citizens and maintains earnings records for workers under their Social Security numbers. The Social Security Administration (SSA) was established by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1946 (5 U.S.C. app.), effective July 16, 1946. It became an independent agency in the executive branch by the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 901), effective March 31, 1995. The Administration is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. In administering the programs necessary to carry out the agency's mission, by law the Commissioner is assisted by a Deputy Commissioner, who performs duties assigned or delegated by the Commissioner; a Chief Financial Officer; a General Counsel; a Chief Actuary; and an Inspector General. Programs and Activities Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability The agency administers these social insurance programs, which provide monthly benefits to retired and disabled workers, their spouses and children, and to survivors of insured workers. Financing is under a system of contributory social insurance, whereby employees, employers, and the selfemployed pay contributions that are pooled in special trust funds. When earnings stop or are reduced because the worker retires, dies, or becomes disabled, monthly cash benefits are paid to partially replace the earnings the family has lost. Supplemental Security Income The agency administers this needs-based program for the aged, blind, and disabled. A basic Federal monthly payment is financed out of general revenue, rather than a special trust fund. Some States, choosing to provide payments to supplement the benefits, have agreements with the Administration under which it administers the supplemental payments for those States. Medicare While the administration of Medicare is the responsibility of the Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration provides Medicare assistance to the public through SSA district offices and processing centers, and adjudicates requests for hearings and appeals of Medicare claims. Black Lung By agreement with the Department of Labor, SSA is involved in certain aspects of the administration of the black lung benefits provisions of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, as amended (30 U.S.C. 901). Regional Offices Social Security Administration operations are decentralized to provide services at the local level. Each of the SSA 10 regions, under the overall direction of its Regional Commissioner, contains a network of district offices, branch offices, and teleservice centers, which serve as the contact between SSA and the public. The Administration operates 1,292 district and branch offices, 38 teleservice centers, and 6 program service centers. These installations are responsible for: -informing the public of the purposes and provisions of Social Security programs and their rights and responsibilities; -assisting with claims filed for retirement, survivors, disability, or health insurance benefits, black lung benefits, or Supplemental Security Income; -developing and adjudicating claims; -assisting certain beneficiaries in claiming reimbursement for medical expenses; -developing cases involving earnings records, coverage, and fraud-related questions; -making rehabilitation service referrals; and -assisting claimants in filing appeals on SSA determinations of benefit entitlement or amount. For further information, contact the Social Security Administration. Phone, 800-772-1213 (toll-free). Sources of Information Inquiries on the following subjects may be directed to the appropriate office, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235. Contracts and Small Business Activities Contact the Office of Acquisitions and Grants. Phone, 410-965-9457. Employment A variety of civil service registers and examinations are used in hiring new employees. Specific employment information may be obtained from the Office of Personnel. Phone, 410-965-4506. General Information The Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Operations manages SSA's toll-free public service telephone. Phone, 800-772-1213 (tollfree). Inspector General The Office of the Inspector General maintains a 24-hour toll-free hotline to receive allegations and complaints relative to SSA operations nationwide. Phone, 800-2690271 (toll-free). Fax, 410-965-3011. Publications The Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Communications publishes numerous pamphlets concerning SSA programs. Single copies may be obtained at any local office or by calling 800-772-1213. The Administration also collects a substantial volume of economic, demographic, and other data in furtherance of its program mission. Basic data on employment and earnings, beneficiaries and benefit payments, and other items of program interest are published regularly in the Social Security Bulletin, its Annual Statistical Supplement, and in special releases and reports that appear periodically on selected topics of interest to the public. Additional information may be obtained from the Publications Staff, Office of Research and Statistics, Room 209, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20008. Phone, 202-282-7138. Reading Rooms Requests for information, for copies of records, or to inspect records may be made at any local office or the Headquarters Contact Unit, Room G-44, Altmeyer Building. Phone, 800-772-1213 (toll-free). Speakers and Films The Administration makes speakers, films, and exhibits available to public or private organizations, community groups, schools, etc., throughout the Nation. Requests for this service should be directed to the local Social Security Office. For further information, contact the Office of Public Inquiries, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235. Phone, 410–965-7700. Internet, http://www.ssa.gov/. TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902 Phone, 615-632-2101 One Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20444-0001 Chief Financial Officer Chief Administrative Officer DAVID N. SMITH NORMAN A. ZIGROSSI The Tennessee Valley Authority conducts a unified program of resource development for the advancement of economic growth in the Tennessee Valley region. The Authority's program of activities includes flood control, navigation development, electric power production, fertilizer development, recreation improvement, and forestry and wildlife development. