WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 31: FIRST SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK
Profile America — Sunday, January 31st. What will happen to Social Security in the years ahead is a continuing topic of discussion among the nation's leaders. The first Social Security check was issued on this day in 1940 to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, who received a check for $22.54. The Social Security Act was signed into law five years earlier, as a program to benefit survivors of deceased breadwinners and to provide income for the elderly. Today, there are more than 49 million Social Security beneficiaries, including retired and disabled workers and surviving spouses, as well as children. The average monthly benefit check for a retired worker is $1,044. Profile America is in its 13th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 108
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 527
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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