INCREASES A. Built-in: 1. Annualization of 24 new positions authorized in 1962 for portion of year: Personnel compensation_. Other related costs--. Subtotal, built-in____ B. Program increases: 1. To meet demands of expanded programs and increased workload in activity 1, "Direction and coordination of the social security program": Personnel compensation (6 positions) – Other related costs.. 2. To expand and strengthen activity 2, "Appraisal and 3. To handle increased workload in activity 3, “Admin istration of cooperative research": Personnel compensation (1 position) Other related costs-- Subtotal, program increases_ Gross increases_ $43,568 7,647 51,215 $38, 241 49,588 104, 891 148, 197 6, 700 12,000 209, 785 261,000 1. Direction and coordination of the social security programs.-An increase of $49,588 is requested to pay salaries and related objects of expense for three professional and three clerical positions to (a) place increased emphasis on developing more constructive approaches to getting people off assistance and back into useful roles in society; (b) place increased emphasis on coordinating welfare programs of the Children's Bureau and the Bureau of Family Services to assure that maximum benefits of both programs accrue for the protection and well-being of children; (c) handle an increased volume of work in the international area; and (d) handle an increased volume of work in the administrative, personnel, and fiscal management area resulting from new and expanded social security programs. 2. Appraisal and development of the social security program.-An increase of $148,197 is requested to pay salaries and related objects of expense for 10 professional and 6 clerical positions to reorganize and expand the program research activities of the Office of the Commissioner in order to give increased attention to both short- and long-range research that will provide a basis for forward planning in the social security field. 3. Administration of the cooperative research program in social security.—An increase of $12,000 is requested to pay salaries and related objects of expense for one additional professional position to assist in administering an expanded program of cooperative research that will identify and fill critical information gaps in relation to such problems as dependency, illegitimacy, and family breakdown. Senator HILL. Now, we will go to salaries and expenses. Mr. MITCHELL. With your permission, I will paraphrase the fairly lengthy statement and file the long statement for the record. (The statement referred to follows:) STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON SALARIES AND EXPENSES, OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY The Commissioner is responsible to the Secretary for the overall direction and coordination of the programs and operations of the social security bureaus. The functions of these bureaus encompass grant-in-aid administration of the public assistance and maternal and child welfare programs with their inherent problems of Federal-State relations, as well as direct program administration such as the Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and the Bureau of Federal Credit Unions. To assist in carrying out these responsibilities, the staff of the Office of the Commissioner is engaged principally in: 1. Formulating regulations, policies, and procedures for program and administrative guidance and execution. 2. Broad planning in the social insurance and welfare areas. 3. Compiling, studying, and analyzing information in areas pertaining to social security such as public and private retirement plans, public and private welfare expenditures, independent medical care plans, and medical care costs. WORK EMPHASIS, 1962 AND 1963 The Office of the Commissioner must of necessity devote very considerable time and attention to the implementation of the 1961 amendments to the Social Security Act and to the recent administrative measures announced by the Secreary for a more consructive approach to get people off assistance and back into useful roles in society. New policies and regulations have to be developed for their implementation. Also, many management and organizational problems requiring the attention of this office will be encountered as a result of increased bureau staffs and new or expanded programs. During 1961, a series of surveys were undertaken to comply with the request of the House Ways and Means Committee for a report on the medical resources available to public assistance recipients and other needy persons throughout the States. This report was submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee on December 29, 1961. However, because of the very considerable interest on the part of the general public, Congress, and organized groups in the medical care area, continued emphasis will have to be placed during 1962 and 1963 on methods of paying for hospital services, problems relating to quality of care, and the utilization and financing of the other medical services. When the legislative provisions of the 1961 amendments were being considered in Congress, it was indicated that our Department expected to make a thorough reappraisal of welfare and other programs under the Social Security Act for consideration by the 2d session of the 87th Congress. Accordingly, a number of the provisions enacted in the 1961 amendments were made effective only through June 30, 1962. This necessitated prompt appraisal and analysis of the activity under these programs. BUDGET REQUEST The operating budget for fiscal year 1962 provides $878,000 and 90 positions. For fiscal year 1963, 113 positions and a total of $1,129,000 are requested. Of the total amount, $711,000 is requested from general funds; the remainder of the request, $418,000 to be derived from the Federal old-age and survivors insurance trust fund. For fiscal year 1963, we are requesting an increase of 23 positions and $251,000 over the 1962 operating budget. Of the total new positions requested, 6 are to meet increased workload in the direction and coordination function resulting from expanded and new programs; 16 are to expand and reorganize the program research function; and 1 is to handle increased workload in administering the cooperative research program. As has been previously mentioned, steps have been initiated to modify the welfare programs with two main objectives in mind-the correction of whatever abuses have crept into them and the development of more constructive approaches to get people off assistance and back into useful roles in society. I covered rather thoroughly in my general opening statement the administrative measures that the Secretary has announced will be placed into operation to work toward these goals. Also, a new position of Assistant Commissioner of Social Security has been created to provide leadership in the development of services which will assist persons in remaining or becoming self-sufficient and to assure that maximum benefits of the programs of the Children's Bureau and the Bureau of Family Services are coordinated for the protection and well-being of children. Two positions are requested for staff assistance to the Assistant Commissioner-one professional position and one clerical position. New programs in social security have materially increased workload in the administrative, personnel, and fiscal management area. For example, new programs of medical assistance for the aged, temporary aid to dependent children, assistance to mentally ill American nationals, assistance to repatriated U.S. citizens from abroad, the foreign currency program, and the Cuban refugee program have been added within the past 2 years. Also, substantial changes have been made in many of the other social security programs. As a result of the new programs, the staffs of the social security bureaus have increased and organizational structures and programs and their financing have become more complex. This has created a need for more manpower at the Commissioner's level to analyze and appraise bureau activities, to direct the bureaus, and to serve as liaison with the Office of the Secretary. The 1962 operating budget provides four professional positions for work in the total management area. For 1963, one additional