The Start Of Enlightenment: Go Slowly Until You Know All The Consequences Of Your Plan

      From NEXTGOV/FCW:

The Social Security Administration is delaying its rollout of new systems to centralize claims processing and appointment scheduling and pivoting to a pilot approach, according to internal emails obtained by Nextgov/FCW. 

SSA had intended to debut these new systems early this month. They were expected to be a major shift in how the agency operates, moving from processing claims locally to a national system.

The optics of such a change factored into SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano’s decision to delay the rollout of the new systems — “particularly where customers may expect access to their local office,” read an internal email sent Monday. 

It also outlined the importance of the agency moving slowly to make sure the effects on customer experience are fully understood before the National Appointment Scheduling Calendar and National Workload Management system are implemented broadly. Bisignano had touted the plans as coming improvements to staff just last week in an internal email. …

The decision to pilot the changes will allow the agency to test if the expected efficiencies are realized and “ensure we maintain customer confidence” before a wider launch, the email announcing the change said. Details on the pilot are forthcoming, it said, after the agency has spent months preparing for the national rollout. …

Bisignano Controversial At IRS

     From Politico:

… The unusual nature of [Bisignano’s] role [as “CEO” of the IRS] — one that doesn’t exist in federal law — is raising questions about who’s really in charge of the agency as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds the title of acting IRS commissioner. Fueling the scrutiny is the fact that Bisignano also serves as commissioner of the Social Security Administration. …

The unusual nature of Bisignano’s position is at the heart of concerns voiced by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as well as agency staff over whether he can be a change agent for an agency that’s struggled to improve customer service after dramatic swings in leadership and operations since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. The questions are set to be aired publicly when he appears for the first time before the Senate Finance Committee on April 15, just as the first tax filing season of Trump’s second term comes to a close. …

Six people at the IRS, who were granted anonymity to avoid retribution, described a leader who has claimed credit for others’ work, sown discord and acted as Trump’s lieutenant. …

One IRS official called Bisignano “a fake” and said the only notable recent update to the refund tool was making the service accessible through “individual online accounts,” which happened before he came to the agency. The official said Bisignano’s order for the IRS to review and justify contracts made him a “single person chokepoint for procurement” who impaired the agency’s ability to move forward on efforts like using artificial intelligence to aid with tax collection. …

What Do You Think?

      This is a comment that I allowed to be posted yesterday concerning agency employees saying they were afraid of reporting misconduct:

Doesn't make sense. The agency has an increased emphasis on catching and stopping fraud. My office has been eagerly assisting such efforts. No one is afraid. We wake up motivated each day.

     To my eye that last sentence looks like something that a paid shill came up with, or, perhaps more likely, AI wrote it. I decided to post it since it wasn’t clear. There are others which are far more obvious, even humorous examples, that I quickly blocked

     What do you think I ought to do about these? Allow them to post so there’s a vigorous debate? Reject them if they don’t ring true to me even though I may reject a few genuine comments? Muddle through as best I can? Allow the most ridiculous examples with some attached commentary so you can be amused or angered by them?

Social Security Employees Are Afraid

 

New POMS Section On Relations With Attorneys

Poms

      Social Security has issued an amended section in its POMS manual dealing with disclosures of information to attorneys and others representing claimants before the agency. I see nothing really new here but it certainly deserves close scrutiny. The section still says “Entities may not be appointed as representatives.” This causes severe problems for law firms representing claimants. I don’t think the agency appreciates how difficult the problems are. Perhaps they do and are happy to cause the problems. At least they realize that it’s normal for attorneys to have legal assistants and paralegals working with them.

What’s Going On Here?

 

    From WFLA:

A Florida woman has been stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare for years since the death of her husband, when the Social Security Administration informed her that she, too, was dead.  …

While SSA eventually corrected the error, Mercer’s troubles persisted with other government agencies.

After getting pulled over for speeding, Mercer learned the Department of Motor Vehicles also believed she was dead, with her license showing the officer a “deceased” error. SSA then had to inform the agency that Mercer is still alive.

But her troubles didn’t end there; the Internal Revenue Service also believes she’s dead. First Coast News reported that she hasn’t been able to file her taxes in six years because of the ongoing issue. …

     I have to guess that Social Security didn’t properly resurrect this poor woman and has never corrected the mistake but I don’t know the ins and outs of the Death Master File. Can anyone guess what has happened?

EAJA Awards For 2025

      The Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) shifts the costs of attorney fees to the federal government if the agency loses in many cases. For Social Security EAJA fees are awarded in almost all cases won in the federal courts or remanded from them, but not those resolved administratively.

     The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) produces an annual report on EAJA awards. Here’s a table from the report for 2025:

Agency	# of Awards Reported	Total Amount Reported
Social Security Administration	8,447	$ 53,220,859.93
Department of Veterans Affairs	6,834	$ 53,527,169.71
Department of Homeland Security	40	$ 11,025,985.33
Federal Trade Commission	1	$ 3,046,291.94
Department of the Interior	10	$ 1,785,233.00
Department of War	35	$ 1,388,437.86
Department of Agriculture	12	$ 1,301,602.26
Environmental Protection Agency	4	$ 1,220,000.00
Department of Commerce	4	$ 1,013,000.00
Department of Justice	3	$ 287,569.00
Department of Health and Human Services	5	$ 232,499.00
Department of Housing and Urban Development	5	$ 168,475.00
Department of Energy	1	$ 140,003.20
National Labor Relations Board	2	$ 105,539.00
Department of Labor	1	$ 76,190.47
Department of Transportation	1	$ 51,762.00
Railroad Retirement Board	1	$ 7,330.60
Totals	15,406	$128,597,948.30

     It’s worth mentioning that the attorney representing the claimant who receives an EAJA award does not get to pocket both the EAJA fee and the fee coming out of the claimant’s benefits. The lower amount must be refunded to the claimant.

What An Idea

The real Elvis Social Security card

      From The Daily Beast:

President Donald Trump may be considering a flashy upgrade to one of the government’s most mundane documents—after a visit to Graceland left him impressed by Elvis Presley’s taste for gold.

During a tour of Presley’s famed Memphis estate on Monday, Trump, 79, was shown a collection of the late singer’s personal belongings—including a gold-colored Social Security card that appeared to spark an idea to beautify the blue-and-gray paper card first issued back in 1936. …

As the guide paraded the customized item, she made clear to the president that the card was only for show.

“The gold metal Social Security cards were not officially issued by the government,” she explained, describing it as a “novelty item” popular at the time because standard paper cards would often wear out.

That didn’t stop Trump from floating a revival.

“Good idea,” he replied. “Maybe we should do that again.” …