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Apr 28, 2010

Yesterday's Hearing


Federal News Radio has an article about yesterday's Congressional hearing as does the Imperial Valley News.

The Subcommittees involved have posted a number of charts used at the hearing. The one I found most interesting is to the left. Click on it to see it full size.

Videos from the hearing are also available online.
Social Security's plan to reinstate the reconsideration step in the ten states in which it had been eliminated is quite controversial. This came up in the remarks of many of the witnesses.

6 comments:

  1. Do anyone know more info on the federal adjudication units? Not ODAR.

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  2. Do anyone know more info on the federal adjudication units? Not ODAR.

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  3. I did not have time to read all the info, but offices that use the Prototype system, where the claims are sent directly to ODAR after the initial denial may disservice the claimants, since they have to wait at least a year for the decision. Everything is so backed up because staffing levels are low. It is a shame really.

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  4. It's been my experience that generally, recon doesn't do any better of a job than the IA. Statistics support this: only about 15% of recon claims are approved. You would have to show me much higher numbers to justify the increased wait time for so many people. Anon #3, how can you possible say that the prototype is a disservice? Clients in my prototype state who are denied at IA often have their hearing within a year, and win their case at hearing. Truthfully, if the SSA was so concerned about the hearing backlog and wanted more IA wins, maybe they should hire State Agency analysts who actually know what they are doing and stop finding that everyone can perform light work. The State Agency adjudication system is a flat-out joke.

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  5. The ALJ adjudication system is also a flat out joke. To argue that reconsiderations are not needed because they don't reverse as many cases as ALJ's is really a reflection on the bias and lack of quality produced by ALJ's and the system they work in. Why don't we just tell applicants who are initially denied that if they appeal they can get approved, and then pay them right away?

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  6. The ALJ system is reasonable, Anon 4. If they approved 99% of cases I could see your point but their approval rate is somewhere in the 60% range. It's generally a fair and reasonable adjudication of disability, where someone other than a "disability analyst" with more agendas than training makes the decision. The ALJ system is far more fair to claimants than reconsideration.

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