Wendell Alfred of Lewes is the president of AARP Delaware.
A vital lifeline used to pay for housing, groceries, gas and other everyday necessities is about to have its 90th birthday. As the bedrock of retirement in America, our financial future depends on protecting Social Security for decades to come.
Social Security will face challenges in the years ahead, but it’s on us to ensure that the program continues to work for those who rely on it. Its history shows us how necessary it is for the healthy retirement of Americans everywhere. On Aug. 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, and in January 1940, Ida M. Fuller, the first person to receive Social Security, collected her initial monthly check of $22.54 — that’s $518.58 adjusted for inflation. From that beginning, the program now provides $1.4 trillion in retirement security. It is the only inflation-adjusted retirement initiative, and it guarantees that Americans everywhere know they can plan soundly for retirement. That’s nationwide.
Here in Delaware, 241,454 people collect Social Security benefits, and 56,000 residents are lifted out of poverty every month thanks to the program. Social Security helps Delawareans live and retire with dignity, offers crucial support to those with disabilities and serves as a financial lifeline for families navigating losses of loved ones.
Social Security will never “go broke.” That’s a fact. Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system. As long as there are workers paying into Social Security, there will be Social Security for those collecting benefits. The program is funded by payroll taxes and will continue to pay benefits. But it does face funding challenges. The most recent Social Security trustees’ report finds that the surplus will run out in 2035. To prevent that shortfall, Congress must once again step up — as it did when it reformed the program in 1983 — before millions of Americans are left with less than they’ve earned.
Customer service is another area where Social Security is facing challenges. Administrative chaos at the Social Security Administration this year has contributed to a crisis that has been ongoing for years. SSA has struggled with call wait times, hold times, service resolutions and staffing issues, according to its own data. Many Americans who need access to the program face hours on the phone or in line at their local offices. And budget and staffing levels have strained the administration’s ability to provide vital services.
This year, wait times are on the rise, and fewer people can reach a Social Security representative to meet their needs. And this challenge emerges just as more people — approximately 10,000 across the nation every day — are retiring.
The new Social Security commissioner would be well served to recommit the Social Security Administration to provide timely, efficient and effective customer service. The agency needs to be clear when communicating any possible changes and what effects lower staffing levels will have. And Congress needs to provide oversight to ensure that customer service is prioritized at an organization that has struggled to serve Americans everywhere.
Throughout our history at AARP, we have worked with every administration and Congress, regardless of party, to protect and strengthen Social Security. More than 67 million Americans everywhere rely on this vital program, and for 90 years, Social Security has been the foundation of retirement in the United States. It’s imperative to ensure its strength not just for another 90 years but for generations upon generations to come.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
