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Date: Thursday, February 16, 1995
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  SSA (410) 965-8904
            Phil Gambino
            Tom Margenau

Social Security Statements Are "In the Mail"

In conjunction with President Clinton's mandate to all federal agencies to "put people first," several top officials of the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Postal Service, and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., today hand-delivered the first of approximately nine million Social Security earnings and benefit estimate statements that will be mailed to every American age 60 and older during 1995. HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala, Social Security Commissioner Shirley S. Chater, Washington, D.C., Postmaster David Clark, and Senator Moynihan presented Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statements (PEBES) to four taxpayers who were selected to participate in a ceremony held today at the Ben Franklin post office located four blocks from the White House.

Secretary Shalala called the statements, "... an extraordinary new service ..." and recognized Senator Moynihan for sponsoring the legislation that made the mailings a reality. "PEBES is good news for the millions of Americans who are investors in our great Social Security system," Shalala said. "It helps them plan for their future."

Commissioner Chater pointed out that the statements, which have been available upon request since 1988, will be mailed automatically to everyone 60 and older who is not already receiving Social Security benefits this year, everyone turning 60 in each of the next four years, and to all Americans age 25 and older beginning in October 1999. Chater said the statements will help SSA achieve one of the major goals she set for her agency. "One of my top priorities as commissioner is to rebuild America's confidence in the Social Security program," Chater said. "This statement puts something tangible in the hands of hard-working Social Security taxpayers and answers the question they have been asking for years: 'What's in it for me?'"

The PEBES statement provides estimates of Social Security retirement, disability, and survivors benefits that a worker and his or her family may be eligible to receive now and in the future. The statement also provides a year-by-year display of the worker's earnings so errors can be identified and corrected.

"Accurate records are important," Chater noted, "because Social Security benefits are directly related to the earnings credited to a worker's Social Security number." If statement recipients find an error, they should call SSA's toll-free number 1-800-772-1213. They will be asked to provide evidence, such as W-2s and paystubs, to allow SSA to correct its files.

The mailings, which begin today, will continue through September until approximately nine million statements are sent. The statements are being mailed in random order, so people living in the same general area may receive statements months apart. SSA advises everyone 60 and older who does not receive a statement by the end of October to call the agency's toll-free number to request one.

In addition to the statements being mailed this year, SSA estimates it will send approximately one and one-half to two million statements to those turning 60 in each of the next four years ... and 123 million statements each year to everyone 25 and older beginning in October 1999. SSA estimates the printing and mailing costs to be about $400,000 for each one million statements sent.

Since the statements first became available in 1988, SSA has mailed more than 18 million statements to people who requested them. The "on request" service is still available to workers of all ages who can obtain the request forms at any Social Security office or by calling the toll-free number (1-800-772-1213).

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