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Summer Camps in Full Swing at Wabashby Brent Harris • June 15, 2007 Share:
Fifty-three soccer players raced up and down the Mud Hollow Field during the week, working on various drills and techniques under the watchful eye of Wabash soccer coach Roberto Giannini and his assistants.
An early practice? Extra work before the start of the season?
No, just another successful summer youth camp at Wabash.
Giannini provided two camps during the week to the surrounding community, one for elementary aged children and one for junior high and high school players. Nearly all of the participants from his first camp in 2006 returned, and with the addition of several first-year campers in 2007 the participation numbers hit a new level.
Tennis coach Jason Hutchison has already being working as an instructor over the past few weeks, teaching private lessons in addition to offering summer camps for the same age groups. (View photos from the soccer and tennis camps.)
The Bishop-Dullaghan Football Camp will begin next Tuesday, with 300 wrestlers ready to hit the mats in another week for the 2007 Brian Anderson Wrestling Camp. The first of two high school basketball shootouts have already taken place, with the final session scheduled for June 30. Mud Hollow Field will also play host to the Indiana Bulls' summer baseball showcase tournament for 17- and 18-year-old high school players from around the Midwest.
A total of nearly 800 campers will participate in sports camps at Wabash this summer.


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The words "I'm sorry" never sounded more sincere or consoling for victims of last year's Blue Mountains bushfires, than when spoken by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Six months after suffering the worst firestorm in years, the community is still scarred and struggling to recover.
But a visit on Wednesday from William and Kate went a long way to raise their spirits and remind them again that people, including royalty, really cared.
"For them to come out all this way to say hello and say, `I'm sorry this happened to you' ... it didn't seem like duty to them, it seemed like a pleasure," Eartha Odell, 47, said.
"They were very sincere in trying to understand our grief and very kind and warm and approachable to the children."
Ms O'Dell lives in Buena Vista Road, Winmalee - a street where almost half the homes were destroyed in the savage blaze one frightening afternoon in October last year.
Last spring, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visited the region while the pain was still raw.
Wednesday's visit by the William and Kate was just as important because it reminded residents they hadn't been forgotten.
"People out there are still thinking of us, which is greatly appreciated, bloody oath it is," Adrian Harrison, who lost his house, said.
The royal couple was scheduled to meet with just two fire affected families in the street but they chose to talk to many more, stretching their visit by more than 20 minutes.
Shortly afterwards, they met with many of the fire fighters who had put their lives on the line to save houses and lives. And William was keen to show his respect.
"I want to shake as many hands as I can. Everyone," Prince William told the volunteers.
He asked about fire-fighting techniques and rebuilding.
"It must be wonderful being a part of a community that works together."
He singled out a 16-year-old who worked the communication lines when the bushfire came to town - while his house was burning.
"Wow what a baptism of fire you have had," William said.
Ten metres away, the Duchess was engrossed in the sheer dimensions of the disaster.
"To not have any loss of life is incredible," she said.
As an ongoing reminder for the locals and a symbol of growth for the area, the couple planted a West Australian flowering red gum tree out the front of the Winmalee Guides Hall in Yellow Rock.
After raising spirits, the royal couple played tourists, stunning natural beauty of the Blue Mountains.
Like many tourists before them, the royal couple visited Echo Point in Katoomba, taking in the iconic Three Sisters, Mt Solitary and the Jamison Valley.
"I pointed out Mt Solitary and Jamison Valley from the lookout. She said the view was beautiful - it was amazing how far you could see," Anthea Hammon, joint managing director of Scenic World said.
The visit will provide an enormous boost to tourism in the mountains, which has struggled since the bushfires.
"The economy has not recovered from the fires and we need to attract visitors back to the mountains ... This coverage will bring people back," Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill told AAP earlier.
Thousands, including Sydney sisters Alexandra Witting, 12, and Sophia Witting, nine, and Ainslie Zakis, 12, of Wentworth Falls, had waited at Echo Point for the chance to meet or at least see the couple.
"It was a last minute decision to come up here today - but it was so worth it. I will never forget it," Alexandra said.
The Duke and Duchess' last stop on Thursday was Narrow Neck, a spectacular vertical cliff at Katoomba that plunges 100 metres to the lush bush below.
They met a group of local youth group demonstrating adventure sports.
William prompted gasps from onlookers as he stepped to the very edge of the cliff to watch some abseilers.
"He took a bit of a lunge and a few people held their breath, gasped and readied their hands to grab him," said Damien Cooper, manager of the Blue Mountains Youth Service.
"He was fine of course, he knew what he was doing. I think his military background prepared him well for it."
The royal couple then made their way to Katoomba Falls oval where they left the mountains in a Black Hawk army helicopter. William met privately with Prime Minister Tony Abbott at Admiralty House on Thursday afternoon.

subset: commoncrawl


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Well wouldn't ya know it! At the end of my workout yesterday I pull my lower back. I've never hurt my back while eightlifting before! Man getting old Sucks! It's nothig I won't bounce back from, but I have to be more careful in the future. I'm not 16 anymore!
Edited by DukeofBoogie, 07 April 2006 - 07:09 PM.


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WND Exclusive
Why he's the 1st 'gay' president
In the wake of a Newsweek cover proclaiming Barack Obama as the "First Gay President," the Lesbian & Gay Victory Institute has published the names of more than 250 openly LGBT (Lesbian -"Gay"-Bisexual -Transgender) professionals appointed by the Obama administration to federal government policy jobs.
The institute said the long list means the Obama administration has set a record for appointing more openly LGBT individuals to the federal government than all previous administrations combined.
In an "outing" move that would have likely drawn criticism if published by someone else, the names were released under the headline "The Presidential Appointments Project," an effort started in 2008 by the Lesbian & Gay Victory Institute in conjunction with some 20 other LGBT advocacy groups. The groups aim to increase the number of openly homosexual persons receiving presidential appointments to government posts.
Asked why the Lesbian & Gay Victory Institute published the names, group spokesman Denis Dison, vice president of communications, said LGBT applicants applying under the Presidential Appointments Project have given permission.
"These are all people who have applied through our program," Dison said, claiming that more than 3,000 LGBT applications have been received so far by the organization for the approximately 7,000 positions throughout the federal government open to presidential appointment.
As seen from an examination of the list, the appointments range throughout the federal government, from inside the office of the president to multiple government agencies and the federal judiciary.
On Oct. 26, 2010, Sam Hananel of the Associated Press reported that, less than half-way though his first term, Obama already had appointed more openly "gay" officials than any other president in history. "Gay" activists estimated more than 150 appointments at the time, surpassing the previous high of 140 reached during Bill Clinton's two full presidential terms.
Obama smashes record for LBGT appointments
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute website said the Obama administration has appointed more than 250 openly LGBT professionals to full-time and advisory positions in the executive branch, "more than all known LGBT appointments of other presidential administrations combined."
Central to the effort to expand the number of LGBT presidential appointments, the Lesbian & Gay Victory Institute offers itself to serve "as a talent bank for openly LGBT professionals seeking opportunities to improve our federal government policies and processes."
Inviting LGBT candidates for federal government jobs to file a resumé with the Presidential Appointments Project, the institute provides a link for applicants to upload resumés electronically.
Only openly LGBT individuals seeking an appointment to federal government positions are encouraged to submit resumés to the "Presidential Appointments Project:"
Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, if you have ever considered public service, now is the time to share your experience and give our community a voice at the table.
In addition to full-time appointed positions, there are opportunities to serve on boards, advisory committees and grant renewing groups across the country. These bodies make recommendations on how government can work better, smarter and more efficiently.
In a "Frequently Asked Questions" segment of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute website, candidates are encouraged to follow the following guidelines in posting their resumés:
- List your professional experience in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.
- Provide bullet lists for each experience that highlight specific skills, inputs and outcomes with quantifiable metrics.
- If applicable, include the size of your budget and the number of staff for which you were directly responsible for managing.
- Be sure to include any public service at the local, state, or federal levels of government or volunteer service with non-profits.
- Do not include references or salary information. Generally, purpose or objective statements should not be included.
Dison explained to WND that the first duty of LGBT applicants seeking presidential appointments for available federal positions would be to apply for the positions directly.
"Those submitting resumés through us are letting us know what types of jobs they are interested in, so we can also advocate for them," Dison explained. "Sometimes the applicants contact us and say they are interested in us promoting them for a particular position. Other times, it works the opposite way, and we notify applicants positions appropriate for them may become available."
Dison also explained to WND that the White House will reach out to the project in search of candidates with a particular skill set.
He denied that the Presidential Appointments Project seeks to obtain federal appointments to government positions for LGBT candidates on the basis of sexual preference.
"Our applicants do not get a federal appointment unless they are qualified for the positions they get," he insisted.
Dison also acknowledged that the Obama administration has politically appointed positions.
