Around this time of year, who wants to read about boring old Social Security rules and regulations? So instead, I thought I'd share a few funny stories from the career of an old civil servant. And that would be me. Happy Holidays!
Let’s Give This Man a Round of ... Snoring!
Very early in my career with the Social Security Administration, I was asked to fill in for a fellow employee who was sick. Here is the catch: I was a technician just recently hired and trained to take Social Security claims in an SSA office on the west side of Chicago. But the guy who called in sick was a long-time veteran of the agency who worked in public affairs. His job was to run around and give speeches to various community groups about the Social Security program. I was told I could take the rest of the day away from my claims-taking duties to prepare for this evening’s talk before the “ladies auxiliary” of a local church. The topic would be Social Security widow’s benefits.I spent the next several hours preparing for this event. It would be my first time ever speaking to a group about Social Security. I wrote out a series of talking points on dozens of index cards. I prepared elaborate flip charts outlining key provisions of Social Security law. (This was long before PowerPoint presentations!) I fixed up some handouts. I put together a collection of Social Security pamphlets to pass out to audience members.
