Evening star., 1956-12-27
SECURITY FOR YOU
No Raise
In Benefits
Forecast
By RAY HENRY

President Eisenhower plans to
Iask Congress to make only one
change in Social Security in
1887: Allow employers to report
earnings and pay the Social
Security tax once a year rather
than every three months.
/ This has been revealed by the
Presidents Secretary of Health,
Education and Welfare, Marion
Folsom, who's the top boss of
the Social Security Administra-
ton.
Thus, there are no plans to
ask for raises in the monthly
payments, in the type of benefits
available or in the amount of
earnings person may have and
still draw Social Security pay
ments.
OF course, this doesn't mean
that changes along these lines
won't. be made. Congress itself
could initiate and approve
changes not recommended by
Mr.. Eisenhower.
For example, the two major
changes made this year-lower-
ing the retirement age for women
and the disability payments
program-were not asked by the
President. Both were started in
Congress.
Whether Congress will accept
the only change the President
plans to ask is an open ques-
Ition. The idea of reporting earn
ings once a year has the opposi-
ton of labor unions.
Could Affect Benefits
The reason for the opposi-
ton is that. in some instances,
unemployment payments are
based on the three months Of
the previous year in which a
worker earned his highest pay.
The quarterly report of earnings
made by employers is the source
of this information. Some un-
ions feel that a change in this
reporting system could result in
changes in the unemployment
insurance set-up which wouldn't
/. be to the best interests of un-
lemployed workers.
II no changes are made in
1857 in Social Security, there's
likely to be one good result: the
public will have a chance to
digest, to some degree, the
changes made this year.
There's little doubt that the
general public should better un-
Iderstand the benefits available.
This showed UP in a survey made
in early 1854 by the University
of Michigan. The survey was
made in Detroit, but the results
probably would be about the
same in other cities around the
country.
The basic question in the sur
'Ivey was: what benefits does
Social Security entitle you top
Only 26 out Of 100 persons
gave the correct answer that
Social Security provides pay
ments in old age and to survivors
OF workers who die. (Since the
survey, of course, payments to
persons who are totally disabled
and who are so or over were
added)
Answer Was Simple
Thus, only very fundamental
knowledge was needed for a
correct answer.
AS might be expected. the
survey showed that the more
schooling a person had the more
likely he was to give a correct
answer. But. even among people
with college educations. less than
half-45 per cent-gave a correct
answer.
In addition to the 26 per cent
! who did give the right answer,
,,i48 per cent gave partly correct
answers. For example, As per
cent knew that Social Security
provided payments in old age,
but didn't know that survivors
OF deceased workers we're eligible
for payments. Only 3 per cent
knew about the survivor pay
ments. but didn't know about
the old age payments.
Twenty-one per cent Of the
persons questioned in the survey
had no knowledge or only vague
knowledge Of Social Security
benefits available.
From Associated Press NewsfeaturesI
The aert Security for You column will
oppeor Moadoy.
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