SSA set to test online authentication app for businesses

The Social Security Administration next month will test an online program to authenticate Social Security numbers for organizations’ new hires.“We will pilot test a Web site where we can find if the SSN is fraudulent and if it belongs to the person,” said William Gray, SSA’s deputy commissioner for systems.The agency will test the application, developed in-house, with the help of 10 to15 organizations. The choice of pilot participants is still being finalized, Gray said today at the Information Processing Interagency Council conference in Orlando, Fla.Each organization will appoint a person to work on the verification process who will register online with SSA. Using a PIN and password, the user will submit Social Security numbers and other identifying information about prospective hires. SSA will process and authenticate the numbers.“It’s a delicate process,” Gray said, adding that based on the test, the agency will make any necessary changes before putting the application into nationwide service.