socialsecurity.gov – A NEW LOOK AND A NEW NAME

• Beginning April 14, 2003, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) website has a new look and a new address for its website, Social Security Online.

• SSA’s redesigned website is:

• Easier to use, because the pages are set up so people can find what they are looking for faster. The information is arranged so that it directly relates to key events in peoples lives, such as retirement, marriage, divorce, birth of a child or death of a family member.

• More attractive, with a consistent look on every page. The graphics and style look the same whether a person is on the front page or on a sub-page.

• More accessible, because people with disabilities can use specialty devices, such as screen readers, to see and "hear" the pages.

• The new address – www.socialsecurity.gov – is easier to remember and associate with the Government agency.

• Social Security Online’s new name and look reinforce the Agency’s commitment to providing everyone with choices in ways of conducting business with SSA. Social Security Online continues to offer a variety of online services that allow people to access information and conduct business with SSA from the convenience of their computers at any time. Some examples are:

• Social Security Benefit Application – www.socialsecurity.gov/applyforbenefits -- Filing for retirement, spouse’s and disability benefits online can save individuals significant time and effort.

• Benefits Planner – www.socialsecurity.gov/planners -- The online Benefits Planner contains a Retirement Planner, Disability Planner and Survivors Planner with valuable information about retirement, disability and survivors benefits and factors that can affect them.

• Social Security eNews – www.socialsecurity.gov/enews -- eNews is an electronic newsletter available free to subscribers through SSA’s Internet site.

• Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (B.E.S.T.) – www.socialsecurity.gov/best – B.E.S.T. is a tool that anyone can use to find out if they may be eligible for benefits from any of the programs that SSA administers.

• Medicare Card Replacement – www.socialsecurity.gov/medicarecard -- Medicare beneficiaries can apply for Medicare replacement cards on the Internet.

• Benefit Verification Statement – www.socialsecurity.gov/beve -- A convenient online service for people who get Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits who may need to request a letter from Social Security stating the amount of their benefits or other information to show to another agency to obtain services or other benefits.

• Request a Replacement Form SSA-1099, Social Security Benefit Statement – www.socialsecurity.gov/1099 -- People who are receiving Social Security benefits can request a replacement form SSA-1099 online for a summary of their last year’s Social Security benefit payments.

• Business Services Online (BSO) – www.socialsecurity.gov/bso/bsowelcome.htm -- BSO consists of a suite of services to help companies to conduct business with SSA.

• Social Security Office Locator – www.socialsecurity.gov/locator -- A service to locate the nearest SSA office based on a person’s ZIP code.

• Social Security Online For Women – www.socialsecurity.gov/women -- For Women provides basic Social Security program information on retirement, survivors, disability and SSI benefits pertinent to women.

• Multilanguage Gateway – www.socialsecurity.gov/multilanguage -- A site providing information online in 15 different languages, including useful information about Social Security programs and SSA’s interpreter service.

• The Work Site – www.socialsecurity.gov/work -- The site contains important information and support for disability beneficiaries, employers, service providers, advocates and others whose goal is to help those persons with disabilities work.

• Seguro Social en Español -- www.socialsecurity.gov/espanol -- A comprehensive site providing valuable Social Security information and services all in Spanish.

• The Kids Pages – www.socialsecurity.gov/kids -- Social Security’s Kids & Family site is designed specifically for young children, teens and their parents and teachers, providing interactive games and tools to help them learn about Social Security.

• History Page – www.socialsecurity.gov/history -- It would be hard to find in one location a more complete history of SSA and the programs it administers.

• SSA will continue to refine its website and add services to keep up with demand and offer people more opportunities to conduct business through the Internet. Conducting business online makes most services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and at a reduced cost to SSA.

April 2003

Note: Copies of most SSA press releases, as well as other Social Security information and statistics,
are available at SSA’s Internet site, Social Security Online, at http://www.socialsecurity.gov.
Also look there for information on subscribing to SSA’s
free electronic newsletter, Social Security eNews.