What Does Our Social Security Number Mean?

An Origin of the SSN and Detailed Explanation on Every Digit.

 

What does our Social Security Number (SSN) mean? It is one of the few constants in life. It never changes unless you enter the witness protection program, victim of domestic violence, or been a victim of identity theft. Those are some of the legal ways, a person will change their SSN. Sometimes people try and “disappear” into society for various reasons and they buy a new social security number on the black market. Or they scour a cemetery, steal that dead person’s identity and then apply for a duplicate SSN card. The SSN is one number that all of us know by heart. We need it on a daily basis to prove our identity. Banks require it to open an account. DMV wants one before it will issue a driver’s license. Doctors and hospitals need it for billing. Try to live one week without it, I bet you, you can’t.

Origin of the Social Security Number

The United States government started issuing SSNs in 1936 for the sole purpose of archiving worker’s lifetime earnings as reported by the Social Security Administration (SSA) article, “The Story of the Social Security Number.” The worker’s contributions into the Social Security system were tracked so future benefits could be issued. Since it’s inception, 450 million SSNs have been issued and as of 2008, virtually every legal resident of the USA possessed one. No one thinks about the beginning of something, but this issuance in 1936 was a major project. No computers around, not everyone was literate or even spoke English. The results of the campaign to register everyone was truly astounding. Even using today’s technology it would require coordination and billions of dollars and millions of labor hours. We can’t even get a health care system in place, imagine today’s bureaucracy trying to start a Social Security Program, never would happen. The issuance and compliance project was so successful that they registered 35 million people in the first eight months.

Social Security Number decoder

Every group of digits has a meaning. Each SSN is 9 digits in length. It is a XXX-XX-XXXX configuration.

• The first three digits are the area number.
• The next two digits are the group number.
• The final four digits are the serial number.

**The SSA has two sets of rules regarding the SSN issuance rules, before 1972 and after, so bear with me if you see redundancies as I want to be clear for the older people in the audience.

Area Number

This is the geographical area where the application was made to get a social security number. You must remember that back in the day, there wasn’t a standardized zip code for each city. The zip code only came out in 1963, before that time, postal zone numbers were used. Prior to 1972, the Area Number was the State you physically resided or worked, since the SSA handed specific sets of numbers to state field offices for distribution. So, prior to 1972, those numbers signified that state. Since 1972, the SSA has issued the Area Number by the mailing adrress of the applicant even if it differed from the residence. Those Area Numbers assigned were assigned with the lowest to the highest starting in the Northeast and going West. So, people who live on the East Coast will have the lowest area numbers and people who live on The West Coast will have the highest area numbers.

Group Number

These Group Numbers a way to categorize the Area Numbers into smaller blocks for administrative and filing purposes. It increases the amount of people that can have the 123 Area Number to 10,000 without duplicating it. “00” is the only two digit group number not used. The others are assigned by a odd/even alternating rotation, group numbers issued first consist of the odd numbers from 01 through 09, and then even numbers from 10 through 98.

Serial Number

Now that we have been identified by the state or region, the Serial Number is the actual person. This number is issued sequentially and runs consecutively from 0001 to 9999.

Steve Morse Social Security Number Decoder

There is a SSN decoder program that allows you to pick the Area Numbers and the Group Numbers and it will tell you when the SSSN was issued and in what state. It is domained by Steve Morse and you can find it here at SteveMorse.com. It works great, I put mine in and boom, right on the money. So I decided to try another. Any guess whose I tried?

Is that really Barack Obama’s SSN?

Name – OBAMA, BARACK

Gender – Male

Street Address – 5046 S GREENWOOD AVE

City, State, Zip – CHICAGO IL 60615-2806

Probable Current Address – Yes

Social Security – 042-68-xxxx

Date Record Verified – Jun 05 – Nov 05

This is public knowledge from his own autobiography so don’t get crazy here. That’s a verification from the Social Security Administration that President Obama used to refute the allegation that he wasn’t a U.S. Citizen.

