Oct 13, 2014

Mass Mailing To Some Workers Compensation Recipients



     This is an Administrative Message (AM) sent out recently to Social Security field offices:

Instruction
Identification Number AM-14066 Effective Date: 10/07/2014 Intended Audience: All RCs/ARCs/ADs/FOs/TSCs/PSCs/OCO/OCO-CSTs
Originating Office: DCO OPSOS
Title: Workers' Compensation (WC) or Public Disability Benefits (PDB) Offset Pending Mass Mailings
Type: AM - Admin Messages
 
Program: Disability
Link To Reference: See References at the end of this AM.
 
Retention Date: April 7, 2015
 
A. Purpose
 
This administrative message (AM) advises you of the mass mailing project for the Workers' Compensation Pending Cleanup workload.
B. Background
 
Disability (DIB) beneficiaries are subject to possible offset if they receive WC [Workers Compensation] or PDB [Public Disability Benefits] payments. When SSA [Social Security Administration] adjudicates a disability award and the claimant's WC or PDB claim is still pending, or under appeal, the Modernized Claims System (MCS) posts limited WC or PDB claim data to the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) with an alert "WC Type OFFSET PENDING."
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) discovered that beneficiaries often do not report when their WC or PDB claims are approved and, prior to March 2011, SSA did not have an effective systems control to ensure processing center (PC) technicians follow up and resolve OFFSET PENDING cases. As a result, SSA has a backlog of OFFSET PENDING cases that the PCs must review and resolve.
 
C. Mass mailings to solicit information on pending WC or PDB claims
 
Effective October 2014 through December 2014, the PCs will send mass mailing letters to a group of DIB beneficiaries for whom:
 
We first processed the claims in 2001-2003; and MBR [Master Beneficiary Record] data indicate a WC or PDB claim is still "pending." The letters solicit information about the outcome of the WC or PDB claim. Based on the MBR language indicator, we will print the mass mailing letters in English or in Spanish. When the PCs release the letter, a special message will post to the MBR indicating that the PC sent the letter and includes a reference to this AM.
Example of Special Message Text:
 
" PROGRAM CENTER MASS MAILING DIRECT CONTACT LETTER SENT TO BIC A FOR STATUS OF WC/PDB CLAIM--SEE AM-14066".
 
The letter provides and requests the following information:
 
Reminds the beneficiary that "you told us you filed or intended to file for workers'
compensation or public disability benefit payments or that you were appealing the decision made on your workers' compensation or public disability benefit claim" and "we are writing to update the information;" Asks the beneficiary to answer the questions in the letter by checking each item that applies, to fill in any requested information, to sign and date the letter, and return it in the enclosed envelope; Requests the beneficiary to enclose proof of any workers' compensation or public disability benefit payments received; Includes SSA's 800# (including TTY) for any questions; and Includes a return envelope addressed to:
Social Security Administration
Western Program Service Center
P.O. Box 4213
Richmond, CA 94804-0213
 
NOTE: Although the beneficiary should return the letter to the Richmond CA address, the Richmond office dispatches the returned letters to the PC [Payment Center] of jurisdiction for final action.
See the attached facsimile of the English language mass mailing letter.
 
WCPE FY15 MASS MAILING ATTACHMENT (ENGLISH).doc
 
D. Handling inquiries from beneficiaries
 
The following instructions provide guidance for handling inquiries from beneficiaries regarding the mass mailing letters.
 
