Jun 10, 2010

Major Online Problem At Social Security?

I have received an unconfirmed report that there has been a major problem with a online form used by Social Security disability claimants to record their medical sources, the i3368. Social Security needs this medical source information to know where to write for medical records. Data entered on the i3368 between February 24 and May 31 of this year may not have propagated into Social Security's other data systems. Data may have been lost, perhaps permanently, a very scary prospect. Claimants may have been denied based upon a mistaken belief that they had not received recent medical treatment.

It was unclear from the report I received whether this was only some of the i3368s during this time period or all of them. It was also unclear to me whether this was only a problem for data entered online by claimants or their representatives or whether the problem extended to data entered by Social Security employees. If the report I have heard is true, I imagine that Social Security is still trying to figure out just how bad this is.

I would appreciate any information about this problem. If the report I have heard is true, Social Security needs to issue a press release today, even if the full dimensions of the problem are still not clear.

3 comments:

Unknown said...
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Anonymous said...

I work within SSA and this is true. It's only affecting the i3368s that were started on the internet and later completed during an FO interview, if I understand the situation correctly.

Also, from what I understand, SSA doesn't know exactly how many cases are affected or what is going to be done about it.

Anonymous said...

I work in a field office and I had not heard this. However, all i3368's are reviewed and cleaned up by FO personnel, or at least are required to be. So, I don't know what "only" above is referring to.