"At the highest reaches of the Obama administration the president has put a premium on having a diverse administration that, as he puts it, 'looks like America,' and that includes LGBT people," he said.
An LGBT political agenda to oppose Romney-Ryan?
Dison denied the institute has a political agenda to support the Obama administration.
"We only work with openly LGBT leaders," he insisted. "We are a 501(c)3 organization and [don't] do any political work. We intend to work with Democratic or Republican presidential administrations, whoever wins the next election."
Still, on Aug. 11, the day Romney announced his pick of Rep. Paul Ryan for his running mate, Dison posted several anti-Romney, anti-Ryan comments on his Twitter account.
As seen in Exhibit 1, Dison posted two comments, one demeaning the Romney-Ryan ticket as "good hair, bad ideas," and the second suggesting that Ryan's record would restrict freedom for LGBT individuals.
Exhibit 1: Denis Dison anti-Romney/Ryan Twitter posts, Aug. 11, 2012
In a third Twitter post, as seen in Exhibit 2, Dison attacked Ryan for lacking private-sector experience in a partisan suggestion that Obama's years as a community organizer in a Saul Alinsky-oriented organization represented superior qualifications.
Exhibit 2: Denis Dison anti-Ryan Twitter post, Aug. 11, 2012
Obama LGBT appointments to U.S. military
In line with the ending of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. military, Obama also has appointed openly LGBT individuals to key military positions.
On Aug. 3, the Obama administration announced the intention to appoint openly "gay" nominee Eric Fanning as the next undersecretary of the Air Force.
Fanning, who currently serves as deputy undersecretary and deputy chief management officer of the Department of the Navy, will be responsible as undersecretary of the Air Force for the organizing, training and welfare for more than 333,000 active duty men and women, 178,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members, and 182,000 civilians and their families.
On Aug. 11, Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith became the first openly LGBT officer to be promoted to the rank of general.
According to a Los Angeles Times report, during a promotion ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony, Tracey Harper, the co-founder of the Military Partners and Families Coalition, placed the first star on Smith's uniformed shoulder, acknowledging her partner's official appointment to the rank of an Army brigadier general.
"With that simple gesture, Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith became the country's first openly gay general," reporter Laura J. Nelson wrote.
In June, the Pentagon for the first time in the history of the U.S. military celebrated LGBT Pride Month with a ceremony broadcast on an internal TV network to U.S. military bases around the world, featuring pre-taped videos from Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.
In a presidential proclamation published on the White House website June 1, Obama declared June 2012 as "LGBT Pride Month" and wrote: "Since I took office, my administration has worked to broaden opportunity advance equality, and level the playing field for LGBT people and communities."
The presidential proclamation cited as achievements the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as well as Obama's declaration that he now believes "in marriage equality for same-sex couples."
LGBT Victory Institute names names
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute published a list of names identifying the 250 openly LGBT individuals appointed to federal government positions by the Obama administration since Jan. 20, 2009.
The source of the list can be found on the "Presidential Appointments Project" Web page of the Gay & Lesbian Victory site.
LGBT appointments in the Obama-Biden administration:


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A duck blind constructed on a small island at the northwest corner of Fort Pond in Montauk had pondside residents crying "waterfowl" last week. It was the first time in memory that a blind has been placed on Turtle Island, far too close to homes, many residents say, and to the ducks that they had come to view as part of the neighborhood.
The hunters who built the blind decided this week to move it to another part of the pond, but the move has not halted efforts to ban duck hunting in the water body, which measures three miles in circumference from Industrial Road south to Montauk Highway, and east to west from Edgemere to Second House Roads.
Although ducks have been hunted in the pond before, the East Hampton Town Hunting Guide, a bulletin published by the Natural Resources Department, does not list Fort Pond as a hunting area and has posted no signs announcing the duck hunting season.
The hunters' decision to move the blind came after Jane Bimson, whose house is less than 100 yards from the blind, circulated a petition that reads in part:
"Hunting on Fort Pond has become a danger to those who live near its shoreline, as well as to those who use it recreationally. Additionally, the discharge of firearms close to the [Long Island Power Authority] substation creates the potential for an ecological disaster." Ms. Bimson, who is an advertising sales representative for The Star, said yesterday she would continue to lobby for a hunting ban in Fort Pond.
It is not the first time she has run afoul of duck hunters in the pond. In presenting her petition to the town board on Nov. 20, Ms. Bimson told members that her boyfriend, Steven LiPani, was fishing near the island the day after Thanksgiving last year when hunters next to the LIPA station purposely fired in his direction. Shot fell about 20 feet short of his boat.
The hunters in question received a warning from the State Department of Environmental Conservation police.
While the duck blind's builders, Zachary Becker among them, reportedly intend to move their blind, they were not required by law to do so. The D.E.C.'s hunting regulations permit the erection of blinds used in the hunting of waterfowl over water close to shore even in residential areas as long as hunters fire out over the water.
"There is no minimum distance," said Liza Bobseine, a state conservation officer familiar with the Fort Pond blind issue. "They have to shoot in a safe direction no matter how near or far they are. They can be literally 10 feet from a house and it's still legal."
Ms. Bimson and the 120 people who signed her petition, half of whom live on the pond, are asking the town board to ban the hunting of waterfowl in Fort Pond. A number of petition signers said they were upset because they feed the ducks and think of them as pets. Orla Troy, who lives on Edgemere Road, said she was given nine ducks last spring. She raised them and set them free on the pond last year. Five were shot shortly after hunting season started, then three more were lost.
Lidia Karras, who lives pondside on Edgemere Road, said she was afraid to let her three young children outside to play during duck hunting season.
And then there is the noise.
The loud gunshots early in the morning before dawn jar you out of bed, Ms. Bimson told the board. "What about the noise ordinance. Landscapers are not allowed to mow lawns before 7 a.m. Restaurants can't play music too loud. Why are hunters exempt?" Ms. Bimson asked the board.
The town's Department of Land Acquisition and Management oversees hunting within the township. Andrew Gaites, who runs the department, said he recommends adding or subtracting hunting areas, although the final decision is the town board's. His department is also responsible for posting hunting areas. "The board could declare Fort Pond a no discharge zone," he said, "discharge" referring to the firing of bird shot.
There is a precedent.
The East Hampton Town Trustees, who manage the placement of duck blinds on bottomland elsewhere in the town, have banned hunting in Hook Pond in East Hampton in order to keep it as a preserve.
The trustees own the bottomland, on behalf of the East Hampton public, in Hook Pond and in most other water bodies outside of Montauk, where the 300-year-old trustee panel lost its authority in the 1800s. The town board has not yet made a decision regarding the call to ban hunting in Fort Pond.


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Designer da tutto il mondo stanno presentando le loro proposte per NordicAccounting per il design di pagina web - custom.
We are four companies in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland - the four nordic countries, who have started a joint venture which we call NordicAccounting. We are to serve the European and US / other international markets, with one brand. This will be the webpage which will ensure that people understand that we provide accounting, payroll and consultation services within the four countries.
Nordic Accounting
We need a webpage which makes an impression of a professional accounting/payroll/consulting services company which serves the entire Nordic Market (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark). Legislation within each country is different, so we are four partner companies in each country which provides services for our clients as a single company. In this manner, a US company can have one contact person and get access to the nordic market and have everything take care of through us. We do also have an IT Services company, and can take care of specific IT-related needs which are related to ERPs, accounting, payroll and so on.
A professional design is the key.
More details on the business:
- Companies all over the world needs to have an accountant, and they also needs to have payroll services. All companies all over the world use the accountants to get monthly reports on how their business is doing, how much clients owe them and so on. Accounting rules vary from country to country, and as such, when a company in the US needs to have accounting done in Norway, Sweden, Denmark or Finland, they need to have acconting-companies in all of these countries in order to be able to do business there. NordicAccounting is an umbrella were US (and Asian, Africa, South American etc.), companies can get services done in all the four nordic countries, using just one single company.
- Payroll is also an important part of what we do. When a company, say a British oil company, has staff in any of the four nordic countires, they need to have help from a local payroll provider operating in that country. The payroll provider (us) takes care of calculating what is net salary to be paid out, makes sure all expenses are compensated properly, and that the right information is fed to the government.
- And then we do ERP-systems, meaning economic systems which takes care of the local requirements in all four countries. These are for example Visma, HogiaLøn, and others.
- And we also do consultation. Say, if you are a British or Indian company, and you want to start up a business in Norway, Sweden, Denmark or Finland, we will make it easy for you - by providing you with guidance on all the necessary forms to fill out, the right kind of company you should register as, how to get hold of employees, how you should run most optimally and so on.
So basically NordicAccounting is a one-stop-shop for all foreign companies (but also those in the Nordic region), who need a single company to take care of business within the Nordic region, be it within one country or all.
