Page 96 - profiles 2019 working copy containing all bios as of Feb 20 final version

I am Maria Ray and I have served the American public in the Social Security
Administration (SSA) for 38 years. As of 2018, I am still employed at SSA

and I am the treasurer for a local NARFE chapter. My career at SSA began
when I was a high school student in the Stay-in-School program and I
eventually moved into permanent employment and increasingly responsible
positions. I obtained a degree in government and public policy and have been

honored to work in three major fields of SSA: Operations (working directly
with the public to take claims and administer Social Security programs and
benefits); Systems (in an information technology (IT) component to create

and maintain software and applications to accurately calculate and release
benefits to the public); and communications (focusing on helping SSA
communicate more effectively with the public).

As a claims representative in three field offices in two cities, I worked one-on-
one with individuals seeking to submit applications for Supplemental Security
Income (SSI), Social Security benefits, and Medicare. I took great pride in

explaining the benefits and eligibility factors so that everyone could
understand them. I also worked very hard to ensure all required paperwork
was complete and accurate. I tried to make the process less daunting, while

also ensuring there would be no delays due to incomplete applications. As
difficult as the work was, I enjoyed it because every day I could see how we
were helping people.

I later worked as a systems data exchange analyst with responsibility for
several exchanges of federally maintained data affecting SSI eligibility. One
highlight is my work with the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). My

colleagues and I worked with VBA to obtain veterans benefit amounts to
apply to SSI beneficiary records as income, while also working with SSA IT
developers to correct calculation errors that counted the benefits incorrectly,

impacting individuals’ benefits. For an SSI recipient, every dollar matters and
errors can cause reduced benefits and ineligibility for medical assistance.

I am ending my career in a leadership position as the executive officer in a

communications office responsible for: (1) personal responses to members of
the public who contact SSA’s Commissioner for assistance; (2) maintaining
the socialsecurity.gov website and the Spanish version, seguro social; (3)

writing and updating many Social Security publications in English and
Spanish and working with a contractor to translate publications into many
other languages; and (4) assistive communications that ensure Section 508

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