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Frequently Asked Questions...
How old is Social Security?
In 2005, Social Security reached the age of 70. The Social Security Act was
signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Aug 14th, 1935. In his words, “This
social security measure gives at least some protection to thirty millions of our
citizens who will reap direct benefits through unemployment compensation, through
old-age pensions and through increased services for the protection of children and
the prevention of ill health.” The social security number (SSN) became the unique
identifier to track social security benefits for a particular person.
An extensive historical account of Social Security can be found at:
Social Security Online History Pages.
Are Social Security Numbers Recycled?
A social security number is unique to an individual and provides a link to
his name, employment earnings, and benefit amounts. When a person dies, the social
security number will never be reused.
Do the Digits Have Meaning?
The first three digits generally indicate where the SSN was issued. The second
two digits are “check digits” to make sure that the first three digits are accurate.
The last four digits are randomly assigned. With the right historical information
and algorithms, a valid social security number search will yield approximately when
and where it was issued.
Why Verify a Social Security Number?
For living persons, the primary reasons are to
avoid errors
and to
prevent fraud. While it was not the original intent of the
Social Security Administration, the SSN has become tantamount to a unique federal
identification number. It has been used (and misused) for many purposes, including
voter registration, marriage certificates, death certificates, divorce papers, tax
returns, credit reports, insurance papers, medical records, school records, and
more.
To avoid errors, an
employer should check to see that a prospective
employee’s social security number actually matches the employee’s name, specifically
for W-2 wage reporting. This check can be performed using the SSA’s verification
system.
Social Security Number Verification
Verify is
great for employers who want to do a
quick check to determine:
- If the number provided is a well-formed SSN
- If the date and place of issue is consistent with the age and employment history of the individual
- If the SSN is retired, i.e., belonged to a person now deceased
Verify is a
useful aid to investigators to legally
learn more about people in the database such as:
- Dates of birth and death
- Place of birth and death
- Name under which the deceased applied for social security
Verify is an
excellent aid to the genealogist performing
ancestry research. Given a social security number, you can determine:
- Name of the deceased
- Date of birth
- Date of death
- Place of birth
- Place of death
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