Final answer:
The first Social Security benefit check was mailed in 1940. This welfare program was established during the New Deal in the 1930s and funded by payroll taxes. It has evolved to include a broader range of beneficiaries over time. The correct answer is option d.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first Social Security benefit check was mailed in 1940. This was after the Social Security Act was backed by President Roosevelt in August 1935, which created a government insurance program for the elderly, the temporarily unemployed, and the permanently disabled. Social Security has played a crucial role in reducing elderly poverty and providing a social safety net for aging citizens.
Since its inception, the program has undergone several expansions, including covering 'survivors' such as widows, dependent children, and orphans, as well as disabled Americans. Financed by payroll taxes, it initially did not cover domestic or agricultural workers, leaving many women and minorities unprotected. Over the years, benefit levels were adjusted with the consumer price index, and the coverage has been broadened to include more groups of workers.
The program is an integral part of the welfare programs initiated during the New Deal and has evolved to address the growing challenges posed by an aging population and changes in the economy.