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a wholly owned Government corporation created by act of May 18, 1933 (16 U.S.C. 831-831dd). All functions of the Authority are vested in its three-member Board of Directors, the members of which are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The President designates one member as Chairman. While TVA's electric power program is required to be financially self-supporting, other programs are financed primarily by appropriations. A system of dams built by TVA on the Tennessee River and its larger tributaries provides flood regulation on the Tennessee and contributes to regulation of the lower Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The system maintains a continuous 9foot-draft channel for navigation for the length of the 650-mile Tennessee River main stream, from Paducah, KY, to Knoxville, TN. The dams harness the power of the rivers to produce electricity. They also provide other benefits, including a major asset for outdoor recreation. The Authority operates the river control system and provides assistance to State and local governments in reducing local flood problems. It also works with cooperating agencies to encourage full and effective use of the navigable waterway by industry and commerce. The Authority is the wholesale power supplier for many local municipal and cooperative electric systems serving customers in parts of seven States. It supplies power to several Federal installations and industries whose power requirements are large or unusual. Power to meet these demands is supplied from dams, coal-fired powerplants, nuclear powerplants, combustion turbine installations, and a pumped-storage hydroelectric project operated by TVA; U.S. Corps of Engineers dams in the Cumberland Valley; and Aluminum Company of America dams, whose operation is coordinated with TVA's system. In economic and community. development programs, TVA provides technical assistance in areas including industrial development, regional waste management, tourism promotion, community preparedness, and vanpool organization. It works with local communities and groups to develop maximum use of available area resources. Working with regional learning centers, businesses, and industries, the Authority has identified skills that are needed in the hightechnology job market and has set up training centers. At Muscle Shoals, AL, TVA operates a national laboratory for environmental research, focusing on the cleanup and protection of the Nation's land, air, and water resources. Projects include development of methods for reducing nonpoint source pollution from groundwater runoff, contaminated site remediation, bioenergy research, and industrial waste reduction. The work is centered on preventing and correcting environmental problems that are barriers to economic growth. In cooperation with other agencies, TVA conducts research and development programs in forestry, fish and game, watershed protection, health services related to its operations, and economic development of Tennessee Valley communities. In the western parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, TVA operates Land Between the Lakes, a demonstration project in outdoor recreation, environmental education, and natural resource management. Sources of Information Citizen Participation TVA Communications, ET 12A, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902-1499. Phone, 423-632-2101. Contracts Purchasing, WT 4D, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902-1499. Phone, 423-632–4796. This office will direct inquiries to the appropriate procurement officer. Economic Development WT 11D, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902-1499. Phone, 423-632-4312. Electric Power Supply and Rates ET 12A, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902-1499. Phone 423632-3108. Employment Human Resources, ET 12A, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37902-1499. Phone, 423632-3222. (Other personnel offices may be contacted at other major locations.) Environmental and Energy Education BR 4F, 1101 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801. Phone, 423-751-4624. Environmental Research Center TVA Reservation, P.O. Box 1010, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661-1010. Phone, 205– 386-2026. Environmental Quality Environmental Land Management/Shoreline Permitting Maps Maps Information & Sales, HB For further information, contact TVA Communications, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 379021499. Phone, 423–632-2101. Or TVA Washington Office, 1 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20044. Phone, 202–898–2999. THRIFT DEPOSITOR PROTECTION OVERSIGHT 808 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20232 |