Example: the other day I had a Swedish client on the phone (I am Norwegian), who had problems registering for VAT (value added tax). I filled out the necessary forms for him and sent it to him for signature. In Sweden, these forms do not exist, but they do in Norway.
In this way, legislation varies all around the world. This is the company that helps you do business right in the four Nordic Countries.
- Professional look
- Easy to find information - not overcrowded, but maybe a top-menu and a side-menu which presents products (accounting, payroll, consulting) - and the countries (norway, sweden, denmark, finland). Information can be found on the existing webpages http://www.dataplan.no, http://www.btrbc.com, http://www.tilimatic.fi, http://www.danadmin.dk
- The coloration may be in the lighter area of the spectrum - we are in the nordic countries, which are maybe known for high quality, high standard of living, great welfare services and so on, but also a cold climate with ice and snow during the winter - maybe a blue/white coloration with blue/white effects
- People here are professional, loyal, decent and hard working
- It must be easy to find information on the page
- Elegant
- Not too dark


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American Pharoah broke one of the most famous dry spells in sports Saturday, joining Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed as one of 12 Triple Crown winners in thoroughbred racing history.
He did it with a brilliant wire-to-wire win in the Belmont Stakes, the grueling 1 1/2-mile test that had stopped 13 gifted contenders over the past 37 years.
For more than a year, seasoned observers had told owner Ahmed Zayat and trainer Bob Baffert that they were raising a potential all-time great. American Pharoah — a muscular brown colt marked by his short tail and misspelled name — left no doubt on the biggest stage possible.
"He's just a great horse," Baffert said, looking...


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April 11, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - MIT plated four runners in the bottom of the eighth inning on Wednesday, breaking a 10-10 tie en route to a 14-11 victory over NESCAC rival Wesleyan University in the Engineers' home opener. Sophomores David Nole and Stephen Toth each had three hits and three runs batted in, while junior Jay Turner pitched the final two frames to pick up his third straight win to start the season.
Things didn't start well for MIT as the Cardinals grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first with two unearned runs. Wesleyan added three more runs in the second, although only junior Chris Simpson picked up an RBI during the frame with a run-producing single. John DelGiudice scored on a throwing error following a steal attempt at third base, while Drew Dominguez also crossed the plate after singling earlier in the stanza.
The Engineers answered in the third with five runs on four hits while taking advantage of a crucial two-out error. Freshman Ben Bersanti and sophomore Steven Nunez, who each walked early in the inning, scored Tech's first two runs after senior captain Jason Witzberger doubled down the left-field line. One out later, Nole singled home Witz to slice the lead to 5-3. After Kevin Wheeler followed Nole with another single, Wesleyan looked like it would escape the inning without further damage until a costly infield error loaded the bases. Not wasting the golden opportunity, Toth doubled deep to right center to help MIT level the score.
In the top of the fourth, Wesleyan pulled ahead again. Without the aid of any defensive miscues, the Cardinals orchestrated three run-scoring singles. Dominguez worked his way around the bases with a stolen base and a wild pitch before scoring on Alex Mautone's ground out to third, while the rest of the tallies came after the second out. Consecutive singles by Chris Graceffa, Chris Waelsch and Garrett Lamborn each plated a runner as Wesleyan moved in front, 9-5.
Strong baserunning secured two runs for the Engineers in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, freshman Stewart Park drew a walk before stealing second and third. Nunez brought Park home with a single and then stole second himself in the ensuing at bat. An error in the outfield enabled Nunez to race across two bags for Tech's second run of the inning.
MIT powered ahead in the sixth after Nole doubled home Witzberger to spark the attack. Another error and wild pitch yielded two more runs to put MIT on top, 10-9, although Wesleyan struck back in the seventh. The theme was similar for both teams as Lamborn took advantage of a walk, a wild pitch and an error to knot the score heading to the eighth.
Three hits and two more defensive mistakes enabled MIT to pull back in front with four runs. Nole, Wheeler and Toth had run-scoring singles in the frame as the Engineers finally grabbed command with a 14-10 lead. Lamborn doubled to lead off the ninth and scored one out later on DelGiudice's single, but any thoughts of a last-inning rally were thwarted following a fielder's choice and line drive back to the mound.
Nunez, Witzberger and Nole each scored three times for MIT, while Park had three stolen bases to improve his total to 14 for the campaign. Five Wesleyan batters recorded a pair of hits and Mautone, Grafecca and Waelsch each added two RBI. Brian Mahr (0-1) worked four innings and was charged with the loss, which snapped a six-game winning streak for Wesleyan against MIT that extended to the spring of 1989.


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Social Security Programs
Social Security Totalization Agreements
Since the 1970s, U.S. negotiators have concluded bilateral agreements with 28 important trading partners to coordinate social security coverage and benefit provisions for individuals who live and work in more than one country in their working lives. Known as "totalization agreements," they are similar in function and structure to treaties and are legally classified as congressional-executive agreements concluded pursuant to statute. The agreements have three main purposes: to eliminate double taxation on earnings, to provide benefit protections for workers who have divided their careers between the United States and another country, and to permit unrestricted payment of benefits to residents of the two countries. This article briefly describes totalization agreements, relates their history, and considers proposals to modernize and enhance them.
Public Pension Statements in Selected Countries: A Comparison
Public pension statements are one way for countries to provide workers with information about their retirement benefits. This article compares public pension statements in Canada, Sweden, and the United States. The comparison includes brief descriptions of the public pension programs in each country, details on the origins and content of the public pension statements, and an assessment of the information provided in the three countries' respective public pension statements.
"Fast-Track" Strategies in Long-Term Public Disability Programs Around the World
This article examines fast-track procedures in long-term public disability programs in the United States and several other countries. Such procedures share a common goal of accelerating applicants—generally for those with severe disabilities, blindness, or facing terminal illness—through the disability determination process.
Caregiver Credits in France, Germany, and Sweden: Lessons for the United States
Analysts have long considered caregiver credits, or pension credits, provided to individuals for time spent out of the workforce caring for dependent children and sick or elderly relatives, as a way to improve the adequacy of retirement benefits for women in the United States. This article examines the experiences of France, Germany, and Sweden with caregiver credits, focusing particularly on the design, administration, and cost of these programs.
Next Generation of Individual Account Pension Reforms in Latin America
This article examines the recent reforms in individual account systems in Latin America, with a focus on the recent overhaul of the Chilean system and major reforms in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia. The authors analyze key elements of pension reform in the region relating to individual accounts: system coverage, fees, competition, investment, the impact of gender on benefits, financial education, voluntary savings, and payouts.
U.S. Social Security at 75 Years: An International Perspective
Among the social security systems of industrialized countries, has the U.S. Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program followed a unique historical path? This article finds that the historical development of the U.S. Social Security system follows closely in many respects the model provided by older social insurance systems, particularly that of Germany. However, certain aspects of the U.S. Social Security experience stand out as exceptional from an international perspective, including the persistent rejection of general revenue financing, the significance attributed to long-range (75-year) projections, and the relative generosity of dependents' benefits.
Permanent Disability Social Insurance Programs in Japan
This article examines the experience of Japan's social insurance permanent disability programs and compares its key features with the Social Security Disability Insurance program operating in the United States. It analyzes the determination and appeals processes in Japan for claiming permanent social insurance disability pensions. Trends in the number of Japanese disability program beneficiaries and benefit expenditures are also discussed.
The Research Contributions of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
This article reviews the research contributions of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College over its 10-year history and their implications for Social Security and retirement income policy in three major areas: (1) Social Security's long-term financing shortfall, (2) the adequacy of retirement incomes, and (3) labor force participation at older ages as a means to improve retirement income security. The center has received substantial funding support from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in each area and has also successfully leveraged SSA's investment by attracting funding from other sources.
Chile's Next Generation Pension Reform
Since its inception in 1981, Chile's system of mandatory individual retirement accounts has become a model for pension reformers around the world. A March 2008 comprehensive pension reform law made major changes that address some key policy challenges including worker coverage, gender equity, pension adequacy, and administrative fees. The cornerstone of the new law sets up a basic universal pension as a supplement to the individual accounts system.
KiwiSaver: New Zealand's New Subsidized Retirement Savings Plans
On July 1, 2007, New Zealand introduced KiwiSaver, a new subsidized retirement savings plan. All new entrants to the labor force and anyone starting a new job are automatically enrolled in a plan and may opt out if they wish. Anyone younger than age 65, including the self-employed and anyone not in the labor force, may choose to set up a KiwiSaver account. The government provides tax credits for both employer and account holder contributions, a one-time tax-free payment to each account, and an annual fee subsidy to defray administrative costs.
Design and Implementation Issues in Swedish Individual Pension Accounts
Sweden's new multipillar pension system includes a system of mandatory fully funded individual accounts. The Swedish system offers contributors more than 600 fund options from a variety of private-sector fund managers. However, in the most recent rounds of fund choice, more than 90 percent of new labor market entrants have not made an active choice of funds and thus have ended up in a government-sponsored default fund.
