Equity Action Plan for U.S. Social Security Administration

Author: United States Social Security Administration
Published: 2022/04/14 - Updated: 2024/02/15
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: U.S. Social Security - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: U.S. SSA releases its first Equity Action Plan supporting whole-of-government equity agenda to advance equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity for all. Social Security's programs touch the lives of nearly every American, providing income security for the diverse populations we serve, including people facing barriers, people with disabilities, people who are widowed, retirees, and their families.

Introduction

The U.S. Social Security Administration has released its first Equity Action Plan, supporting President Biden's whole-of-government equity agenda to advance equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity for all.

Main Content

On January 20, 2021, The President signed an Executive Order, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The Executive Order requires all Federal agencies "to pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and other people who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality."

"Social Security's programs touch the lives of nearly every American, providing income security for the diverse populations we serve, including people facing barriers, people with disabilities, people who are widowed, retirees, and their families," said Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. "Systemic barriers may prevent people who need our programs the most from accessing them. Our Equity Action Plan will help to reduce these barriers and ensure people have access to our services."

Social Security's Equity Action Plan Includes:

• Revising policies and practices to expand options for service delivery.
• Ensuring equitable access for unrepresented claimants in the disability application process.
• Decreasing burdens for people who identify as gender diverse or transgender in the Social Security number card application process.
• Increasing collection of race and ethnicity data to help understand whether programs are equitably serving applicants and beneficiaries.
• Increasing access to research grant programs for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions and procurement opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by United States Social Security Administration and published on 2022/04/14, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.