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The Daily News Of The Virgin Islands
Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas County, Virgin Islands
What is this article about?
Social Security Administration opens permanent office in St. Thomas, VI, staffed by Charles A. Dellinger to help residents with benefits, numbers, and services; highlights eligibility for self-employed and domestics, praises local church records, clarifies confidentiality.
Merged-components note: Continuation of Social Security office story from page 1 to page 12; relabeled from 'notice' to 'domestic_news' as it fits local news better.
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The Social Security Administration has opened a permanent office in St. Thomas.
Charles A. Dellinger will be in room 205A of the Post Office Building every Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
He urges that anyone having questions about social security, needing an account number or wishing to claim benefits should drop in at his office.
Though the Social Security Administration maintained an office here in 1951 when social security was introduced on the island. It has not had a permanent office here for some time.
Dellinger, a native of North Carolina, has been with the social security administration for 23 years.
He spent most of his time in and around North Carolina.
Dellinger said that his department feels there are many people in the island who are eligible
(See SOCIAL, page 12)
SOCIAL
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for social security who have not filed for it.
He pointed out that all self-employed persons earning more than $400 per year, and all domestics earning at least $50 every three months are eligible for Social Security.
Dellinger said that social security means more than merely "filing for a social security number."
"We help people in a lot of different ways," he said. "For example, we help them locate important documents, we see that their retirement benefits are in order; we handle their disability benefits; and we handle survival benefits."
In the latter category, Dellinger said that Virgin Islanders are luckier than a lot of people in the U.S. because birth records are so well kept by the churches here.
"In the U.S." he said, "we had an awful job finding out exactly when a person had been born.
The most reliable instrument we had was the family bible. Church records in the states were not kept very carefully; whereas in the Virgin Islands, the church records are amazingly accurate and well kept."
Another area of confusion that Dellinger cleared up is the widely held misconception that the Social Security Administration acts as a "tracer of missing persons," for people who are trying to find someone.
"This just isn't so," Dellinger said.
"Our records are strictly confidential. Not even the police or the F.B.I. has access to them."
What sub-type of article is it?
What keywords are associated?
What entities or persons were involved?
Where did it happen?
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
St. Thomas
Key Persons
Outcome
permanent office opened in room 205a of the post office building, available every monday and tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; assists with social security questions, account numbers, claims, locating documents, retirement, disability, and survival benefits.
Event Details
The Social Security Administration has opened a permanent office in St. Thomas after a previous temporary office in 1951. Charles A. Dellinger, a 23-year veteran from North Carolina, staffs the office and encourages eligible residents, including self-employed earning over $400/year and domestics earning at least $50 every three months, to file for benefits. He clarifies services beyond numbering, including document location and benefit handling, notes well-kept church birth records aiding Virgin Islanders, and states records are confidential, not for tracing missing persons.