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.t-TAuiij wui^utcio uacjuat twu uigns tu uati caiendar dates. On Jan. 1, 2000, some computer systems could read “double zero” not as 2000, but as 1900. If nothing were done, some computer systems could break down, or shut down.
We understand just how important Social Security is to more than 30 million retirees, more than six million disabled workers and their families, and to more than seven million surviving family members of deceased workers. Because so many people depend on Social Security, we feel a special responsibility to be ready for the new millennium ancf the Y2K computer problem. The Social Security Administration (SSA) was one of the first federal agencies to recognize the problem and the agency begin work to fix the problem in 1989. Since October 1998, SSA has been processing monthly benefit payments with Year 2000-compatible computer systems. Congress recently gave SSA an “A” for its efforts on Y2K readiness.
SSA will be able to do all of its tasks on Jan. 1, 2000, which includes paying benefits to more than 50 million Social Security and SSI beneficiaries, tracking the earnings of 145 million workers, and processing six million new appli-' cations for benefits next year.
However, we realize that our computers are only part of the system that processes payments. SSA has been working with the Federal Reserve Board, the Treasury Department, and the U.S. Postal Service. Systems and Y2K compliant software has been tested with those agencies and these systems have now been cer
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