tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post3150828272429722408..comments2024-03-28T10:15:57.792-04:00Comments on Social Security News: Status Of FY 2017 AppropriationsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-63675413453879437892016-12-13T07:34:53.467-05:002016-12-13T07:34:53.467-05:00"...always place fairness and accuracy in dec..."...always place fairness and accuracy in decision making first."<br /><br /><br />Sorry, no. Unfortunately, this big agency has other strong interests, namely doing work efficiently so that backlogs aren't astronomical and so Congress doesn't have sufficient ammo to kill us off entirely. No system this big can ensure due process to that degree in each and every case, at least without doubling or more our administrative budget.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-55797542179613434392016-12-07T17:26:16.467-05:002016-12-07T17:26:16.467-05:00@3:19
AMEN! I could not agree more. @3:19<br /><br />AMEN! I could not agree more. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575441855476387472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-39452522091022528312016-12-07T17:25:45.054-05:002016-12-07T17:25:45.054-05:003:19 PM. I read the reviews of Chicago NHC last ye...3:19 PM. I read the reviews of Chicago NHC last year and immediately took action to insure no video hearing! You want to talk about depressing, even if only half were true!Timnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-69365899422257231732016-12-07T15:19:06.429-05:002016-12-07T15:19:06.429-05:00Is anyone concerned that the Chicago NHC has a 25%...Is anyone concerned that the Chicago NHC has a 25% approval rating? Of course no one in the Senate is. If there was a hearing office with a 75% approval rating, I am almost certain there would be an investigation and congressional hearing on the topic. <br /><br />We do not need more NHC Judges. We need to do away with NHCs all together. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-35065303583399067412016-12-07T06:05:51.062-05:002016-12-07T06:05:51.062-05:00How do you cut a very popular program that the pub...How do you cut a very popular program that the public doesn't want to be cut, like Social Security Disability? Don't say you want to cut it and take the blame... Use the Republican congressional majority to manufacture a crisis. In this case under-fund agency staffing so the claim backlog swells to historically bad levels. The wring your hands and say we have to change the rules to be more efficient to bring down those awful backlogs. "Efficient" means changing the rules so more people with serious disabilities have their claims denied, even if they really can't work. Encourage the people you've stressed (for example the ALJ Union) by your under-funding staff to play into your hands and join in the call for the proposed "efficient" changes. Cut accomplished by manipulation and sleight of hand, and you come out looking like a savior. The only losers? The people the program was designed to serve.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-24530218617941792182016-12-06T23:04:28.001-05:002016-12-06T23:04:28.001-05:00Throwing out procedural roadblocks for people with...<br />Throwing out procedural roadblocks for people with disabilities to trip over is wrong and can cause miscarriages of justice that do serious harm. It's important to remember that we're dealing with vulnerable people who cannot always participate effectively in bringing forward their own claims in a complex system, even with legal help. The system should remain non-adversarial and always place fairness and accuracy in decision making first. Some of the listed proposals fail to do that. Congress has repeated failed its duty to give SSA the resources it needs to address the backlog as evidenced by its repeated refusals to approve the administrative budget requested by the president and the SSA leadership. Instead of pushing proposals that make it harder for people with legitimate disability claims to prevail, let's insist that Congress adequately fund staffing to allow SSA to handle its workload without seriously compromising fairness and justice.<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-22044016804438318312016-12-06T16:19:16.460-05:002016-12-06T16:19:16.460-05:00If you look at Immigration Hearings, they are almo...If you look at Immigration Hearings, they are almost exclusively held by video. I expect that will be the model they will use to handle the SSA backlog. Claimants will have a choice, get denied in a video hearing in 6 months or in person in two years. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-50569354332891350172016-12-06T15:25:41.072-05:002016-12-06T15:25:41.072-05:00Those NHCs are going to really need staff, though....Those NHCs are going to really need staff, though. The way they are setup, with each ALJ being the captain of their own tiny boat (NHC ALJs are actually managers and directly supervise/manage their two law clerk/attorneys and other staff. While there is some common staff, the setup is mostly those little pods run by the individual ALJs), SSA can't very easily do to them what they are doing to us in field ODAR hearings offices and make us just spread the work around the fewer employees we have to handle our increased number of judges.