The Swedish system offers a number of lessons about implementing a mandatory individual account tier. Centralized administration keeps administrative costs down but requires considerable lead time. A very large number of fund options are likely to be offered unless strong entry barriers are in place. Engaging new labor market entrants in fund choice is likely to be difficult. A significant percentage of those making an active fund choice may choose funds that are very specialized and risky. Finally, special care must be devoted to designing a default fund and continual consumer communication.
Social Security Reform in Central and Eastern Europe: Variations on a Latin American Theme
The Latin American model of social security reform with individual accounts has been adopted by a number of Central and Eastern European countries. That alternative to a pay-as-you-go system is sometimes advocated as a desirable model for solving problems in developed systems such as that of the United States. This article describes the Central and Eastern European systems and compares them with the Latin American systems.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Social Welfare Strategies
Recent European Trends in Disability and Related Programs
Developments and Trends in Social Security, 1990–1992: Overview of Principal Trends
Social Security for State-Sector Workers in the People's Republic of China: The Reform Decade and Beyond
Investment of Social Security Reserves in Three Countries
National Expenditures on Social Security and Health in Selected Countries
Administrative Costs for Social Security Programs in Selected Countries
International Social Security Agreements: The U.S. Experience
The Earnings Replacement Rate of Old-Age Benefits: An International Comparison
Commentary: Earnings Replacement Rate of Old-Age Benefits: An International Comparison
Social Security Reform in Denmark
Social Security Reforms in Japan
Recent Social Security Developments in the People's Republic of China
Developments in the Equalization of Treatment of Men and Women Under Social Security in the Federal Republic of Germany
Social Security Reform Proposals in the United Kingdom: The White Paper
Social Security Problems in Western European Countries
Highlights From Canadian Government Green Paper: Better Pensions for Canadians
Slowing Down Pension Indexing: The Foreign Experience
Farmers' Pensions and the Polish Economic Crisis
Social Security Trends and Developments in Industrialized Countries
Retirement Options Under the Swedish National Pension System
Consumer Price Indexes for the Elderly: British Experience
International Trends in Disability Program Growth
Chile Changes Social Security
Children's Allowances in the United Kingdom
European Attitudes Toward Retirement
Variable Employer Contribution Rates in Finland
Recent Changes in French Family Allowance Policy
Social Security: A Worldwide Issue
German Provisions for Deferred Retirement
Recent Social Security Developments in Japan
Social Security and Job-Creation Measures: Recent French Experience
Italy's Indexing, Minimum Benefits, and Pension Reform
Israel's Program Revision for Families with Children
Flexible Retirement Features Abroad
Impact of Recession on Swiss Pension Program
Recent Social Security Developments in Austria
Earnings-Replacement Rate of Old-Age Benefits, 1965–75, Selected Countries
Kinship and Social Security in a Micronesian Society
New Retirement-Age Features in Belgium
Earnings Index and Old-Age Benefits in West Germany
Effect of Recession on Financing of German Pension Program
France Gradually Lowers Retirement Age
Maintaining Value of Social Security Benefits During Inflation: Foreign Experience
Housewives and Pensions Foreign Experience
Impact of Recession on Financing of French Program
Administrative Costs for Social Security Programs in Selected Countries
Social Security Funding Practices in Selected Countries
New Retirement Options in Sweden
Payroll Taxes Under Social Security Programs: Cross-National Survey
Social Security Revision in the United Kingdom
Canada Pension Plan Amended
New Contributory Pension Program in New Zealand
Lower Pensionable Age in Norway
Social Security Revisions in Spain
Major Social Security Issues: Japan, 1972
Recent Changes in Russian Social Security
Social Reports of the German Federal Republic, 1970–71
Social Security Provisions for Young Adults in Industrialized Countries
Introduction of Survivor Pension Program in India
Recent Changes in Mexican Social Security
Role of the Contribution Ceiling in Social Security Programs: Comparison of Five Countries
Recent Social Security Reforms in France
Adjustment of Old-Age Pensions in Foreign Programs
The Earnings Replacement Rate of Old-Age Benefits: An International Comparison
Social Security Abroad
Recent Changes in Norwegian Social Security
New International Standards for Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Under Social Security Programs
Social Security Changes in Italy
British White Paper On Social Security Reform
Social Security Abroad
British Commonwealth Areas of the Caribbean
Contribution and Benefit Increases in Switzerland
The Trust Territory Social Security System
Bermuda's New Social Security Law
Further Social Security Amendments in France
Improvements in Belgian Social Security
Extension of Social Security Coverage in Chile
Changes in Italian Social Security System
Recent Developments in Argentine Pension Program
Social Security Abroad
Social Security Abroad
New International Instruments on Invalidity, Old-Age, and Survivors Pensions
Social Security and Development Planning: Some Issues
Social Security Issues: Fiftieth International Labor Conference
Income-Loss Protection Against Short-Term Sickness, 1948–64
Social Security in the New African Countries
Canada Pension Plan of 1965
Relation of Social Security Expenditures to Gross National Product in 45 Countries
Report on the Fifteenth General Assembly of the International Social Security Association
International Social Security Organizations: United States Participation
Technical Cooperation Activities of the Social Security Administration
Social Security Programs of Foreign Countries
Developments in Foreign Social Security Plans
Medical Benefits for Old-Age Pensioners Under Foreign Social Security Programs
Canada's Old-Age Security Program: First Decade of Operations
Developments in Foreign Social Security Plans
A Report on the Fourteenth General Meeting of the International Social Security Association
A Quarter Century of Social Security Abroad
Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustment of Pensions in Foreign Countries
Medical Benefits For Pensioners Under Foreign Social Security Programs
New Graduated Retirement Benefits in Great Britain
Social Security in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
European Multilateral Social Security Treaties
Foreign Social Security Programs in 1958
Provisions for the Protection of Children in Sweden
International Social Security Association Meeting
Provisions for the Protection of Children in Belgium and Sweden
Canadian Programs for the Aged
Social Security in Central America
World Trends in Social Security Benefits, 1955 to 1957
World Trends in Social Security Benefits, 1935–55
Social Security in Israel
Cost of the British Social Services, 1938–52
Social Security in India
Minimum Standards of Social Security: New International Convention
Income-Maintenance Programs for the Aged, United States and Great Britain
Social Welfare Expenditures, United States and Great Britain, 1949–50
New International Convention on Social Security
Egyptian Social Security Law
Turkish Retirement and Health Insurance Acts, 1949–50
Social Security Agreements in Western Europe
World Developments in Social Security
Coverage of the Self-Employed Under Old-Age and Survivors Insurance: Foreign Experience
Dependents in Social Security Systems of Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada
The Second Inter-American Conference on Social Security
Second Session of UN's Social Commission
The New Swiss Program of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
Employment Security and the Future
Social Security in Latin America, 1945-47
UN's Economic and Social Council Initiates Broad Plans of Work
Some Recent Developments in Social Service in Great Britain
Social Security in Columbia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Haiti
Social Insurance Reform in Czechoslovakia: Background and Plans
Social Security in Chile
International Children's Emergency Fund
The New British System of Social Security
UN Organizes in the Social Field: The Social Commission
International Action Toward Social Security for Seamen
The First Two Years of Social Insurance in Mexico
Social Insurance in Venezuela
The New Zealand Social Security Program
Developments in Other Countries
Foreign Experience in Social Insurance Contributions for Agricultural and Domestic Workers
A Social Security Plan for Great Britain: The Government's White Paper
The Mexican Social Insurance Law
Social Security for Great Britain—A Review of the Beveridge Report
British Proposals for the Future of Social Insurance and Services
The First Inter-American Conference on Social Security
Bibliography on War Measures of Foreign Countries in Social Insurance and Related Fields
Foreign Provisions for the Dependents of Mobilized Men
Social Insurance and Related Measures in Wartime Europe
Social Democracy in Sweden
Social Insurance for Special Groups in France
The Use of a Stamp System for Social Insurance in France
The New Zealand Social Security Act
Old-Age Insurance for Agricultural Workers in Western Europe
United States
A Field Guide to Social Security Distributional Analysis
A stylized example neatly and efficiently answers the question of how much Social Security benefits would change because a stylized worker's situation is straightforward and does not require demographic or statistical knowledge to understand. However, it leaves other questions unanswered, such as how many people are like that worker and would anyone fall into poverty? To answer these types of questions, you need to use distributional analysis, which examines how something, such as income, benefits, or policy effects, is distributed across a group of people. This note describes the use of distributional analysis in Social Security policy discussions by analyzing the distributional effects of three real-life Social Security policy options.
