SSA Publications CD-ROM Instructions

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 | Introduction | What is POMS? | To Get Started | Search Tips | To Quit |

Introduction

The SSA Publications CD-ROM offers three sets of documents:

  1. Program Operations Manual System (POMS)
  2. SSA Rulings from 1960-1997 (including Acquiescence Rulings from
     1986-1997)
  3. SSA Handbook, 12th Edition (1995) (Note: More recent edition at the
     reference desk.)

This CD-ROM is useful mainly for its access to POMS, which is no longer
available to the library in print. The Soc. Sec. Rulings are available in
paper editions at the Government Publications reference desk, and the 13th
edition (1997) of the Handbook (more recent than the CD version) is also
available in paper.

What is POMS?

According to an informative librarian who has Social Security experience:

     "POMS...is a claims processing manual. It instructs SSA employees
     as to how to handle claims for various types of benefits and how
     to deal with other specific situations, e.g. earnings problems,
     Social Security number problems, etc. So each POMS section is
     either going to give instructions for processing claims for a
     specific type of benefits (DI = Disability, RS = Retirement &
     Survivors, SI = Supplemental Security Income, HI = Health
     Insurance), or cover some general aspect of the SSA claims
     processing operations (e.g. RM = records maintenance, TE =
     Telecommunications, SM = Systems, GN = General).

     "Second...POMS is NOT primarily a public information tool. It is
     a technical manual for employees of the organization.... [I]t
     does not really lend itself to casual browsing.

     "The main people who will want to use it are those who have had
     an adverse ruling on a Soc. Sec. Matter (or their attorneys) who
     want to understand why their claim was denied and/or are
     gathering information for an appeal. Anyone else would be better
     off using the SSA Handbook or the public information pamphlets,
     leaflets or SSA Web site, where the information IS geared toward
     public consumption."

For an official introduction and overview, see sec. AO 10020 of POMS on the
CD-ROM.

To Get Started

   * A librarian will probably need to retrieve the CD-ROM for you.
   * Once the CD has been inserted into the proper drive, double-click on
     the SSA CD-ROM icon (a red square with a 'T').

Search Tips

Table of Contents

Using the Table of Contents may be the easiest way to find what you are
looking for. It's a good way to browse and to zero in on something
specific. Click on the Table of Contents (ToC) button, and double-click on
folder icons to open them. Double-click on documents to see the actual
documents. (Hit the ToC button again to return to it after examining an
individual document.)

   * Tip: You can scan Social Security Rulings by Number

        o Click on the Table of Contents button (ToC).
        o Click open the 'Social Security Rulings' file icon.
        o Click open the 'Finding Lists for Social Scurity Rulings..." file
          icon.
        o Click open the 'Finding List of Social Security Rulings..." file
          icon.
        o Click open the 'Social Security Rulings - Sequential List" file
          icon.
        o Click on the icon for the year you want.
        o Click on the Ruling number you want.

Keyword Search

Alternatively, you can perform a keyword search (including numbers) by
clicking on the Search button or by going to the "Window" menu and
selecting "Search."

Click on the search button and type your search terms into the "Word or
Phrase" field. Your results will display as a summary, from which you may
double-click on any particular line to see the full document. To return to
the search menu, click on the Search button. To return to your most recent
summary of search hits, click on the Summary button.

   * Tip: You can search just one portion of the CD-ROM, if you like.

     Click on the Collection button to refine your search. Say you want to
     search POMS only. Click on "hdbk" to highlight it, and then click on
     the "Remove" button. Do the same with "rule," so that "poms" is the
     only collection left "active." Click on "ok." Now when you perform a
     search, it will be limited only to that "active" collection.

   * Tip: Find a Social Security Ruling By Number

     If you know the Ruling number, i.e. SSR 94-3, click on the Search
     button. Type "SSR 94-3" in the 'Word or Phrase' field (must be in
     quotes). Technical note: the above search will not work if 'Special
     Characters Equivalent' option is not checked in the 'Search Options'
     menu.

Index

The "Comprehensive Index" available when you click on the "Indexes" button
is complicated and unhelpful. It is better to use the indexes that are
available through the Table of Contents (ToC button).

   * Take advantage of Hypertext

     In the Table of Contents indexes (and in other parts of the CD-ROM),
     there are green hyperlinks that work like the World Wide Web:
     double-click on the link and the software will take you directly to
     the related information. Note: however, the browse button moves you
     forward or backward within the order of the manual, NOT back to the
     page you looked at before (as one might expect from using Web browser
     software like Netscape).

To Quit

At any time you can click on the Exit button: (or go to the File menu and
choose Exit.)

When you are done, please log off the computer:

   * In the Program Manager, go to its File menu and select Logoff.
   * Click on Yes to okay the logoff.

If you have any questions, please ask a librarian.

Stephen Sposato
Government Publications Department
Chicago Public Library
Last Updated: 7/98

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