Two Astrue Broadcast E-Mail Messages Today

From this morning:

A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees

Subject: New Homepage

Since my first day as Commissioner, I have said that the “public face” of our Internet site, our homepage, was good but could be even better. That is why over the past months, I have been working closely with the Office of Communications to develop a new version.

Today, I’m pleased to unveil the newly redesigned Social Security Online homepage. It’s more welcoming and user-friendly. The new look of our homepage follows the standard for design principles in the industry by reducing clutter, improving navigation, making better use of graphics, reducing the need to scroll down and prioritizing items on the page.

During the design phase, I insisted we direct visitors’ attention to the information and online services that can best reduce the number of unnecessary trips to a local Social Security office. As a result, links to Filing Online for Retirement Benefits, Applying for Disability Benefits and Requesting a Social Security Card are all located front and center on the new homepage. For the first time, people also can watch a brief video greeting on the site delivered by one of our agency employees, which will help many people, including those with certain visual disabilities.

While the look of our homepage has changed, the web addresses have not. Favorite sites that you and other frequent visitors have bookmarked will not change.

Please take a minute to get familiar with our new public face. See how easy it is to use at www.socialsecurity.gov.

If you have comments or suggestions, E-mail them to new.homepage@ssa.gov.

Stay tuned for more improvements to our website, including the addition of the new online Retirement Estimator, by the end of July.

Michael J. Astrue

Commissioner

And from this afternoon:

A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees

Subject: Midwest Flooding

While many of us watched the massive flooding in the Midwest on television, many of our colleagues have been living with it. Several offices, including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Burlington, Davenport and Des Moines, were affected in Iowa; others were threatened in Kansas.

Even though several SSA and DDS offices were in the path of destruction, all came out of it unscathed. Another high point—all of our employees are reportedly accounted for and safe. Personal damage is limited to water in some employees’ basements.

Today’s news out of Cedar Rapids is encouraging with the office reopened and the water rapidly receding. Our office is undamaged, but had to be closed last Friday, because routes to the office were closed, with the river cresting at 31 feet (flood stage is at 12 feet).

Meanwhile in Iowa City, the Iowa River has crested. At its highest point, the river reached within a block of the federal building where our office is located. On Friday, local employees rushed to handle Monday’s and Tuesday’s appointments in advance of the river’s rise. Other Iowa offices are safe.

Employees in the Iowa DDS evacuated last Tuesday, and computers were moved to keep them safe. The building was spared, and DDS employees are beginning to move back in today. We expect full operations by the end of the week.

In addition to the flooding in the Midwest, Manhattan, Kansas suffered a damaging tornado, which touched down less than two miles from our office. Our office and employees, however, came out of it safe and sound.

So, let’s take a minute today to count our blessings and remember our co-workers who are dealing with so much disruption.

Michael J. Astrue

Commissioner