Social Security Administration

The Great Depression of the 1930s exacerbated a growing need for income support in the United States that could not be met by the limited resources of states, local communities, or private charities. In response, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his intention to make recommendations for additional measures of protection against destitution and dependency during a message to Congress on 8 June 1934. A year later, the Social Security Act of 1935 was passed, symbolizing the essence of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Included in the Social Security Act was a social insurance program to pay benefits to retired workers age sixty-five or older. This federal Old-Age Benefit system formed the basis for the current Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) programs now administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA).