Effective Dates: 06/02/2017 - Present Previous | Next

TN 7 (11-11)

RM 10215.085 OCO Procedure for Form SS-5 (Application for a Social Security Card) Mass Loss

This section applies only to FALCON users in OCO.

A. Process

The SSA Security Records Branch (SRB) should receive a monthly shipment of SS-5s from every office that processes SS-5s by the 15th of the month following the shipment month. Beginning July 2008, all SSA offices (including those located outside the continental United States) should use FedEx. The only offices exempt from this requirement are offices not serviced by FedEx. If FedEx does not service your office, use another commercial carrier.

Beginning October 2008, SSA electronically tracks SS-5 shipments from each office to the SRB using the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application (for additional information, see RM 10215.065, OCO Instructions for Shipping Forms SS-5 to the SSA Security Records Branch).

The tracking application automatically generates late shipment and non-shipment alerts to the shipping office, which may indicate that a potential mass loss of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) occurred. When the shipping office receives these alerts or the SRB notifies the office that the SRB did not receive the shipment, that office should initiate a search for the shipment following the procedures in this section.

B. Procedure for offices using FedEx

1. Follow this procedure if you used FedEx AND the SS-5 Shipping Tracking

  1. a. 

    You used both FedEx AND the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to prepare and send your shipment, and

  2. b. 

    You receive either a non-shipment or late shipment alert.

Step

Action

1

Can you find the shipment in your office? Thoroughly search your office (SS-5 holding file, mailroom, unopened boxes, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) files, office storage areas, etc.) for the missing shipment.

  • •

    If yes, go to Step 2.

  • •

    If no, use the FedEx Ship Manager or FedEx tracking website to find your missing shipment.

    Go to Step 3.

  • •

    If you are unable to determine what happened to your shipment contact FedEx at 1-800-463-3339 or by email at track@fedex.com .

    Go to Step 3.

NOTE: A possible mass loss occurred.

2

If you have not done so already, use the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to generate a bar code label page, which contains two copies of the label.

NOTE: You do not need to generate or reprint a second bar code label if the missing shipment already has one.

  1. 1. 

    Cut the label page in half and put one label inside the package(s).

  2. 2. 

    Attach the other label securely to the package(s) and ship it immediately by FedEx to the SRB:

    SSA, SRB
    Attn: Rob Rinker
    1137 Branchton Road
    Boyers, PA 16020
    724-794-8441

  3. 3. 

    Check both the tracking application and the FedEx tracking website to confirm delivery of your shipment.

  4. 4. 

    STOP.

3

Were you able to find the missing shipment using FedEx tracking?

  1. 1. 

    If yes, resolve any obvious shipping problems (such as an incorrect address) and direct FedEx to forward the shipment to the SRB.

    Check both the tracking application and the FedEx tracking website to confirm delivery of your SS-5 shipment.

  2. 2. 

    If no, report the loss to the SRB and your Regional Center for Automation, Security and Integrity (CASI) or designated Regional Programs staff. They will give you additional guidance. Be prepared to give them the following information:

    • •

      FedEx Tracking number;

    • •

      Package number assigned by the SS-5 Shipment Tracking ;

    • •

      Date shipped to the SRB.

2. Follow this procedure if you used FedEx but NOT the SS-5 Shipment Tracking

  1. a. 

    You used FedEx, but NOT the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to prepare and send your shipment, and

  2. b. 

    The SRB notifies you that they did not receive your shipment.

Step

Action

1

Can you find the missing shipment in your office?

Thoroughly search your office (SS-5 holding file, mailroom, unopened boxes, etc.) for the missing shipment.

  • •

    If yes, go to Step 2.

  • •

    If no, use the FedEx Ship Manager or FedEx tracking website to find your missing shipment.

If you are unable to determine what happened to your shipment contact FedEx at 1-800-463-3339 or by email at track@fedex.com .

Go to Step 3.

NOTE: A possible mass loss occurred.

2

Use the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to generate a bar-code label page, which contains two copies of the label.

  1. 1. 

    Cut the label page in half and put one label inside the package(s).

  2. 2. 

    Attach the other label securely to the package(s) and send it immediately through FedEx to the SRB:

    SSA, SRB
    Attn: Rob Rinker
    1137 Branchton Road
    Boyers, PA 16020
    724-794-8441

  3. 3. 

    Check the FedEx tracking website to confirm delivery of your shipment.

  4. 4. 

    STOP.

3

Were you able to find the missing shipment using FedEx tracking?

  1. 1. 

    If yes, resolve any obvious shipping problems (such as an incorrect address) and direct FedEx to forward the shipment to the SRB.

  2. 2. 

    If no, report the loss to the SRB and your Regional Center for Automation, Security and Integrity (CASI) or designated Regional Programs staff. They will give you additional guidance. Be prepared to give them the following information:

    • •

      FedEx Tracking number; and

    • •

      Date shipped to the SRB.

C. Procedure for offices using commercial carrier other than FedEx

1. Follow this procedure if you used SS-5 Shipment Tracking

  1. a. 

    You used the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to prepare and send your shipment, and

  2. b. 

    You receive either a non-shipment or late shipment alert.

Step

Action

1

Can you find the missing shipment in your office? Thoroughly search your office (SS-5 holding file, mailroom, unopened boxes, etc.) for the missing shipment.

  • •

    If yes, go to Step 2.

  • •

    If no, trace the missing shipment by contacting your carrier. Go to Step 3.

NOTE: A possible mass loss occurred.

2

If you have not done so already, use the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to generate a bar-code label page, which contains two copies of the shipping label.

NOTE: You do not need to generate or reprint a second bar-code label if the missing shipment already has one.

  1. 1. 

    Cut the label page in half and put one label inside the package(s).

  2. 2. 

    Attach the label securely to the package and send the shipment immediately to the SRB:

    SSA, SRB
    Attn: Rob Rinker
    1137 Branchton Road
    Boyers, PA 16020
    724-794-8441

  3. 3. 

    STOP.

3

Were you able to find the missing shipment using carrier tracking?

  1. 1. 

    If yes, resolve any obvious shipping problems (such as an incorrect address) and direct the carrier to forward the shipment to the SRB. Check the tracking application to confirm delivery of your shipment.

  2. 2. 

    If no, report the loss to the SRB and your Regional Center for Automation, Security and Integrity (CASI) or designated Regional Programs staff. They will give you additional guidance. Be prepared to give them the following information:

    • •

      Package number assigned by the tracking application

    • •

      Carrier tracking number (if any)

    • •

      Date shipped to the SRB

2. Follow this procedure if you did NOT use SS-5 Shipment Tracking

  1. a. 

    You did NOT use the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application to prepare and send your shipment, and

  2. b. 

    The SRB notifies you that they did not receive your shipment.

Step

Action

1

Can you find the missing shipment in your office? Thoroughly search your office (SS-5 holding file, mailroom, unopened boxes, SSI files, office storage areas, etc.) for the missing shipment.

  • •

    If yes, go to Step 2.

  • •

    If no, trace the missing shipment by contacting your carrier. Go to Step 3.

NOTE: A possible mass loss occurred.

2
  • •

    If you used the U.S. Postal System (USPS), prepare a label showing this address:

    SSA, SRB
    ATTN: SRB Manager
    P.O. Box 25
    Boyers, PA 16020

  • •

    Attach the label securely to the package and send the shipment immediately to the SRB.

NOTE: Use the P.O. Box only if you are shipping through USPS. Use the street address if you are shipping through another carrier.

 

SSA, SRB
ATTN: Rob Rinker
1137 Branchton Road
Boyers, PA 16020
724-794-8441

3

Were you able to find the missing shipment using carrier tracking?

  1. 1. 

    If yes, resolve any obvious shipping problems (such as an incorrect address) and direct the carrier to forward the shipment to the SRB. Check carrier tracking to confirm delivery of your shipment.

  2. 2. 

    If no, report the loss to the SRB and your Regional Center for Automation, Security and Integrity (CASI) or designated Regional Programs staff. They will give you additional guidance. Be prepared to give them the following information:

    • •

      Carrier tracking number, and

    • •

      Date shipped to the SRB.

3. Procedure for Regional Offices (ROs)

Regional CASI should proceed as follows when notified that a mass loss occurred:

  1. a. 

    Verify that the missing shipment is lost by conferring with the shipping office and SRB, and by reviewing and analyzing carrier (FedEx, USPS, etc.) and SS-5 Shipment Tracking reports and information.

  2. b. 

    If your investigation confirms that the shipment is missing and cannot be found, annotate the shipment as “lost” in the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application.

  3. c. 

    Report the loss of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) at the Division of National Network Services and Operations (DNNSO) website.

NOTE: If you later find the alleged lost shipment, the CASI analyst should update the tracking application. A second entry, showing the shipment as found, will immediately overlay the initial (or lost shipment) entry. The initial entry will remain in the tracking application for 90 days from the date the SS-5 Shipment Tracking application generated the bar code label.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110215085
RM 10215.085 - OCO Procedure for Form SS-5 (Application for a Social Security Card) Mass Loss - 06/02/2017
Batch run: 06/02/2017
Rev:06/02/2017