1. Field Office (FO) instructions
 
If the beneficiary:
misplaced the return envelope enclosure, ask him or her to send the completed and signed letter to the Richmond CA address shown in section C.; brings proof of WC or PDB payments into the FO instead of mailing it to the PC address, the claims representative should promptly input the information into the Interactive Computation Facility (ICF) system. After update to ICF, fax the proof into NDRED [Non-Disability Repository for Evidentiary Documents]; and states he or she already provided SSA with proof of the WC or PDB claim or appeal status, check eView, NDRED, and PCACS [Processing Center Action Control System] to determine whether SSA has received the documents. Advise the beneficiary if the FO or PC has already input the information or if it is still under review. If the documents are not in eView, NDRED, or PCACS, ask the beneficiary to resubmit the proof to the FO and input the information when receive
2. 800 Number instructions
 
If the beneficiary:
 
misplaced the return envelope enclosure, ask him or her to send the completed and signed letter to the Richmond CA address shown in Section C.; and states he or she already provided SSA with proof of the WC or PDB claim or appeal status, send an MDW to the servicing FO. On the MDW, indicate WC Pending Cleanup workload and that the beneficiary alleges providing SSA with proof of WC or PDB claim. Advise the beneficiary that someone from the FO will contact him or her.
 
Direct all program-related and technical questions to your Regional Office support staff or Processing Center Operations Analysis staff.
RO [Regional Office] support staff may refer questions or problems to their Central Office contacts.
 
Reference:
 
DI 52140.010 Processing Center (PC)
Responsibilities for Processing Workers'

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting these sample mails.
Workers Compensation Representative

Anonymous said...

This program is such a headache and is bumping up against administrative finality.

Anonymous said...

I received one of these 3 pages form with no timeline, 13 years after getting workers comp and some state disability. All documents have been destroyed. Apparently it was not an SSA priority to verify WC amounts people got. Almost impossible to get after so many years, Is SSA following up on the information provided or SSA just want to verify if people are still getting WC, someone told me it was an audit in disguise. Why wait that long? It is outrageous...

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I also received one of these letters, I had all the papers they ask for plus some !!! Its' been at lest 3 or 4 weeks and I still have not heard anything back from S.S.A. office that ask for this information, plus the state I live in I gave papers too. I gave them important documents
and I got them back after making two or three phone calls to S.S.A. office in this state they came back in a large brown envelope that was OPEN in my mail box, after I said I would pick all my documents up myself.
This matter S.S.A. I am talking about happen in ( 200l, 14 YEARS AGO) all they had to do is call the Worker's Comp. Insurance Co. that had my case, or even the S.S.A. in this state, they could have even call my Lawyer office who handing my case...


P.S. I am over 70 years old and my wife is 69, this waiting for a asker can cause stress on a person our ages, ever month I have to see if I got my S.S. check in the bank before I paid bills or buy food (Some people say S.S. could cut or even stop your checks if something wrong)

Anonymous said...

PLEASE REMOVE THIS COMMENT THAT I POSTED ON 3;55 P.M. MARCH 13, 2015 BY ANONYMOUS (REPLIES)
THANK YOU

Anonymous said...


I live and work in a state overrun with Illegal's. They make more money having kids than we earn working full-time.

Today I had a 25-year old with 8 kids - that's right 8, all Illegal Anchor Babies and she had the nicest nails, cell phone, hand bag, clothing, etc. She makes about $1,500 monthly for each; you do the math.

I used to say, "We are the dumbest nation on earth," Now I must say and sadly admit: WE are the dumbest people on earth (that includes ME) for we Elected the Idiot Ideologues who have passed the Bills that allow this. Sorry, but we need a Revolution,

If the Illegal Immigrant is over 65, they can apply for SSI and Medicaid and get more than a woman on Social Security, who worked from 1944 until 2004. She is only getting $791 per month because she was born in 1924 and there's a 'catch 22' (notch) for her. It is interesting that the Federal Government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890. Each can also obtain an additional $580 in Social Assistance, for a total of $2,470 a month. This compares to a single pensioner, who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in Old Age Pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement. Maybe our Pensioners should apply as Refugees!

Consider sending this to all your American friends, so we can all be ticked off and maybe get the Refugees cut back to $1,012 and the Pensioners up to $2,470. Then we can enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 or 60 years.

Anonymous said...

From a Florida Doctor ??????????????????