The Social Security Administration under the Biden Administration committed to an equity agenda. This means ensuring equal opportunity for everyone and ensuring the upholding of civil rights and racial justice.
The Equity Action Plan is the first of its kind to help advance this agenda. According to the SSA, this plan will help it meet the requirements set by an Executive Order signed by President Biden on January 20, 2021.
Main goals
Because Social Security is applicable to all Americans, the administration finds it especially important to ensure there are no barriers due to race, income or other protected factors that would place someone in a minority or at a disadvantage. The Equity Action Plan will help to meet this goal. The SSA hopes to make its services more available to everyone and to make it just as easy for everyone to secure services or to get assistance when needed without issues due to their protected status.
Contents
The plan will increase the amount of data the SSA collects in regard to ethnicity and race to allow for better planning to ensure equal access. The SSA will use the data to make needed changes in practices and policies. It will help to pinpoint areas that need adjustment.
The plan also seeks to help reduce issues for gender diverse and transgender people when it comes to Social Security number and card applications and processing. It also will help to increase the grant programs available to small businesses or those at a disadvantage and historically black schools.
The focus of the Equity Action Plan is to remove systematic racism or other systematic issues that may inhibit the experiences of a diverse population.
