Social Security Commissioner Releases New Agency Strategic Plan

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Social Security Commissioner Releases New Agency Strategic Plan

Five-Year Plan Identifies Challenges and Goals for Agency

http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/asp08-pr.htm

J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today released

the agency's new Strategic Plan. Using the motto, " Social Security

Benefits America, " the plan identifies the challenges the agency

faces and the steps needed over the next five years to meet those

challenges.

" The public expects us to get things done, " Commissioner Astrue

said. " This Strategic Plan charts the course that will enable us to

maintain a strong level of performance on Social Security's core

workloads and work toward long-term improvement of our service to the

public. "

Among the many challenges facing the agency are the unacceptable

backlog of disability claims and the aging baby boomer population who

will be filing retirement and disability claims at an ever-increasing

rate. To address these and other challenges, the plan concentrates

on four specific goals:

Eliminate the hearings backlog and prevent its recurrence.

Improve the speed and quality of the disability process.

Improve retiree and other core services.

Preserve the public's trust in Social Security's programs.

Underlying each of these goals is a series of specific objectives and

long-term outcomes the agency plans to achieve. The plan also notes

the key foundational elements for achieving success: Social

Security's employees and information technology.

" Our workforce is one of our greatest strengths, " Commissioner Astrue

said. " The challenges we face have not shaken our resolve to provide

the vital services on which the nation depends. We also need to

rigorously explore and wisely employ new technology. While we have

effectively maintained and augmented our systems infrastructure, some

of our key computer systems and our primary data center are more than

30 years old. A strong and modern infrastructure requires new

investments in technology. "

" Abraham Lincoln once said, `The best way to predict your future is

to create it,' " Commissioner Astrue said. " This Strategic Plan

charts the course we will need to take over the next five years to

create our vision of the future. Working together with the

President, Members of Congress and our stakeholders, we can provide

world-class service for generations to come. "

To read the full text of Social Security's Strategic Plan, go

www.socialsecurity.gov/strategicplan.html.