 

Public Service Policv Choices within Information Technology 

Within the context of IT, whatever the machinery and language, there are more important public service 

choices. A review of a few ofthese would be appropriate. 
163 


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First, the reccntly implemented Online Social Security Statemem oITers the user significantly less useful 

functionality than what was built in 1996 and is still readily available. The new system providcs an 

online version of an "SSA Initiated" Statement. 111is uses recent eamings for this year's and future 

eamings without user input of these facts which are very relevant to benefits. The 1996 system provided 

an "On Request" version, for which the user can enter Last Year's, This Year's and average Fumre Years' 

eamings, and the age the user plans to stop work. For all the discussion of how SSA must move up to 

offering the public sophisticated services such as they arc used to from corporate infonnation systems, 

why was the public not given a service more responsive to their needs? Consider a person who lost a job 

near the end of the year before last, was out of work last year and now has ajob paying less. The system 

in place will project the year hefore last's wages forward until the year hefore each ofthe retirement 

benefit eslimatcs and seriously over-estimate benefits. The over-estimate will be greater the younger the 

worker is. In addition, the ability to enter a specific age to stop work, perhaps below age 62 for someone 

laid off, or any personal choice limn 63 to 69, is more responsive to individual needs but not available in 

the current version. Adding the Month of Election for retirement henetits as a separate entry would he a 

reasonable future enhancement. A user ofthe new service is not referred to SSA' s other, more 

eustomizable, estimators. 

This is not the only time that infonnation on Statements was compromised by bureaucratic 

considerations. The Social Security Protection Act (Puh. L. 108-203, at title TV, Sees. 419(a)-(c» 

required SSA to provide, "'an explanation, in language calculated to be understood by the average eligible 

individual, of the operation of the [Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension 

Offset]." What was implemented as a bureaucratic choice regarding WEP was a simple selection between 

two paragraphs, one for those having at least one non-covered wage report, with no consideration, and the 

other for those having none. j thought that given two years to implement the provision meant that we 

could research the issues and provide appropriate infonnation based on an intelligent evaluation of the 

individual's earnings pattern and age. At the time, we found 43.6% of workers had some non-covered 

employment. Only 1.8% of persons who became entitled in 2002 had a W EP-based benetit computation. 

No one ever got a pension from on-campus johs for college students, hut such johs are non-covered work. 

A person who washed dishes in the dining hall thirty years ago gets the same paragraph as a person who 

has worked in scveral school systems, some covered and some not, and for whom intelligent infornlation 

about W EP would be most usefuL The Social Security Advisory Board has also criticized the 

implementation ofthis provision. 

A proper review ofinformation technology at SSA would be incomplcte without discussion oftlle 

episode in which the Actuary's Oliginally published computation o[the Average Wage Index for 2009 

was in error because someone used the online W-2 process to file more than 30 fraudulent W-2's, each 

claiming wages of almost one billion dollars. Did over-enthusiasm for the internet and for reduction of 

"red-tape" for small business almost lead to an exaggeration ofhenefit payments? The suhcommittee 

should learn the disposition ofthis casc and ho" the miscreant(s) knew it could be done and thdr motive. 

A Process for Effectivelv Dealing with the Issues 

As T cleared out my euhicle hefore retirement T had to deal with my collection of GAO, OTG and other 

reports and critiques on SSA systems, going back to the 1970's. The discussions are highly repetitive. 
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At the May 9'h hearing there was considerable emphasis on the COBOL issue. There has been no 

opportunity for comprehensive consideration of this, unless it is in the now missing technology panel 

work product. It would perhaps be useful if a proper debate could be had between academic cloud 

advocates and defenders ofSSA's use of the IBM WehSphere environment, which supports integrated 

COBOL and Java, mainframe and server-bascd systems and a means for transition. In the 1980's, the 

congressional Office of Technology Assessment commissioned an independent review of pretty much the 

same questions as are under discussion now, as they existed then. It included a day-long workshop which 

allowed for discussion much more revealing than the fault-finding and charge and counter charge process 

of GAO reports. Having followed these debates for more than 30 years T know that otlen such reports 

simply rail to appreciate all the technical and operational issues, and I recall none which took proper 

notice of the budgetary concerns. Pontifical asseliions that, "SSA should .... , are proclaimed as if money 

was not an issue. This is not consffilctive, as attested to by the fact that it has been going on for decades 

to 1 ittle avail. 

The rceent OIG rcport specifically on the COBOL includes extensive infonnation on the eontinucd usc of 

COBOL in major corporate financial systems, yet despite this, calls for additional efforts on SSA's part, 

as if the use of COBOL might allow the filing of fraudulent documents or something. 

At the May 9'h hearing, Congrcssman Berg, speaking from his experience with IT in business, made a 

good point that SSA is different from the private sector where IT development and modernization is done 

for market share and profitability. He also said that SSA's large internal TT workforce is a "blessing" hut 

they need to be engaged with the ontside TT world and "refreshed" with effective training and 

development. I totally agrce. I dealt with these issues extensively in my testimony more than 20 years 

ago, and again, little has changed. It is this workforce which is responsible for the successes recognized 

at SSA, often succeeding more despite than because of certain bureaucratic processes and mechanisms. A 

collective, participative assessment of resource accounting and project management practices (Otlen 

imposed in response to GAO or OTG criticism), and onhe use of contractors (costing 38.6% more per 

work year than civil servants), and of the training program for systems staff should be undertaken. There 

are easy and inexpensive '\lays to do this. 

Decades of repetitive agonizing over what SSA should do in managing TT is a function onhe fact that the 

prevailing model for public administration is that "management", operating from various stations in a 

monolithic bureaucratic pyramid of power, will make "colTcet" choices about rational comprehensive 

schemes, and if only they would make COlTect choices of policy, and rigorously enforce them, all would 

be well. Higher Monitoring Authorities (HMA's - GAO and OlG) will be deployed from time to time to 

second guess and hector "management" ahout its choices, and often demand more and more monitoring 

and controlling activities. What the taxpayers need is problem solving and creative activities. 

A case in point is found in the history ofthe management of Social Security Statements. From the mid 

1990's until 2004, this was in the hands ofthe Earnings Statement Project Team, an unusually collegial 

inter-component group convened trom the Office of Communications. Tt guided Statements through the 

original Online PEBES and its demise, studies and pilots of altcmative designs, the congressionally 

mandated Contributions and Benefits Statement project, the development of field office PEBES and 
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