Hispanics' Understanding of Social Security and the Implications for Retirement Security: A Qualitative Study
This article discusses why effective outreach to Hispanics is important to improve their understanding of Social Security and enhance their retirement security. It examines Social Security literacy and preferred ways of receiving information about the program by using focus groups of three ancestries (Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) and of English and Spanish speakers. This article is one of the first to research between-group differences and discuss their implications.
The Importance of Social Security Benefits to the Income of the Aged Population
Social Security benefits are the most important source of U.S. retirement income. Over time, however, trends in employer-provided pension offerings, societal changes, and Social Security program rule changes have altered the distribution of income by source among the aged population. In this article, the authors examine the reliance on Social Security benefits of people aged 65 or older using data from the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and the Health and Retirement Study.
A Comparison of Free Online Tools for Individuals Deciding When to Claim Social Security Benefits
When to claim Social Security retirement benefits is one of the most important financial decisions many people make. The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides a variety of online tools and publications to help individuals decide on their own when to claim benefits but maintains a neutral stance on when a person should claim. Because SSA remains neutral, other government, nonprofit, academic, and for-profit entities have developed tools to assist the public with their claiming decision. This note analyzes the advantages and limitations of six online benefit calculators. Users of these online tools should consider the source of their information and understand that the benefit estimates they produce are based on different underlying assumptions, which can result in different estimated benefit amounts.
Poverty Status of Social Security Beneficiaries, by Type of Benefit
This article examines the 2012 poverty status of eight Social Security adult type of benefit (TOB) groups using both the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). For each TOB group, the article compares the SPM estimate with the official poverty measure estimate. In addition, it estimates the effects of various features of the SPM on poverty rates, noting why the SPM estimates differ from official estimates. For each poverty measure, the article also compares poverty estimates across groups.
The Legacy Debt Associated with Past Social Security Transfers
A number of studies have used estimates of historical and projected lifetime net transfers (benefits less taxes) by birth cohort under the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance program to calculate and compare the aggregate present-value sum of such transfers for selected birth-cohort groups. Those calculations indicate that, from a program accounting perspective, the earliest generations of program participants received large transfers from later generations of participants. Some recent studies have referred to this cumulative transfer to the earliest generations as a "legacy debt" and characterized it as a burden borne by the later generations. This article clarifies the legacy debt concept and discusses the conditions required for a legacy debt to exist in a meaningful economic sense.
Public Pension Statements in Selected Countries: A Comparison
Public pension statements are one way for countries to provide workers with information about their retirement benefits. This article compares public pension statements in Canada, Sweden, and the United States. The comparison includes brief descriptions of the public pension programs in each country, details on the origins and content of the public pension statements, and an assessment of the information provided in the three countries' respective public pension statements.
Why Researchers Now Rely on Surveys for Race Data on OASDI and SSI Programs: A Comparison of Four Major Surveys
Policy interest in the sociodemographic characteristics of beneficiaries of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) programs is increasing as the minority share of the senior and disabled population grows. This note discusses using four major surveys—the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the American Community Survey, and the Health and Retirement Study—to examine OASDI and SSI program use by race and ethnicity. Survey profiles highlight each survey's history, design, and methodology; the categories with which each collects race and ethnicity data; and their strengths and limitations for analyzing SSA's program data.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) and Children: How and Why the SPM and Official Poverty Estimates Differ
In 2011, the Census Bureau released its first report on the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The SPM addresses many criticisms of the official poverty measure, and its intent is to provide an improved statistical picture of poverty. This article examines the extent of poverty identified by the two measures. The authors present a detailed examination of poverty among children (aged 0–17). For a more comprehensive view of poverty and comparison purposes, some findings are presented for two older segments of the U.S. population.
Education, Earnings Inequality, and Future Social Security Benefits: A Microsimulation Analysis
This article explores how faster rates of wage growth for college graduates than for nongraduates could affect the Social Security benefits of future retirees. Using a Social Security Administration microsimulation model called Modeling Income in the Near Term, the authors estimate the effect of different rates of wage growth by educational attainment on the future earnings and Social Security benefits of individuals born between 1965 and 1979, sometimes referred to as "Generation X." They find that for members of the 1965–1979 birth cohorts, different rates of wage growth by education would substantially increase the gap in annual earnings between college graduates and nongraduates, but that differences in Social Security benefits would increase by a smaller proportion, primarily because of Social Security's progressive benefit formula.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) and Nonaged Adults: How and Why the SPM and Official Poverty Estimates Differ
In 2011, the Census Bureau released its first report on the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The SPM addresses many criticisms of the official poverty measure, and its intent is to provide an improved statistical picture of poverty. This article examines the extent of poverty identified by the two measures. The authors present a detailed examination of poverty among nonaged adults (those aged 18–64). For a more comprehensive view of poverty and comparison purposes, some findings are presented for younger and older segments of the population.
Social Security Trust Fund Cash Flows and Reserves
This article examines the Social Security trust fund reserves and cash flows and their interrelationships with the Treasury's cash management operations and the budget of the rest of the federal government. The article considers the extent to which the trust fund reserves and interest income reflect cash transactions between the trust funds and the public and are not, as some commenters have asserted, just accounting fictions. It also considers whether, under the Social Security system's self-financing framework, an improvement in trust fund finances can help relieve the accumulated debt commitments of the rest of the federal government.
How Effective Is the Social Security Statement? Informing Younger Workers about Social Security
The Social Security Administration began mailing annual earnings and benefit statements to workers aged 60 or older in 1995, and increased its mailings to include workers in younger age groups in succeeding years. In 1998, the agency commissioned the Gallup Organization to evaluate the effects of these statements on the public's knowledge of Social Security programs and benefits. This article briefly describes the development and implementation of the Social Security Statement; discusses the Gallup surveys conducted in 1998 and 2001; and uses data from those surveys to compare, for workers aged 46 or younger, knowledge about Social Security before and after receipt of the Social Security Statement.
Proposed Revisions to the Special Minimum Benefit for Low Lifetime Earners
Social Security's special minimum benefit is declining in relative value, does not provide a full benefit equal to the poverty threshold, and reaches fewer beneficiaries each year. Members of Congress and other key policymakers have proposed several methods for revising the special minimum benefit, either as part of reforming Social Security more broadly or as stand-alone policy options. Most of the new options would index the benefit to wages, helping ensure its sustainability into the future. The options differ in how they define a "year of coverage," how many years of coverage are required to be eligible for any benefit increase, and how much the full benefit increase should be. Those choices will determine who will receive the benefit increase and how adequate their benefit will be.
The Social Security Windfall Elimination and Government Pension Offset Provisions for Public Employees in the Health and Retirement Study
This article examines the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. These provisions reduce the Social Security benefits of workers (and the resulting benefits of their spouses) if the prime beneficiary worked in "noncovered" employment (in which Social Security payroll taxes were not paid) and the noncovered job provided a pension, or if the spouse or survivor earned a pension from noncovered work. Using Health and Retirement Study data uniquely suited to the analysis, the authors calculate the household-level average lifetime benefit reductions resulting from these provisions and examine them in the context of lifetime Social Security income, pension income, and total wealth. The analysis also isolates the effects of pensions from noncovered employment on benefit adjustments and wealth.
Source, Form, and Amount of In-kind Support and Maintenance Received by Supplemental Security Income Applicants and Recipients
This article examines the in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) received by Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program applicants and recipients. Social Security defines ISM as unearned income received by SSI applicants and recipients in the form of food and/or shelter from anyone living within or outside their households. About 9 percent of SSI recipients have their benefit rates reduced because of ISM during any given year. Using data from the Modernized SSI Claims System, the author quantifies the source, form, and amount of ISM received by SSI recipients. The article reveals that SSI recipients are more likely to receive ISM from outside than inside their homes, receive assistance in the form of shelter rather than food, and allege assistance that is equal to or less than the current ISM caps.
The Social Security Statement: Background, Implementation, and Recent Developments
In 1995, the Social Security Administration (SSA) began mailing annual earnings and benefit statements to workers aged 60 or older. By 2000, SSA was sending these statements to all workers aged 25 or older. It was the largest customized mailing ever undertaken by a federal agency. This article describes the development and implementation of the Social Security Statement; the changes in its distribution, content, and appearance over time; its relationship to SSA's strategic plans; and the surveys SSA commissioned to measure public awareness and knowledge of Social Security.
The Effects of Alternative Demographic and Economic Assumptions on MINT Simulations: A Sensitivity Analysis
The Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Modeling Income in the Near Term (MINT) estimates income/wealth of future retirees. Estimates are based on demographic information from the Survey of Income and Program Participation: individual earnings histories and projections of interest rates, wage growth, mortality rates, and disability rates. Historically, MINT simulations were based exclusively on SSA's Office of the Chief Actuary's (OCACT's) intermediate-cost projections of key demographic/economic variables. The authors present the results of a sensitivity analysis in which they ran MINT using OCACT's low-cost/high-cost projections of mortality and disability trends. Those simulations estimated characteristics of the population aged 65 or older in 2040 under alternative projections of mortality/disability trends. The authors then describe simulations in which future real rates of return on stocks held in retirement accounts differ from the historical mean real rate of return used in baseline simulations. Sensitivity analyses can help MINT users choose model parameters with the greatest impact on simulation results.
