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NOTICE
The State Social Security Administrator does not deal with individual claims and WILL NOT contact you by phone, email, text message or social media seeking your Social Security Number.
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Disclaimer: This site is intended for general informational purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken to be legal advice. If you have any questions regarding the information contained in this overview you are encouraged to contact the State Social Security Administrator. The operators of this webpage are not responsible for the content of any of the sites to which links are provided.
When the Social Security Act (the Act) was passed in 1935, government employees were determined to be excluded from coverage. However, the option to voluntarily join Social Security and Medicare was made available to state and local governments effective January 1, 1951. This option for government entities to voluntarily join in coverage is codified in Section 218 of the Act.
Beginning as early as June, 1, 1951, the State of Maryland, and several local governments and government instrumentalities, entered into agreements under section 218 of the Act. Since then more and more government entities have joined the agreement and begun providing Social Security and Medicare Coverage to their employees.
Due to changes in the law, effective March 31, 1986, all new state or local government employees hired (or rehired) after that date are covered for Medicare purposes. In another change, since July 1, 1991, any employees hired by any state or local government entity that does not have a qualifying retirement system, are covered by Social Security. At this point in time, nearly all state and local government employees in Maryland have Social Security and Medicare coverage. One notable exception is that certain police and firefighter positions may not be covered. There are other minor exceptions, some of which are noted on this page.
As part of the legal requirements under the Act, the State of Maryland is required to appoint a State Social Security Administrator. The duties of the Social Security Administrator include maintenance and administration of the agreement, as well as serving as a liaison between the state and local governments and the federal government. If you have questions concerning the coverage of the government entity you work for or represent, please contact the Maryland State Social Security Administrator.
For additional information on Section 218 coverage, please see the helpful links on this page.
