Electronic Service Delivery

In accordance with 20 CFR 422.406(b)(1), the Commissioner of Social Security gives notice of Social Security Ruling SSR 96-10p. This Policy Interpretation Ruling represents the Social Security Administration's (SSA) policy for allowing our customers to communicate with us electronically by our acceptance of reports, requests, applications, and other information through access methods such as the Internet, video conferencing, and dial-up phone systems. By such methods, we will be able to accept reports, requests, applications, and other information. The Ruling also sets out our policy making electronic and digital signatures the functional equivalent of traditional handwritten signatures in certain situations which will be separately specified by SSA. We call these efforts to provide electronic service options to our customers electronic service delivery (ESD). This Ruling facilitates our attempts to better serve our customers through the use of electronic service delivery technologies. It is not our intention that customers must conduct business with us electronically. Rather, we are providing our customers with an optional way of doing business while ensuring that the information communicated through ESD methods is as secure and reliable as it is technologically possible and feasible to make it for SSA's activities.