Social Security Turns To Technology -- And Plans To Make You Use It

From the Federal Times (emphasis added):

The Social Security Administration is hoping a series of technology upgrades planned for this year and next will help the agency improve its efficiency and whittle down its backlog of unheard benefit claims cases....

SSA’s first upgrade will come next month, when it relaunches its Web site with a revamped retirement application program. Astrue said the current online application was hastily created eight years ago and does not work well — it is used by only about 10 percent of the public. Astrue wants half of retirement applications to be filed online in five years to keep field offices from being overwhelmed with paper applications. ...

SSA has gone back to the drawing board to replace one tool that has consistently underperformed since its 2006 debut, Astrue said. The Electronic Case Analysis Tool, or eCAT, is intended to help disability examiners decide whether someone qualifies for disability benefits and document their cases. For example, the system can prompt examiners to ask certain questions or to review necessary documents.

But the original version of eCAT was rushed to the field before it was ready and “failed miserably,” Astrue said. The Government Accountability Office in January found that eCAT frequently crashed because of technical glitches and lost information. Astrue said eCAT even created backlogs in some places, such as New England, that previously had none.

The new version of eCAT will not be rushed, Astrue said. SSA will not pilot it until 2009 at the earliest, Astrue said, and it will be closely reviewed as it is rolled out to one or two states. He promised that eCAT will eventually help examiners make and document their decisions faster and better.

“Now, we’re trying to do it right,” Astrue said.

SSA recently digitized its appeals process with a new program called iAppeals, Astrue said. This program lets claimants or their representatives file an appeal online. Previously, appeals were filled out on paper forms and mailed to field offices, where SSA staffers entered the information into a computer system....

SSA plans to require all claimant representatives to use iAppeals; unrepresented claimants would still be able to file their appeals on paper.