The Social Security Act included which programs?

• A. Unemployment only
• B. Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, unemployment insurance, and public assistance programs
• C. Military retirement, veterans' healthcare, and housing grants
• D. National healthcare, farm subsidies, and scholarship programs

Answer: (B)

The act built a broad social safety net by including three main kinds of help: retirement and survivor benefits, unemployment insurance, and public assistance programs. Old-Age and Survivors Insurance provides financial support for retirees and for surviving family members of workers; unemployment insurance offers temporary aid to people who lose their jobs; and public assistance programs give needs-based aid to those with low incomes, funded with federal and state collaboration. That combination is exactly what the option lists as Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, unemployment insurance, and public assistance programs. The other options mix in programs that aren’t part of this act—military retirement or veterans’ healthcare come from separate systems, and national healthcare, farm subsidies, or scholarships were not included in the Social Security Act.