Description: This meeting session, which occurred at the April 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Orlando, presented a discussion of U.S. Social Security issues. Questions discussed included: 1. What is the financial status of the Social Security program? 2. What changes have been recently adopted and what changes have been proposed? 3. How would these changes affect the private pension system costs and plan design? 4. What is the proper role of the actuarial profession regarding the Social Security program? Included discussion of the paper, Constant Replacement Ratios in Retirement: A Theoretical Approach,' by Barnet N. Berin and Anthony B. Richter.

Description: Sets forth the history of the actuarial responsibilities for the Social Security System since the Act of 1935.

Description: This paper presents a summary of the legislative history of the several 1961 amendments, with emphasis on those affecting OASDI and the provisions of the health benefits proposal - particularly as to its financing. Discussions of this paper are included.

Description: This paper describes the history of the first United States Government Actuary, Ezekiel B. Elliot and his successors, including the types of services these actuaries performed. This article is followed by a discussion by several authors.

Description: Description of the consulting segment of the actuarial profession as it now exists in Canada and the United States, the environment in which it has developed, and some of the unresolved problems and possible future developments. Followed by discussion papers submitted by 2 authors

Description: Mr. Myers tells about his recently ended position as Deputy Commissioner of Social Security for Programs and also his new position as Executive Director of the bi-partisan National Commission on Social Security Reform under President Reagan.

Description: The article notes, as explained in Norman Solomon’s paper, TSA XV, 167, so-called windfall appropriations are required annually to finance dual benefits to which certain railroad workers became eligible under the Railroad Retirement Act in consequence of pre-1975 employment that entitled them to both Railroad Retirement and Social Security benefits. The author then notes that the Office of Management and Budget has arbitrarily reduced revised appropriations, and that “the actuarial profession should take a strong stand against this by-passing of actuarial determinations.”

Description: This is a short version of a memorandum to the Commissioner of Social Security and other government officials addressing misuse of actuarial cost estimates.

Description: The author proposes an adjustment to the automatic benefit increase formula to reflect discrepancies between the CPI and wage inflation.

Description: Presented at October 1985 Annual Meeting. Discusses fifty years of Social Security and the role of actuaries, recruitment sources and problems, remuneration, functions of actuarial staff, problems of staff retention, political pressures, opportunities to influence national legislation.