The State Administrator is the official liaison between the political subdivisions and the Social Security Administration for coverage issues. The political subdivisions should consult with the State Administrator for all official interpretations and questions of application for Social Security coverage. If you find inconsistent interpretations from other sources, you should consult the State Administrator for the official method.
State and local government employees were excluded from Social Security coverage when the Social Security Act was enacted in 1935. Pursuant to the Social Security Amendments of 1950, Section 218 was added to the Social Security Act in recognition of the fact that many state and local government employees were not covered by a retirement system. Section 218 allowed states to enter into voluntary agreements with the Federal government to provide Social Security coverage to those state and local government employees who were not covered by a retirement system. In 1990, amendments to the Social Security Act created mandatory Social Security coverage for state and local government employees who were not covered by a qualified public retirement system. However, for members of a qualified retirement system to have Social Security coverage, a voluntary 218 agreement with the political subdivision or instrumentality must be in place.
All states have executed Section 218 Agreements and each vary from state to state and for each political subdivision.
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