professional and one additional clerical position is requested to handle the increased workload. In recent years, we have, of necessity, had to devote more time to international activities as a result of a growing interest on the part of foreign countries in experience and development in the social welfare program of the United States. For example, in 1956, 162 foreign persons were referred to us by other governments or by national and international governmental and voluntary agencies for orientation in our programs. This past year, the number of such referrals was 330. We are also called upon by the Department of State and the United Nations for assistance in preparing policy papers and technical documents in the social security field. This workload has increased materially over the past several years. Two additional positions are to provide staff to handle increased work in the international area. When I appeared before you last year, I reported that we were in the process of having a complete review of all research activities made by an outside advisory group of distinguished experts to assure that our research is geared to changing needs in a changing world. This group has completed its review. They have made a number of recommendations for strengthening the existing research program of the Social Security Administration, for long-range research, and for forward planning in the social security and welfare field. The central premise of the advisory group is that in recent years too little attention has been given to long-range research and forward planning in the social security and welfare field. The major part of the research and statistics effort of the Social Security Administration has increasingly gone into the collection of operating statistics, the analysis of the operations of existing programs and a variety of short-term projects and staff services. We believe that all of these types of activities are necessary and the staff and budget devoted to them should not be curtailed. If national social welfare policy is to be constructively related to current and future needs and to rapidly changing social and economic conditions, the advisory group has recommended, and we concur, that provision should be made for a small but highly qualified research staff that can become the nucleus for forward planning related to overall social welfare problems and goals. The budget request for an additional 16 positions in the research area would permit us to establish a long-range research group which would be responsible for carrying out and for stimulating research in a broad field, involving use of all of the major social science disciplines. For example, the studies to be undertaken would include a reexamination of the objectives of social security and social welfare in a rapidly expanding economy and a drastically changing society. Analyses of the factors underlying and necessary to independent individual and family living would be made. This group would give particular attention to studies of individuals and families who are just beyond the boundaries of existing social security programs and for whom preventive measures may be most effective, studies of changes in family structure and what types of families tend to be most or least dependent, and studies of the ways in which social structure and social organizations produce differing degrees of dependency. Also as recommended by the advisory group, it is proposed to establish a position of Assistant Commissioner for Research and Development. This person would be responsible for directing, formulating, and coordinating the overall research program of the Social Security Administration and for relating this program to research and to planning activities in other Government agencies. The Assistant Commissioner position would be accomplished through the elimination of the current position of Director of Program Research. Finally, we are requesting one additional position to administer the expanded cooperative research and demonstration program. The brief experience we have had with this program indicates that more staff is necessary to administer the program even at its existing level. If you have questions, I will be happy to answer them. ADDITIONAL POSITIONS Mr. MITCHELL. For fiscal year 1963, we are requesting an increase of 23 positions and $251,000 over the 1962 operating budget. Of the total new positions requested, six are to meet increased workload in the direction and coordination function, that is, budget, management, and the supervisory area, and this is needed because of expanded and new programs. Sixteen positions are requested to expand and reorganize the program research function, and one is to handle increased workload in administering the cooperative research program. REVIEW OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES When I appeared before you last year, I reported that we were in the process of having a complete review of all research activities made by an outside voluntary advistory group of distinguished experts to assure that our research is geared to changing needs in a changing world. This group has completed its review. The central premise of the advisory group is that in recent years too little attention has been given to long-range research and forward planning in the social security and welfare field. The budget request for an additional 16 positions in the research area would permit us to establish a long-range research group which would be responsible for carrying out and for stimulating research in a broad field involving use of all the major social science disciplines. CONTENT OF STUDIES For example, the studies to be undertaken would include reexamination of the objectives of social security and social welfare in a rapidly expanding economy, and a drastically changing society. Analysis of the factors underlying and necessary to independent individual and family living would be made. This group would give particular attention to studies of individuals and families who are just beyond the boundaries of existing social security programs and for whom preventive measures may be most effective, studies of changes in family structure and what types of families tend to be most or least dependent, and studies of the ways in which social security structure social organizations produce differing degrees of dependency. POSITION OF ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Also, as recommended by this advisory group, it is proposed to establish a position of Assistant Commissioner for Research and Development. This person would be responsible for directing, formulating, and coordinating the overall research program of the Social Security Administration and for relating this program to research and to planning activities in other governmental agencies. Finally, we are asking for one additional position to administer the expanded cooperative research and demonstration program, for which Mrs. Merriam just made her justification. The brief experience we have had with this program indicates that more staff is necessary to administer the program even at its existing level. REPORT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE Might I say, Mr. Chairman, that I have with me the report of this Advisory Committee which included such distinguished citizens-I am sure you know some of them-as Dr. Evaline Burns, of Columbia, the Chairman, and J. Douglas Brown, the dean of the faculty at Princeton; Dr. James B. Dixon, of Antioch College; Nathan Cohen, of Western Research; Burns Roper, of Elmer Roper's organization; Stanley Ruttenberg of the American Federation of Labor and the CIO; and Vincent Whitney, who is the chairman of the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. This group gave very freely of their time as a public responsibility and produced what I think is a very valuable document. Senator HILL. How long did the group work on this problem, if I may ask? Mr. MITCHELL. All told, it was a period of about a year. Mr. MITCHELL. Yes. Of course, they were not able to put full time in on it. Senator HILL. I understand that. They were not in a position to put in full time. Perhaps it was wise for them to stop every once in a while and do a little thinking. |