African Americans: Description of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income Participation and Benefit Levels Using the American Community Survey
The authors use American Community Survey (ACS) data to compare Social Security and Supplemental Security Income program participation and benefit levels of African Americans with those of the general population. The ACS data show that African Americans are more likely to be Supplemental Security Income recipients, and less likely to be Social Security beneficiaries. Higher rates of poverty, disability, and mortality among African Americans mean that they are also more likely to rely on Social Security survivor and disability benefits than are other beneficiaries.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) and the Aged: How and Why the SPM and Official Poverty Estimates Differ
In November 2011, the Census Bureau released its first report on the Supplemental Poverty Measure. The SPM addresses many criticisms of the official poverty measure and is intended to provide an improved statistical picture of poverty. This article examines the extent of poverty identified by the two measures. First, we look at how the SPM and official estimates differ for various aged and nonaged groups. Then, we look at why the SPM poverty rate for the aged is much higher than the official rate.
How Do Trends in Women's Labor Force Activity and Marriage Patterns Affect Social Security Replacement Rates?
Changes in the role of women in the economy and in the family have affected both the amount and the type of Social Security benefits they receive in retirement. Women's labor force participation rate increased from less than 40 percent in 1950 to more than 70 percent in 2011. Over much of the same period, marriage rates fell and divorce rates rose. This article examines how women's higher earnings and lower marriage rates have affected Social Security replacement rates over time for individuals and for households.
Prevalence, Characteristics, and Poverty Status of Supplemental Security Income Multirecipients
This article looks at Supplemental Security Income (SSI) multirecipients. Using matched administrative and survey data, the author quantifies the prevalence of SSI recipients who live with other recipients (not including an SSI-eligible spouse). The author also conducts family- and household-level analyses to shed light on the social and economic characteristics of SSI multirecipients. The article reveals that SSI multirecipients represent about one-fifth of the SSI population and that their poverty rates vary according to family and household composition characteristics.
Social Security Income Measurement in Two Surveys
The deduction of Medicare premiums from Social Security benefit payments complicates the estimation of Social Security income in household surveys. Although the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) and Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) both aim to collect and record gross Social Security benefit income before Medicare premium deductions, comparing the survey data with Social Security records indicates that the CPS and SIPP estimates differ and suggests that some survey respondents may report net benefit income.
Outcome Variation in the Social Security Disability Insurance Program: The Role of Primary Diagnoses
This article investigates the role that primary impairments play in explaining heterogeneity in disability decisions. Using claimant-level data within a hierarchical framework, the author explores variation in outcomes along three dimensions: state of origin, adjudicative stage, and primary diagnosis. The findings indicate that the impairments account for a substantial portion of claimant-level variation in initial allowances. Furthermore, the author finds that the predictions of an initial and a final allowance are highly correlated when applicants are grouped by impairment. In other words, diagnoses that are more likely to result in an initial allowance also tend to be more likely to receive a final allowance.
Modeling Behavioral Responses to Eliminating the Retirement Earnings Test
The retirement earnings test (RET) is an often-misunderstood aspect of the Social Security program. Policymakers have proposed reforming the RET as a way to encourage working at older ages. However, this could also cause earlier benefit claiming. We use Modeling Income in the Near Term data to analyze the complete repeal of the earnings test for beneficiaries aged 60 or older, first assuming no behavioral responses to repeal and secondly assuming changes to benefit claiming and workforce participation behaviors. Our lifetime results show that the assumed behavioral response—particularly the benefit claiming change—has a bigger effect than the RET policy change itself.
Profile of Social Security Disabled Workers and Dependents Who Have a Connection to Workers' Compensation or Public Disability Benefits
This note provides a comprehensive profile of the characteristics of disability beneficiaries with a connection to workers' compensation or public disability benefits (PDBs). The 8.3 percent of disabled workers who have this connection tend to be economically better off, more frequently middle aged, male, afflicted with a musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorder, and tend to wait longer to apply for social security disability benefits after onset than the general disabled-worker population. In our analysis, we have included a special focus on California, as this state represents a large portion of the PDB workload, and its experience has a substantial effect on the national picture.
Longitudinal Patterns of Medicaid and Medicare Coverage Among Disability Cash Benefit Awardees
This article analyzes the effect of longitudinal interactions between the Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs in providing access to Medicare and Medicaid, using a sample of administrative records spanning 84 months. Our study is the first effort to link and analyze record data on participation in all four of these major, and highly interrelated, public benefit programs in the United States. We find that SSI facilitates high levels of Medicaid coverage for SSI awardees overall and provides access to Medicaid for many DI awardees during the 24-month Medicare waiting period. Many people who exit SSI retain their Medicaid coverage, but the gap in coverage between continuing SSI participants and those who leave the program increases over time. After Medicare kicks in, public health insurance coverage is virtually complete among awardees with some DI involvement, including dual Medicaid and Medicare coverage for some.
The Growth in Social Security Benefits Among the Retirement-Age Population from Increases in the Cap on Covered Earnings
This article investigates how raising the maximum level of earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax leads to the "leakage" of portions of the additional revenue into higher benefit payments. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the authors simulate the effects of changes in maximum taxable earnings for cohorts approaching retirement age over a 24-year period. They find, roughly, that almost half of the additional tax revenue from having raised the maximum earnings subject to the payroll tax has leaked into higher benefits.
"Fast-Track" Strategies in Long-Term Public Disability Programs Around the World
This article examines fast-track procedures in long-term public disability programs in the United States and several other countries. Such procedures share a common goal of accelerating applicants—generally for those with severe disabilities, blindness, or facing terminal illness—through the disability determination process.
Comparing Earnings Estimates from the 2006 Earnings Public-Use File and the Annual Statistical Supplement
The Social Security Administration recently released the 2006 Earnings Public-Use File (EPUF). The EPUF contains earnings information for individuals drawn from a systematic random 1-percent sample of all Social Security numbers issued before January 2007. This note presents the process of evaluating the earnings data in EPUF. It also identifies and explains four key differences between the data in EPUF and the estimates published in the Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin. The note specifically compares EPUF data with Annual Statistical Supplement estimates of earnings, number of workers with earnings, median earnings by sex and age group, and percentage of workers with earnings below the taxable maximum by sex. After accounting for the expected differences, the remaining discrepancies between EPUF and Annual Statistical Supplement estimates are relatively small.
Caregiver Credits in France, Germany, and Sweden: Lessons for the United States
Analysts have long considered caregiver credits, or pension credits, provided to individuals for time spent out of the workforce caring for dependent children and sick or elderly relatives, as a way to improve the adequacy of retirement benefits for women in the United States. This article examines the experiences of France, Germany, and Sweden with caregiver credits, focusing particularly on the design, administration, and cost of these programs.
What Can We Learn from Analyzing Historical Data on Social Security Entitlements?
Data from administrative records of the Social Security Administration allow us to examine patterns of initial entitlement to Old-Age Insurance benefits as well as Disability Insurance benefits. We follow cohorts born in different years over their lifetimes to identify changes in entitlements by age over time. Breaking out single birth cohorts shows close adherence in entitlement ages to rule changes as well as increasing shares of cohorts relying on the Disability Insurance program in middle age.
The Evolution of Social Security's Taxable Maximum
Since its inception, Social Security has featured a taxable maximum (or "tax max"). In 1937, payroll taxes applied to the first $3,000 in earnings. In 2011, payroll taxes apply to the first $106,800 in earnings. This policy brief summarizes the changes that have occurred to the tax max and to earnings patterns over this period. From 1937 to 1975, Congress increased the tax max on an ad-hoc basis. Increases were justified by the desire to improve system financing and maintain meaningful benefits for middle and higher earners. Since 1975, the tax max has generally increased at the same rate as average wages each year. Some policymakers propose increasing the tax max beyond wage-indexed levels to help restore financial balance and to reflect growing earnings inequality, as workers earning more than the tax max have experienced higher earnings growth rates than other workers in recent decades.
Employment of Individuals in the Social Security Disability Programs
This article introduces and highlights the key findings of the other articles presented in this special issue, which focuses on the employment of beneficiaries in the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs.
Employment among Social Security Disability Program Beneficiaries, 1996–2007
Using linked administrative data from program and earnings records, we summarize the 2007 employment rates of working-age (18–64) Social Security disability program beneficiaries at the national and state levels, as well as changes in employment since 1996. Substantial variation exists within the population. Disability Insurance beneficiaries and those younger than age 40 were much more likely to work relative to other Social Security beneficiaries. There are also strong regional differences in the employment rates among disability beneficiaries of working age, and these differences are persistent over time.
