Happy Birthday America

 

Not created by SSA. ChatGPA did it at my prompt.

The Questions Had To Be Asked

      From the Washington Post (emphasis added):

To commemorate America’s 250th birthday, the Social Security Administration will issue limited-edition Social Security cards to babies born from Thursday to the end of the year.
The cards look similar to the standard blue wallet-sized Social Security cards the agency has issued for decades, but they are stamped with the “Freedom 250″ logo. Freedom 250 is the public-private initiative the Trump administration launched last year to organize events — often aligned with the administration — for the nation’s semiquincentennial. It is different from America250, a nonprofit established by Congress in 2016 to organize such celebrations.
The Social Security Administration said Thursday the agency was not paying any licensing fees for the Freedom 250 logo and that there were no arrangements to share cardholders’ data with Freedom 250. …

250 Years Ago We Decided We Didn’t Want Any Of These

 

Don’t Tell Trump; He’ll Demand To Have His Picture On Them

Mock-up of card

      From Fox News:

Millions of babies born during America's 250th anniversary celebration will receive a first-of-its-kind commemorative Social Security card under a new Social Security Administration (SSA) initiative obtained exclusively by FOX Business.

The limited-edition cards, available only to children born in the United States between July 2 and Dec. 31, 2026, will feature the official Freedom 250 logo while functioning exactly like a standard Social Security card, according to an announcement from the Social Security Administration shared with FOX Business. …

Cardiovascular Listings Changes

      The Social Security Administration is amending its Listings of Impairments for the cardiovascular system. This will appear in the Federal Register tomorrow but you can read it today.

A Letter From The Commissioner

      The Commissioner of Social Security has sent a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee claiming that “service is better than ever” at Social Security. The letter includes selected statistics. The definitions and significance of some, if not all, of the numbers given are unclear to me.

     As Mark Twain said, “Figures don’t lie but liars often figure” or, as WC. Fields is alleged to have said, “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”

The Problems Must Be Bad For This To Happen During This Administration

      Commissioner Bisignano and many other agency leaders have sent a letter to Congressional leaders asking for additional funding for building repairs and maintenance. 

Fifth Third For Some Recipients

 From AL.com:

In May, the Social Security Administration announced it was switching the company that administers its Direct Express cards. Comerica Bank previously handled the program. It will now be handled by Fifth Third Bank, which merged with Comerica earlier this year. 

The changeover started in June, though rollout will depend on when you started using your card.  

New Direct Express card enrollees will automatically receive their cards from Fifth Third Bank. Existing account holders will receive their new cards later this year or early next year. Beneficiaries should continue to use their existing Comerica cards until they receive the new ones. Recipients will be notified with a letter before the cards are sent. …