From reading some of the comments I have received about the allegations that the California and Hawaii Disability Determination Services (DDS) have been looking for ways to get rid of disability claims they are supposed to review, I wonder if some of my readers understand the gravity of what is alleged. The allegation is that up to 30% of disability claims have been dismissed because of the claimants' alleged failure to cooperate.
This is only an allegation. The allegation is only that "one office" in California had the 30% dismissal figure. Still, in my mind, this is a very serious allegation.
This is only an allegation. The allegation is only that "one office" in California had the 30% dismissal figure. Still, in my mind, this is a very serious allegation.
2 comments:
It is no surprise that the DDS administrator in CA is retiring after only 5 years in charge. The truth about the that place is being operated is coming out and he cannot take the heat. Oh yeah, the 2nd in command is getting ready to retire too. Hmmmm. Need we say more? This DDS is out of control. SSA does not listen until a media-type gets a hold of a very disturbing story, or until a Congressman sheds light on the story. SSA should stop worrying about saving dollars by contracting out with the states. They should do what is right for the taxpayers and take control of the DDSs.
Social Security claims reps and service reps are not social workers. Not trained as social workers, not in their job description. And many of the SSI clientele need someone to hold their hands and help them through the process, but some people are just not willing to help themselves. Just this week, I had two cases where the parent had made two appointments to file claims for either two children or themselves and a child. Our appointment calendar is so solidly booked that these appointments were pushed about a month after request. So, our office set aside 3 hours to do what was necessary to file two claims. Both parents cancelled the appointments the same day because they weren't ready after about a month lead time. How much hand holding is SSA supposed to do? The parent is the best source of knowledge, but was unwilling to put forth any effort to file the claim. The parent did not make it a priority and that is just not the fault of SSA. It is very difficult to help people who don't want to do anything to help themselves. I shouldn't care more about the outcome of a claim more than the claimant does. I would really prefer to spend my limited work hours processing claims for people who do manage to complete forms in a reasonable amount of time and who do make a reasonable effort to provide answers to the questions asked.
However, I do believe strongly in due process and applying the regulations without shortcuts and providing assistance as it is needed. To hell with processing time in some claims. But I cannot complete the ADL's on anyone without their assistance. I don't know their lives. They do.
If Astrue truly cared about correcting bad "failure to cooperate" denials, he needs to implement more accountability across the board for technical errors and provide more staff to do the work. Without staff, the backlog will grow. I still think he is using this issue as a bully pulpit to get Schwarzeneggar to back down on his ridiculous furlough of DDS employees. So, I hope he takes a close look at all shortcuts taken by SSA employees. And find a way to properly staff the agency. Automation is not the only answer.
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