Social Security Disability Beneficiaries with Work-Related Goals and Expectations
This study uses survey and administrative data to analyze the characteristics of working-age Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries who report having work goals or expectations, and the extent to which these beneficiaries become employed and leave the disability rolls during a 4-year period.
Longitudinal Outcomes of an Early Cohort of Ticket to Work Participants
Using data from the 2004–2006 National Beneficiary Surveys matched to Social Security administrative data, this study follows a cohort of disability beneficiaries participating in the Ticket to Work program for several years to assess changes in their service use, health status, employment, and income.
Who Never Receives Social Security Benefits?
Approximately 4 percent of the aged population will never receive Social Security benefits. This article examines the prevalence, demographic characteristics, and economic well-being of these never-beneficiaries. Most never-beneficiaries do not have sufficient earnings to be eligible for benefits, and most of these insufficient earners are either late-arriving immigrants or infrequent workers. About 44 percent of never-beneficiaries are in poverty, compared with about 4 percent of current and future beneficiaries.
Managing Independence: The Governance Components of the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust
This article reviews the management components of the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (NRRIT) and their relationship to political independence. Centralized equity investment is sometimes proposed as a method for improving Social Security program financing and, echoing the debate over the NRRIT, politicized investment decisions are seen as one potential obstacle to the policy's success. This article does not advocate for or against investing Social Security's trust fund assets in equities, but examines the NRRIT's structure and experience to provide background information for policymakers.
Distributional Effects of Price Indexing Social Security Benefits
This policy brief compares five options (four progressive price indexing and one full price indexing option) set forth by the Social Security Advisory Board to index initial benefits to price growth. It examines the distribution of benefits of Social Security beneficiaries aged 62 or older in 2030, 2050, and 2070 using Modeling Income in the Near Term (MINT) model projections. The brief finds that the full price indexing option Shield 0% would more than achieve long-term solvency by reducing benefits by about 35 percent in 2070 and would increase the aged poverty rate compared with scheduled levels. The four progressive price indexing options (Shields 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%) would produce smaller benefit reductions by exempting varying proportions of lower earners from price indexing. Those options would not increase poverty above scheduled levels, but would reduce benefits for some low earners because their auxiliary benefits come from the reduced benefits of a higher-earning spouse. The progressive price indexing options would make Social Security more progressive compared with scheduled and payable benefits, both when looking at household benefit reductions by household income in a given year and when examining the distribution of lifetime taxes and benefits.
Distributional Effects of Reducing the Social Security Benefit Formula
A person's Social Security benefit, or primary insurance amount (PIA), is 90 percent of the lowest portion of lifetime earnings, plus 32 percent of the middle portion of lifetime earnings, plus 15 percent of the highest portion of lifetime earnings. This policy brief analyzes the distributional effects of three options (the three-point, five-point and upper) discussed by the Social Security Advisory Board to reduce the PIA. The first option would reduce the PIA by 3 percentage points; the second would reduce it by 5 percentage points; and the third would reduce the 32 and 15 percentages of the PIA to 21 and 10 percent, respectively. The third option would exempt about one quarter of the lowest earning beneficiaries, while reducing benefits by a median average of 19 percent in 2070. None would eliminate Social Security's long-term fiscal imbalance, although the third option would eliminate more (76 percent) of the deficit than the three-point (18 percent) and five-point (31 percent) options.
The Development of Social Security in America
This article examines the origins and legislative development of the U.S. Social Security program over its 75-year history. It traces the major amendments adopted over the decades and provides a summary assessment of the impact and importance of Social Security as a central pillar of the U.S. social welfare system.
The Future Financial Status of the Social Security Program
This article describes four concepts—solvency, sustainability, shortfalls, and solutions—as they apply to the financial status of the Social Security program as well as how Social Security financing fits in the general federal budget. The little-understood basis for future projected shortfalls is explained and detailed in relation to the possible solutions.
Administering Social Security: Challenges Yesterday and Today
During its 75-year history, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has faced many administrative challenges. This article depicts some of those challenges—involving legislative demands, staffing and workloads, infrastructure and technology, logistics and procedures, emergency response operations, and other matters—and the steps that SSA has taken to deal with them.
Distributional Effects of Raising the Social Security Payroll Tax
This policy brief analyzes the lifetime tax effects of two options for addressing the Social Security system's long-range solvency by raising the Social Security payroll tax rate. The first, an immediate increase, would have raised the payroll tax rate from its current 12.4 percent to 14.4 percent in 2006; the second, a phased increase, would raise the payroll tax rate to 14.5 percent in 2020, and then to 16.6 percent in 2050. The brief also analyzes a comparative scenario in which the current tax rate is maintained through 2041 and then raised each year as needed to pay scheduled benefits. The lifetime taxes of people born 1936–2015 are analyzed using Modeling Income in the Near Term (MINT) projections. Results show that the longer a tax rate increase is delayed, the fewer workers are affected, but also the higher the increase in lifetime taxes for later generations. The results also show that both options reduce the cross-cohort variability in the ratio of benefits received to taxes paid.
Permanent Disability Social Insurance Programs in Japan
This article examines the experience of Japan's social insurance permanent disability programs and compares its key features with the Social Security Disability Insurance program operating in the United States. It analyzes the determination and appeals processes in Japan for claiming permanent social insurance disability pensions. Trends in the number of Japanese disability program beneficiaries and benefit expenditures are also discussed.
The Research Contributions of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
This article reviews the research contributions of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College over its 10-year history and their implications for Social Security and retirement income policy in three major areas: (1) Social Security's long-term financing shortfall, (2) the adequacy of retirement incomes, and (3) labor force participation at older ages as a means to improve retirement income security. The center has received substantial funding support from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in each area and has also successfully leveraged SSA's investment by attracting funding from other sources.
An Empirical Study of the Effects of Social Security Reforms on Benefit Claiming Behavior and Receipt Using Public-Use Administrative Microdata
In the past few years, the Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance benefit system in the United States has undergone some of the most significant changes since its inception. Using the public-use microdata extract from the Master Beneficiary Record, we are able to uncover a number of interesting trends in benefit claiming behavior and level of benefit receipt, which can help us understand how the changes in the system are shaping the retirement benefit claiming behavior of older Americans.
Social Security Administration's Master Earnings File: Background Information
The Social Security Administration (SSA) receives reports of earnings for the U.S. working population each year from employers and the Internal Revenue Service. The earnings information received is stored at SSA as the Master Earnings File (MEF) and is used to administer Social Security programs and to conduct research on the populations served by those programs. This article documents the history, content, limitations, complexities, and uses of the MEF (and data files derived from the MEF). It is intended for researchers who use earnings data to study work patterns and their implications, and for those interested in understanding the data used to administer the current-law programs.
Distributional Effects of Raising the Social Security Taxable Maximum
As of 2009, Social Security's Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program limits the amount of annual earnings subject to taxation at $106,800, and this value generally increases annually based on changes in the national average wage index. This brief uses Modeling Income in the Near Term (MINT) projections to compare the distributional effects of four options for raising the maximum taxable earnings amount beyond its scheduled levels. Two of the options would raise this value so that it covers 90 percent of all covered earnings and two would remove the maximum completely. Within each set of options, the proposals are differentiated by whether the new taxable amounts are used in computing benefits. Most workers would not be affected by these proposals, but some higher earners would experience a substantial increase in taxes. Correspondingly, benefit increases are largely isolated to higher earners, although the return in benefits for taxes paid would also decline. Because the proposals are targeted toward high earners, Social Security's progressivity would increase.
Access Restrictions and Confidentiality Protections in the Health and Retirement Study
Organizations involved in statistical surveys of human subjects face two important and competing challenges: protecting data confidentiality while maximizing data accessibility to potential researchers. This note examines how the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), conducted by the Institute for Social Research of the University of Michigan, attempts to balance data confidentiality with the desire to broaden the pool of potential data users. Current HRS procedures are summarized and compared with those of organizations with similar programs, and potential ways to expand HRS use without compromising confidentiality are discussed.
The Story of the Social Security Number
The use of the Social Security number (SSN) has expanded significantly since its inception in 1936. Created merely to keep track of the earnings history of U.S. workers for Social Security entitlement and benefit computation purposes, it has come to be used as a nearly universal identifier. Assigned at birth, the SSN enables other government agencies to identify individuals in their records and private industry to track an individual's financial information. This article explores the history and meaning of the SSN and the Social Security card, as well as the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) SSN master file, generally known as the Numident. The article also traces the historical expansion of SSN use and steps SSA has taken to enhance SSN integrity.
Uses of Administrative Data at the Social Security Administration
This article discusses the advantages and limitations of using administrative data for research, examines how linking administrative data to survey results can be used to evaluate and improve survey design, and discusses research studies and SSA statistical products and services that are based on administrative data.
