Where’s The $1 Trillion In Savings Musk Promised?

      From Brett Arends writing for Morningstar:

… I'm not surprised that President Donald Trump and the Social Security Administration put out the latest inspector-general report the day before Thanksgiving, when nobody is paying attention. 

It's yet another embarrassment. 

The latest 57-page report to Congress details a variety of Social Security frauds that took place under Trump's first administration, only to be caught, stopped and prosecuted ... er ... under Joe Biden. 

And it confirms what has long been suspected, and which will come as no surprise to MarketWatch readers: namely that Elon Musk and Trump were talking total nonsense for the first six months of this year, when they were claiming that there was a "huge" amount of fraud in Social Security, including hundreds of thousands of dead people claiming benefits. …

Ho Hum

      Some former Social Security public trustees are out with a piece in The Hill arguing that it’s important that the Social Security public trustee positions, which are all vacant, be filled. 

     The problem with their argument is that the trustee positions hardly even qualify as ceremonial. None of the trustees have any power whatsoever. The trust funds are invested in U.S. bonds. The trustees have no discretion in this. Public trustees have put out statements in the past arguing for their favorite way to “save” Social Security and nobody cared. They certainly have no power to bring about any change.

     I wonder how much the public trustees are paid when those positions are filled.

Happy Thanksgiving!

No Timeline For New Occupational Data

     From NEXTGOV/FCW:

A long-planned refresh of the occupational data used in the disability adjudication process at the Social Security Administration was tucked inside a regulatory overhaul that the Trump administration abandoned last week. 

As a result, the agency now appears to be without a timeline for finalizing that years-in-the-making update, which SSA has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on, according to remarks made by the Social Security commissioner, Frank Bisignano, during a Monday meeting. …

The commissioner was asked multiple times about the future of the data project now that the regulatory changes have been abandoned. 

Bisignano acknowledged that lawmakers think the data needs to be updated, committed to looking into the issue and said that he hoped it could be updated in the future — emphasizing collaboration and consensus building as important for that process — but he didn't share any specific plan or timeline for doing so.  …

It’s Time

      John Larson is the ranking Democrat on the House Social Security Subcommittee, currently in line to become Chairman if Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives next year. He’s 77. According to a New York Times article some Democrats are asking whether it’s time for Larson to pass the torch to a new generation.

     If Democrats win the House next year they will need to be confrontational on Social Security matters. Larson isn’t the right man for that job.

A Fine Mess

     Social Security’s Office of Hearings Operations is now officially just “Hearings” according to a new memo. “Hearings” is divided into five “hubs.” These names sound like they’re trying too hard to sound new and different. Anyway, here are the heads of these “hubs”:

• Hope Grunberg, currently a National Hearing Center Administrative Law Judge, is now the Head of Hearings Hub A.

• Tanya Garrian, currently the Regional Chief Administrative Law Judge (RCALJ) for Northeast, is now the Head of Hearings Hub B.

• Michael Rodriguez, currently the RCALJ for Southeast, is now the Head of Hearings Hub C.

• Scott Kidd, currently the RCALJ for Mid-West/West, is now the Head of Hearings Hub D.

• Ray Souza, currently the RCALJ for Southwest, is now the Head of Hearings Hub E, in addition to his role as Acting Chief Administrative Law Judge

     The assignment of hearing offices to the “hubs” completely scrambles geography and reason. Tucson and Queens are in the same hub. Charleston, SC and Sacramento are in another. Macon, GA and Honolulu are in another. And, dare I say it, why are ALJs in charge of Hubs? These are management positions and, on the whole, management is not what ALJs excel at. Who will handle questions about leave and such like? Who will handle it if a Hearing Office roof leaks? How will anyone have enough knowledge about local personnel to handle assigning new Hearing Office Chief ALJs? 

     Down the road other people will have to unscramble this mess. 

NADE Newsletter

      The National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), a professional organization of the personnel who make initial and reconsideration determinations on disability claims for the Social Security Administration, has posted its most recent newsletter, which includes summaries of presentations by agency brass at a conference.

Mody Nomination Advances

      The Senate Finance Committee has advanced the nomination of Arjun Mody to become Deputy Commissioner of Social Security but only by a vote of 14-13. The nomination now goes to the Senate floor.