The Online Newsletter of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations, Inc.

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Making a Difference

The events of September 11 have profoundly affected all of us. Much of what seemed so important on September 10 was trivial a day later. Basic tenets of life we relied upon could no longer be taken for granted. And now, several weeks later, we still struggle to put the events of September 11 in perspective so we can move on meaningfully and purposely with our lives. This has certainly been true for me personally in all of my life roles and no less so as NCSSMA President. For the past two years I have worked hard to achieve objectives that I thought were important for all members of NCSSMA, issues that I deeply believed in. Yet in the days following the terrorist attacks I questioned the importance of these efforts.

None of us will ever forget the horrendous images of mass destruction that we collectively watched on TV. But what touched me most deeply were the individual stories of husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, each of whom suffered the devastating personal loss of someone they loved. To me the real importance of what we do in Social Security is the ability to make a difference in the lives of each of these shattered individuals who will come to us, as thousands have been before them, in times of deepest personal need. And this ability to touch people when they are most vulnerable, to make a real difference in their lives is the fuel that has always motivated those of us on the front lines. In the end, our worth as an Agency will not be measured by the number of claims that we take or volume of checks that we pay, but by each and every individual who received some comfort in their time of distress, and some help in their time of need.

Indeed, our Association exists because we care so deeply about our ability to deliver this kind of personal and responsive service. Our stated mission is to improve management and program administration in the Social Security Administration by assuring that the knowledge and experience of front-line management are included in all phases of agency planning and decision making. The issues we pursue and causes we fight for are not for the personal gain of our members, but rather to ensure we are able to provide those who come to us a level of service we can be proud of. For example, we ask for the flexibility to determine our management staffing mix, not to increase our numbers, but simply so we can ensure our staffs have sufficient support and oversight to consistently deliver a high level of service. We ask for more staff in our field offices so we can reduce waiting times in our reception areas and so we can answer the phones when those in need call us. We ask for equity in our grade structures so our best and the brightest will be encouraged to seek out our most difficult offices. We fight to keep our field offices strong because we know that when personal tragedy strikes our public takes comfort in seeing a real face and feeling a real hand. And we ask for more frequent and more meaningful opportunities to communicate with our executives because our day to day dealings with the public give us a unique and valuable perspective.

If anything the events of the past several weeks bring into focus for me the importance of NCSSMA’s efforts. Indeed, we have an obligation to those who gave their lives in the name of freedom on September 11 to continue to fight for the policies and resources necessary to ensure that the loved ones they left behind will always be able to count on Social Security as a place of refuge and caring in their time of need. I am truly proud to be a member of the select group of individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to serving those in need.

Editor’s Corner
By Phil Walton
     FrontLine Editor

Since the horrific events of September 11 the regional management associations are all considering what they can do organizationally to pitch in.  Some regions have finalized their plans. The Dallas Regional Managment Association has donated a total of $2000.00 to two relief funds. The New York Management Society has cancelled their annual meeting entirely and instead will be donating $10,000.00 to the New York Police & Fire Widow’s & Children’s Benefit Fund. This fund was founded in 1985 by Rusty Staub, retired Mets star player.  In addition, the National Council is donating the $500.00 that is traditionally used to recognize member contributions at our annual meeting to the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund.

I want to share a lovely example of the type of service that makes us all proud to work for our great agency. Catherine McCormick is one of our valued colleagues who works in Auburn as a teleservice representative and shared this call with me:

"Whenever we have new foreign-born citizens who call to get their SSN’s over the phone, after giving them the number I always wish them a "warm welcome to America". I always receive thanks, and often get wonderful stories of their dreams, plans and how grateful they are to be here. About a week after the disaster I received a call from a new citizen born in Afghanistan. During the identification process he didn’t want to tell me where he was born. I explained the process to him and he reluctantly told me where he was born, but immediately repeated over and over –BUT I AM A CITIZEN, I AM A CITIZEN! After giving him his number I wished him a warm welcome to America and he burst into tears. He was sobbing and said "I didn’t think you would want me anymore. I thought you would say there is no number and I must return. I do not wish to return, I belong here now". I told him we did want him, and America appreciates all of her citizens, which was why we were all so upset now, we had lost so many. I told him we would get through this together. Finally he said "How could they do this to us? How could they? They don’t realize how wonderful this country is". We were both crying by this point. I was touched that he already considered himself an American. I am so glad that I wished him welcome."

Catherine’s approach speaks to the best in us. It is a gift to her callers and a wonderful example of grace. Thank you, Catherine, for representing us so well and thanks to each of you for all you do on behalf of our communities on a daily basis.

May God Bless America

If someone somewhere had sponsored a government snafu contest back in June, SSA would have been ready for the competition on July 1 with the implementation of the $16.00 numident fee. Actually it’s an understatement to say we would be ready for the contest. We would have rocketed into the bonus round with this entry.

The numident fee policy change was a startling one, changing an item provided cost-free for decades to a $16.00 fee overnight. The minimal lead time, the lack of staff work on secondary issues, implementation during a holiday week and handling the volatile public reaction all made this short-lived policy a red hot topic in many SSA locales.

The issue is currently in a holding pattern and we understand final resolution is imminent. We bring it up here only to reinforce an opinion stated here three years ago:

"If our new and invigorated policy function is to be viable, it must seek nexus to the front line and therefore the public customer. The front line sees early warnings of policy glitches every day. The new policy folks must find a way to tap into this in an unobtrusive, yet effective way."

"In entirely too many situations SSA’s policy has been reactive. The stuff hits the fan and everyone scrambles. And the work filters its way down to the grunt level ---- at the field office and TSC. Reacting to problems at the community level is big time work. Formulating policy that is proactive, anticipating tomorrow’s snafu today, is where we need to go." (Mass Media, October 1998)

Phil Walton, FrontLine Editor
Four SeaGate, Suite 1000
Toledo, OH 43604

Phone: 419-259-7300
Fax:      419-259-2056
Email:  phil.walton@ssa.gov  
             frontline@ncssma.org