Social Security tests new Internet service to speed up verifications

By Jim Glenn / Social Security

Social Security is testing a new Internet service that could make it easier and quicker for people to apply for Social Security benefits.

The project is called eVital and is part of President Bush’s E-Government initiative to make government services more responsive to the needs of the American public.

“The eVital project has tremendous potential to help us improve the service we provide to the American people,” said James Lockhart, Deputy Commissioner of Social Security. “We want to use the latest and most innovative technology to make it easier for the public to access Social Security’s services.”

The Social Security eVital project will provide immediate online verification of birth and death information, speeding up the process of applying for benefits or requesting a Social Security card.

Getting the verification online removes the burden of proof from the people we serve. It will also help us process benefit applications and Social Security card requests more quickly, save taxpayer dollars and help reduce fraud.

The eVital project is starting in Colorado and is scheduled to expand to seven additional states in coming weeks – Iowa, Hawaii, Missouri, Mississippi, Minnesota, New Hampshire and California.

Currently, people must provide birth or death documentation in order to get benefits or a Social Security number. If a person does not have the needed document, then he or she has to ask for a copy from a state bureau of vital statistics. In some situations, the Social Security Administration may contact the vital statistics agency directly. But in both cases there is usually a fee for the record and the process is delayed. This new E-Government project will reduce the cost and time it takes to verify birth and death information.

If the project goes as well as it is planned, it will be expanded to more states in the future.