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-91663999517548162752016-12-06T15:04:57.596-05:002016-12-06T15:04:57.596-05:00If that part about the NHC's goes through it w...If that part about the NHC's goes through it would almost double the size of the NHC corps of judges in a typical hiring year. There are probably only 50-75 judges currently assigned to the NHC's. It would require either a major expansion of the existing NHC's or the opening of new ones. Of course, money has never been an issue when it comes to the them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-83300209706045625822016-12-06T14:42:57.682-05:002016-12-06T14:42:57.682-05:002:00: I'm assuming it's only a matter of t...2:00: I'm assuming it's only a matter of time before they take away the ability to decline a VTC hearing. Just one more thing that makes it more difficult to win a disability case...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-29832110303678284642016-12-06T14:00:10.325-05:002016-12-06T14:00:10.325-05:00Congress is so stupid--they demand 25% of new ALJs...Congress is so stupid--they demand 25% of new ALJs go to NHCs because of NHCs' effectiveness, but don't say anything about removing the ability to decline VTC, which is a cornerstone thing that must happen to reach the efficiency they like in the NHCs (NHCs only hear cases transferred to them from other offices!!!!). <br /><br />Also, removing the ability to decline video is the only real way (absent huge increases in funding for staffing) to get rid of that first problem they mention re: some offices having huge APTs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-43746163755099113842016-12-06T09:57:45.046-05:002016-12-06T09:57:45.046-05:009:06 has it right all the way. Many of us reps ar...9:06 has it right all the way. Many of us reps are glad to win before the hearing stage or on the record. The Appeals Council is a real crap shoot. I would never depend on the Appeals Council for all my cases. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-85937081430570925602016-12-06T09:32:50.145-05:002016-12-06T09:32:50.145-05:00Agree with 9:06 on the hazards of raising the GRID...Agree with 9:06 on the hazards of raising the GRID. It seems to me that people that work in an office all day every day think everyone works in an office all day every day. 65 year old professional welders and laborers are few and far between. Glad to see they took out the Soylent Green contingency. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-58754488425818867692016-12-06T09:06:52.271-05:002016-12-06T09:06:52.271-05:008:39: no rep will wait to submit evidence to the A...8:39: no rep will wait to submit evidence to the Appeals Council. That makes no sense. The AC rubber stamps the ALJ denial over 90% of the time after sitting on the file for a year. And if the AC does actually take some action, it's usually to remand the case back to the same ALJ who denied it the first time. Believe me, reps want nothing to do with the AC and hope to get the case paid by the ALJ. <br /><br />Nothing too earth shattering in the other statements. I'm assuming "modernizing" the Grids mean to push the ages up. They've been mentioning that for years. While life spans have grown for the general population, those with disabilities with physical jobs (for whom the Grid Rules apply) have not enjoyed the same gains. Wasn't there an article that made headlines earlier this year indicating that working class males have actually seen a decrease in their life expectancies? Increasing the Grid Rule ages would only add to their misery. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-91949253922962245592016-12-06T08:59:04.387-05:002016-12-06T08:59:04.387-05:00Mr. Hall must be trolling us because he has to kno...Mr. Hall must be trolling us because he has to know that this isn't about people being denied their disability benefits but making the system more secure and equitable for those who deserve disability. It's keeping malingerers off the rolls so the truly deserving can have a safety net, else the system is going broke, don't ya know. Hall is viewing the glass as half empty, while this is all about seeing it half full. Look for the same on Medicare and other social safety net programs across federal government. The programs must be rebuilt in order to save them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-49973069893629330002016-12-06T08:39:18.103-05:002016-12-06T08:39:18.103-05:006:35am, how about the rep in my area that never pr...6:35am, how about the rep in my area that never prepares for the hearing and figures he still wins 50% of the cases, but waits to submit evidence and prepare for the appeals council? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-92097203138929367402016-12-06T06:35:00.712-05:002016-12-06T06:35:00.712-05:00The common thread in most of these proposals is th...The common thread in most of these proposals is that they would make the process more adversarial and drive the number of approved claims down, which no doubt is their intention. The most hypocritical proposal: They want to do away with reopening for new and material evidence while at the same time claiming "the Committee is dedicated to ensuring that the disabled have access to needed benefits." Hah! So if evidence was not available earlier through no fault of a disabled person who really could not work, the esteemed committee would rather see that person beggared than have the correct decision made. They are dedicated all right, but not to what they say they are. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com