Little problem with this information

The Social security number was issued in Connecticut in 1976-1977. Put it into the decoder and see for yourself. He said he was born in Hawaii and lived in Chicago. I’m confused, why would he have a SSN from Connecticut? At that time, and since 1972, the SSA used mailing addresses to issue the SSN Area Numbers but the question remains, since President Obama has zero connection to the State of Connecticut, why was a mailing address from Connecticut used? Only explanation I can think of that could be a contributing factor would be Yale University and the infamous “Skull and Bones.” Now that is a serious topic for another article and must leave you dangling from the cliff. I will NEVER write about them for fear of retaliation and to be honest I really don’t care about the New World Order. I’m an existentialist. If you are brave or suicidal, it could make for a great book.

I Received My AARP Card in the Mail, Happy 50th Birthday

Is Turning 50 a Milestone and Does it Mean I Am Young or Old?

 

I turned the magical half century mark in January. I have been waiting for some cataclysmic sign of the event, but nothing so far. No asteroids, no flashes of light, no shooting stars, not even a drop of rain, but that last absence, I understand, it rarely rains in Las Vegas. My insurance company hasn’t made any adjustments in premiums. My utility companies didn’t surprise me with a “free month” in celebration. I did enjoy a free Grand Slam breakfast on my birthday at Denny’s and Dunkin Donuts gave me a free medium cup of coffee . Seems the only one who has noticed this milestone is me.

I lied

I said no one remembered, I lied, I got my AARP card. Now that was a giant kick in the ass, as it came just last week, not even close to my day of birth with this huge happy birthday wish and of course a letter describing all the benefits of memberships for only $16 annually. I would tell you the benefits but I really don’t recall them specifically or if I could even benefit from membership. I do remember my reaction. I believe the exact words had something to do with “kiss” and “sun doesn’t shine.” and their paperwork went into the garbage, but it got me thinking about milestones. Milestones are nothing but mile markers of life. We use them for everyday things and we use them to celebrate events. Life definitely has them scattered all over if we just look. Some are called checkups or intervals but they are milestones by definition.

 

We are surrounded by milestones.

• 3,000 mile oil changes.
• 6 month dentist and doctor visits.
• Annual mammography and testicular cancer checks.
• 24 month eye exam.
• DMV issuance of a learner’s permit to drive to a teen.
• Pass the road test.
• Selective Service registration.
• Can have a beer legally
• 100,000 mile of vehicle.
• 1 million page views for writers.
• Received my AARP card in the mail.
• Mile High Club.
• Annual wedding anniversary with decade markers.
• First social security check.

Life is a series of countdown milestones. Some are good and some are signs that something will be coming to an end. Think about a car’s 100,000 mile odometer milestone. The significance is value from investment. A barometer of whether the car was good to us or not. But, the other reminder is the car just isn’t young anymore and we know unexpected repair bills are around the corner. So, the milestone reminds us that things have changed and time to consider a replacement.

 

50^th Birthday Milestone Impact

So, 100k milestone for a vehicle, means start looking for a car. So, what does age 50 milestone mean to a person? Took me some time to figure that out but I think I know. I was talking to a friend I hadn’t seen in some time and remarked that I turned 50 years old. She said “Congrats” and then added, “It’s ok, you’re still young.” That hit a chord. I started thinking, Am I still young?

Life expectancy according to the U.S. Social Security Administration.

According to data compiled by the Social Security Administration:

• A man reaching age 65 today can expect to live, on average, until age 84.
• A woman turning age 65 today can expect to live, on average, until age 86.

And those are just averages. About one out of every four 65-year-old today will live past age 90, and one out of 10 will live past age 95.

 

Milestone Age 50, Am I still young or am I old?

The S.S.A. has given us some numbers to help us figure this out.. Some of will reach 85, some won’t, and a very select few will hit 90. 10% will make it to 95 making the century milestone very exclusive. According to Genealogy in time magazine, 1 in 6,000 people become a centenarian. That makes it simple to answer the question, Am I, at age 50, still young? The sad answer is, I am not.

 

My Golden Rule determining if a person is young or old.

If you can double your age, legitimately with the odds in your favor, you are young. When you can’t, you are old. Simple. A 42 year old man or woman can legitimately hit age 84, according to the Social Security Administration.. So, that person is young. A 50 year old male doubling his age, such as myself has a 1 in 6,000 chance of hitting age 100, not even close to good odds so that person is old. Sad but true, I am old. But, I still feel good, look good and enjoy my life. But sadly, I am no longer young.