The Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) is an independent, bipartisan board of the

United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

. It was created by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

and is appointed by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and the Congress to advise the President, the Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security on matters related to the

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

and

Supplemental Security Income Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested program that provides cash payments to disabled children, disabled adults, and individuals aged 65 or older who are citizens or nationals of the United States. SSI was created by the Social S ...

programs.

History

In the United States in 1994, when Congress passed legislation establishing the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

as an independent agency, it also created a seven-member bipartisan Board to advise the President, the Congress, and the

Commissioner of Social Security The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

on policies related to Social Security’s old-age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. The legislation passed both Houses of Congress without opposition and

President Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the att ...

signed the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 into law (P.L. 103-296) on August 15, 1994. The law took effect on March 31, 1995.

Membership

The board consists of seven members. Three of these are appointed by the President, of which a maximum of two may be members of the same political party, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Two members, each of which shall be members of different political parties, are appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate with the advice of the chairman and the ranking minority member of the

Senate Committee on Finance The United States Senate Committee on Finance (or, less formally, Senate Finance Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generall ...

. The remaining two members are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with the advice of the chairman and the ranking minority member of the

House Committee on Ways and Means The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other program ...

, each of these shall also be members of different political parties. By statute, the members «shall be chosen on the basis of their integrity, impartiality, and good judgment, and shall be individuals who are, by reason of their education, experience, and attainments, exceptionally qualified to perform the duties of members of the Board». They each serve terms of six years, and a member may not continue to serve after the end of their term. Four members is the minimum necessary for the board to have a quorum, of which only three may be members of the same political party. The President designates one of the members to serve as chairman. The term of the chairman is four years, coincident with the term of the President, or until the President designates another chairman.

Board members

The current board :

Nominations

President

Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

has nominated the following to fill a seat on the board. They await Senate confirmation.

References

External links

Social Security Online
the official website of the Social Security Administration
Official website of the Social Security Advisory Board
{{Authority control Social security in the United States Independent agencies of the United States government