Elderly Poverty and Supplemental Security Income
Provided here are the absolute and relative poverty status of 2002 elderly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. Official poverty estimates are generated from the Current Population Survey's Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS/ASEC). The poverty study presented here differs from previous studies in that it is based on CPS/ASEC income and weight records conditionally adjusted by matching Social Security administrative data. This effort improves the coverage of SSI receipt and the accuracy of SSI estimates. The adjusted CPS/administrative matched data reveal lower 2002 poverty rates among elderly persons (with and without SSI payments) than those generated from the unadjusted CPS/ASEC data.
A Legislative History of the Social Security Protection Act of 2004
The Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (SSPA), with its administrative remedies and program protections, can be seen as another incremental step in the development of a social insurance program that best meets the evolving needs of American society. This article discusses the legislative history of the SSPA in detail. It also includes summaries of the provisions and a chronology of the modification of these proposals as they passed through the House and Senate, and ultimately to the president's desk.
A Progressivity Index for Social Security
Using the Social Security Administration's MINT (Modeling Income in the Near Term) model, this paper analyzes the progressivity of the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program for current and future retirees. It uses a progressivity index that provides a summary measure of the distribution of taxes and benefits on a lifetime basis. Results indicate that OASDI lies roughly halfway between a flat replacement rate and a flat dollar benefit for current retirees. Projections suggest that progressivity will remain relatively similar for future retirees. In addition, the paper estimates the effects of several policy changes on progressivity for future retirees.
The Effects of Wage Indexing on Social Security Disability Benefits
Researchers David Autor and Mark Duggan have hypothesized that the Social Security benefit formula using the average wage index, coupled with a widening distribution of income, has created an implicit rise in replacement rates for low-earner disability beneficiaries. This research attempts to confirm and quantify the replacement rate creep identified by Autor and Duggan using actual earnings histories of disability-insured workers over the period 1979–2004. The research finds that disability replacement rates are rising for many insured workers, although the effect may be somewhat smaller than that suggested by Autor and Duggan.
An Overview of the Railroad Retirement Program
The Railroad Retirement program was established in the 1930s. It provides retirement, survivor, unemployment, and sickness benefits to individuals who have spent a substantial portion of their career in railroad employment, as well as to these workers' families. This article describes the history, benefit structure, and funding of the Railroad Retirement program.
Alternate Measures of Replacement Rates for Social Security Benefits and Retirement Income
Replacement rates are common and useful tools used by individuals and policy analysts to plan for retirement and assess the sufficiency of Social Security benefits and overall retirement income. Because the calculation and meaning of replacement rates differs depending on the definition of preretirement earnings, this article examines four alternative measures: final preretirement earnings, constant income payable from the present value of lifetime earnings (PV payment), wage-indexed average of lifetime earnings, and inflation-adjusted average of lifetime earnings (CPI average). The article also calculates replacement rates for Social Security beneficiaries aged 64–66 in 2005.
Estimating the First Instance of Substantive-Covered Earnings in the Labor Market
Women, Marriage, and Social Security Benefits Revisited
This article uses a Restricted-Use File of the 2001 Marital History Topical Module to the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to examine women's marital histories in relation to Social Security spouse and widow benefit eligibility. To assess marital trends over time, the authors compare SIPP estimates to data reported in Iams and Ycas. 1988 article, "Women, Marriage and Social Security Benefits," which used the 1985 Marital History Supplement to the Current Population Survey. The results shed light on important links between sociodemographic trends in marriage and Social Security beneficiaries. Over three-fourths of women aged 40 to 69 in 2001 already had marital histories that guarantee them the option of a spouse or widow benefit at retirement. However, a smaller proportion of these women would be potentially eligible to receive spouse or widow benefits compared to their counterparts in 1985 due to changes in patterns in marriage, particularly among younger women in the baby-boom cohort. Notable shifts include rising proportions of currently divorced women without a 10-year marriage and never-married women.
Have People Delayed Claiming Retirement Benefits? Responses to Changes in Social Security Rules
Using a 1 percent sample of Social Security Administration data, this article documents and analyzes responses in the entitlement age for old-age benefits following the recent changes in Social Security rules. Both rules, the removal of the retirement earnings test (RET) for persons who are at the full retirement age (FRA) through age 69 in 2000 or later and a gradual increase in the FRA for those who reach age 62 in 2000 or later, are expected to affect the age at which people claim Social Security retirement benefits (or entitlement age) and the work behavior of older Americans.
Design and Implementation Issues in Swedish Individual Pension Accounts
Sweden's new multipillar pension system includes a system of mandatory fully funded individual accounts. The Swedish system offers contributors more than 600 fund options from a variety of private-sector fund managers. However, in the most recent rounds of fund choice, more than 90 percent of new labor market entrants have not made an active choice of funds and thus have ended up in a government-sponsored default fund.
The Swedish system offers a number of lessons about implementing a mandatory individual account tier. Centralized administration keeps administrative costs down but requires considerable lead time. A very large number of fund options are likely to be offered unless strong entry barriers are in place. Engaging new labor market entrants in fund choice is likely to be difficult. A significant percentage of those making an active fund choice may choose funds that are very specialized and risky. Finally, special care must be devoted to designing a default fund and continual consumer communication.
Workers' Compensation: A Background for Social Security Professionals
This article provides a brief history and background of workers' compensation programs for occupationally injured and ill workers in the United States. It presents the basic principle involved in workers' compensation and briefly discusses the disability benefits to which workers are generally entitled. It also discusses why there are settlements in this disability program and the availability of information about the amounts paid in workers' compensation cases for obtaining an offset for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits paid to the worker. Finally, the article explains the rationale behind the public policy on coordination of Disability Insurance and workers' compensation in the new paradigm of disability and return to work.
Poverty-level Annuitization Requirements in Social Security Proposals Incorporating Personal Retirement Accounts
In the current discussions of Social Security reform, voluntary personal retirement accounts have been proposed. Recent research and debate have focused on several aspects of these accounts, including how such accounts would affect aggregate saving, system finances, and benefit levels. Little attention, however, has been paid to policies that would govern the distribution of account balances. This analysis considers such policies with respect to the annuitization of account balances at retirement using the Social Security Administration's Modeling Income in the New Term (MINT) model and a modified version of a recent legislative proposal to evaluate the effects of partial annuitization requirements.
Stochastic Models of the Social Security Trust Funds
The 2003 Trustees Report on the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds contains, for the first time, results from a stochastic model of the combined trust funds of the OASDI programs. To help interpret the new stochastic results and place them in context, the Social Security Administration's Office of Policy arranged for three external modeling groups to produce alternative stochastic results. This article demonstrates that the stochastic models deliver broadly consistent results even though they use significantly different approaches and assumptions. However, the results also demonstrate that the variation in trust fund outcomes differs as the approach and assumptions are varied.
Stochastic Models of the Social Security Trust Funds
Social Security Programs in the United States
This is a comprehensive description of the programs under the Social Security Act and how they operate. The programs are grouped into four major areas: social insurance, health insurance and health services, assistance programs, and programs for specific groups (such as veterans, government employees, and railroad workers).
The Challenge of the 21st Century: Innovating and Adapting Social Security Systems to Economic, Social, and Demographic Changes in the English-Speaking Americas
The Social Security Programs in the United States are complex and have evolved over a long span of years. However, it is possible to categorize much of this experience into two different eras in which Social Security functioned in a distinctive environment, and a third era that is now beginning. The middle third of this century was an "age of invention," in which the programs grew rapidly under favorable social and economic conditions. Since then, the programs have experienced an "age of accommodation," in which growing financial constraints have permitted only limited changes in the program. We can look forward to an "age of maturation" in the decades to come, as most persons reaching retirement will have been covered by Social Security during their entire working careers. The declining ratio of workers to beneficiaries and a wide range of demographic and social changes will present significant challenges. The Social Security programs must change considerably to respond to the demands of a new era, and vigorous efforts to do so are underway.
Summary of Legislation of Interest to SSA Enacted During the 103rd Congress
During the 103rd Congress, some 400 bills of interest to SSA were introduced. Of these, nine that affect SSA programs were enacted. This note covers these enactments.


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Star Wars Episode 7 Announced — Babes Rejoice!
When we heard that Lucasfilm was being bought by Disney for $4.05 billon, and that Star Wars Episode 7 is set to release in 2015, our brains started working overtime.
Last week we showed you all our favorite Disney Cosplay Babes, and while Star Wars fans are set to be disappointed for a third time by this new release of Star Wars Episode 7 from the beloved franchise, there is an upside to all of this change -- the babes.
So, in honor of Star Wars Episode 7, here are some of our favorite Star Wars-inspired cosplay babes -- If the movie looks anything like this, we're sold.