How to Read the Version Markers on an SSA POMS Page

A Social Security POMS (Program Operations Manual System) instruction page tells you, on its own face, whether you are looking at the current version of that section: the page title carries a trailing date, an “Effective Dates” line states the start date the current text has been in force through “Present,” and a transmittal (TN) stamp names the amendment batch that installed that text. You do not need a separate index page or version-checking tool — the three markers sit on the section page itself.

This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.

Key points

• The title of a POMS page ends with a date, showing when that specific version of the text was posted.
• An “Effective Dates” line states a start date and, when the text is still current, the word “Present.”
• A transmittal (TN) number and month/year identify the amendment batch that produced the current wording.
• All three markers appear together on the individual section page — you do not need to consult a separate index page to confirm currency.
• POMS is SSA’s internal operating manual, not a regulation, so these markers describe the manual instruction’s version history, not binding law.

The title date

Every POMS section page carries a title line ending in a date. The page for RS 00605.015 reads:

“SSA - POMS: RS 00605.015 - 1978 New Start (NS) Computation Method (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME)) Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - 04/10/2012” (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605015)

The trailing “04/10/2012” is the date this version of the instruction was posted. It is the first thing to check when you land on a POMS page and want to know how recent the text in front of you is.

The “Effective Dates” line

Below the title, the page states a separate “Effective Dates” line. On the same RS 00605.015 page, it reads:

“Effective Dates: 04/10/2012 - Present” (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605015)

This line tells you the current text has been in force since 04/10/2012 and remains in force as of the date you are reading it — “Present” is the marker that confirms no newer version has replaced it. If a page instead showed an end date where “Present” would be, that would mean the version had been superseded.

The transmittal (TN) stamp

The third marker is a transmittal number, which identifies the specific amendment batch that produced the current text. On the RS 00605.015 page it reads:

“TN 49 (04-12)” (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605015)

“TN 49” is the sequence number of the transmittal, and “(04-12)” is the month and year it was issued (April 2012) — consistent with the 04/10/2012 dates shown in the title and the Effective Dates line. When all three markers point to the same date, you can be confident you are reading the version SSA currently maintains for that section.

What this article does not answer

This article explains only how to read the version markers on a POMS page — it does not treat POMS as a regulation or as governing law in itself. POMS is SSA’s internal operating manual, used to guide agency staff; the markers described here tell you about the manual instruction’s version history, not about the legal force of any rule. This article also does not link or rely on the POMS section-index route, since that route did not return a working page during verification; the individual section page shown above is the reliable place to check these markers. Finally, this article does not apply the substance of RS 00605.015, or any other POMS section, to any reader’s individual Social Security benefit situation — it covers only how to confirm which version of an instruction page you are looking at.

Source records

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605015