Slow Progress At ODAR

I received this from a reader:

Deputy Commissioner's Broadcast

Date: September 8, 2009

Disability backlog goes down eight months in a row -- internal goal of exceeding budgeted pending by 20,000 cases already met

Even during the traditionally slow month of August you have again managed to reduce the disability backlog -- now eight remarkable months in a row. This past month, you exceeded the disposition target by 3,633 cases by processing 56,332 dispositions. Our pending is currently at 734,199 cases below the FY 2009 opening pending -- which means we have already exceeded our end of year goal by over 20,000 cases.

Reducing the most aged cases continues to be an ODAR success story -- just over 3,000 of the 850 day old cases remain to process by the end of the fiscal year
For those Americans who have waited the longest for a decision from us, you have processed nearly all of the cases that are 850 days old or more, leaving just 3,201 aged cases to process by the end of September (see chart on next page [which I did not receive]).

Productivity is even better than last year

Other than a slight dip in April, we are seeing more productivity in clearing cases this year than last. Most notable is that in August 2008 the disposition per day rate was 2.15, compared to 2.54 at the end of last month (August 2009) - an 18% increase in productivity.

Improved integration of disability process with Operations

On August 21, Operations sent out an Administrative Message (AM) stating, in essence, that the DDS standard for reconsiderations is the same as review by ALJs - a de novo review. This message also included reminders about developing and documenting vocational factors. By emphasizing de novo review as the standard for reconsideration, we hope more allowances will be made at this earlier level. This is to ensure that claimants receive the right decision as early as possible in our disability process. The full AM can be viewed at http://policynet.ba.ssa.gov/reference.nsf/links/08212009013330PM.

More ALJs and support staff are coming on board - OPM Director swears in new ALJs

On August 27, our second new class of 72 ALJs was sworn-in at the Congressional Auditorium of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director, John Berry, delivered the keynote address.

In addition to hiring 148 ALJs and 850 support staff by the end of June, we are well on our way to hiring at least 348 additional staff in the field and at ODAR headquarters by the end of the fiscal year.

Regional Reorganization

In order to provide better service to the American people by making better and faster decisions, the reorganization of ODAR headquarters will take effect in October. We are also reviewing the ODAR Regional Office structure. We expect to implement the regional office reorganization during FY 2010.

You are all doing a great job - and please know that you make an important difference in people's lives every day. We are on a good path for reducing the disability backlog by 2013. Due to the recession and because we continue to be in the disability prone years of the baby boomers, we know that FY 2010 and FY 2011 are going to be difficult years. However, please know that all of our hiring and space expansion activities this year have been in preparation for this coming bulge.

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.

/s/
David V. Foster
Deputy Commissioner