The Social Security Administration gets an A/A and Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) tie with F/Ds on the 2013 Plain Writing Act Report Card released today by the Center for Plain Language. The first grade represents how well the agency followed the requirements of the Act; and the second grade reflects how well the agency followed the “spirit” of the Act.

On the second Plain Writing Act Report Card, the Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to clear communication in government, business, nonprofits, and universities, gave 20 government agencies and departments two grades.

In addition to SSA, other agencies receiving an A for at least one of the two grades included Agriculture (USDA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Small Business Administration and Transportation.

Other federal agencies and departments joining Treasury and HUD with at least one F grade include the Environmental Protection Agency, Homeland Security, Department of Labor and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The 2013 Plain Writing Act Report Card grades are as follows:

Agriculture (USDA): A/B
Commerce (DoC): B/C
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): A/C
Defense (DoD): B/D
Energy (DOE): D/B
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): F/C
General Services Administration (GSA): B/D
Health and Human Services (HHS): B/B
Homeland Security (DHS): F/C
Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD): F/D
Interior (DOI): B/D
Justice (DOJ): D/D
Labor (DOL): C/F
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): F/C
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): D/D
Small Business Administration (SBA): A/D
Social Security Administration (SSA): A/A
Transportation (DOT): A/C
Treasury: F/D
Veterans Administration (VA): C/D

“Unless federal agencies and departments are held accountable, they won’t implement the changes required by the Plain Writing Act,” Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa said. “The mixed results of the Plain Writing Act Report Card show that we still have a long way to go to make government forms and documents simpler and easier for taxpayers to understand. Some federal agencies have embraced the Plain Writing Act, and others haven’t. Until these grades are all A-plus, we’re going to keep holding bureaucrats’ feet to the fire.”

Signed into law in 2010, the Plain Writing Act asks government agencies and departments to take steps to assure that they are communicating clearly with businesses, consumers and other stakeholders.

With the grading conducted by plain language expert volunteers from the national nonprofit organization, the report card tracks the progress of how well agencies are adhering to the letter of the Act and the spirit of the Act.

“The Plain Writing Report Card helps ensure that government agencies are following both the letter–reflected in the first grade; and the spirit of the Act – reflected in the second grade,” said Annetta L. Cheek, PhD, chair of the Center for Plain Language. “For this report card, Center volunteers reviewed three documents from each government agency or department we graded.”

The first Plain Writing Report Card was released in 2012 and graded the following federal agencies and departments:

National Archives and Records Administration: B/C
U.S. Department of Agriculture: A/B
U.S. Department of Defense: B/D
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: C/B
U.S. Department of Homeland Security: D/D
U.S. Department of Justice: C/D
U.S. Department of Labor: B/F
U.S. Department of Transportation: C/F
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: F/F
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: C/F
U.S. Social Security Administration: C/C
U.S. Small Business Association: C/C

For a specific agency report card, please visit the Center’s website. Criteria for the grade are posted on the website.