New Hearing Offices In Michigan

From the Central Michigan Morning Sun:

Michigan residents have been waiting two or even three years to have their disability cases heard before the Social Security Administration.

New Social Security hearing offices in Mt. Pleasant and in Livonia are intended as ways to alleviate those long waits.

The Mt. Pleasant office opened Oct. 19; Livonia's opened in August. ...

"We already have reduced the average time it takes to process hearings in Michigan from 693 days in fiscal year 2008 to 533 days this year."[said Carmen Moreno, Regional Communications Director for Social Security] ...

A new office in Marquette is planned next year.

Happy 70th Birthday Appeals Council

A belated Happy 70th Birthday to Social Security's Appeals Council, which was established in January 1940!

State Government Furloughs And Social Security

Social Security has posted an impressive website giving information about the effects of state government employee furloughs on Social Security disability claim adjudication. Social Security is dependent upon state government employees to make initial and reconsideration determinations upon disability claims. Many states have furloughed these employees even though all costs associated with them are paid for by Social Security. This website brings home just how widespread the problem is, how long it has been going on and how much it is costing.

I am curious. Have these furloughs been an issue in gubernatorial races around the country, particularly in California?

A View Of The Future

From the likely chairman of the Ways and Means Committee if the Republicans control the House of Representatives after the election:

I support voluntary personal accounts for younger workers that would allow them to build a nest egg for retirement that they would own and control, and could pass on to their families. This will permanently strengthen Social Security, without changing benefits for those now in or near retirement, and without raising payroll taxes on workers. Inheritance rights in personal accounts would especially help widows who depend on Social Security and eliminate the need for cumbersome regulations that too often deny individuals from receiving their benefits in a timely fashion.

Note that he is only talking about voluntary private accounts. Of greater importance, he is dead set against increasing any tax and quite open to cutting future benefits, presumably using the presumably using the voluntary accounts as a cover.

ACUS Re-Established

The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) was established by statute in 1964 as a federal advisory committee to promote better administration of federal agencies. After Republicans took control of Congress in 1995, ACUS was defunded. Although the authority for ACUS remained on the books, ACUS received no appropriation and ceased to operate. ACUS finally received renewed funding in this fiscal year and resumed operations in March. Michael Astrue, as Commissioner of Social Security, is a member of ACUS.

I do not recall any ACUS report on Social Security that had any useful effect. It was and is now composed primarily of law school professors and attorneys at large Washington, D.C. law firm, none of whom have any particular knowledge or experience with Social Security. This is unfortunate since the Social Security Administration simply does more administrative law than all other federal agencies combined. Nevertheless, it is good to see ACUS back in operation. I hope that any studies they do of Social Security are done after consultation with people who do have Social Security experience.

I never understood what the Republicans had against ACUS other than their desire to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.

Bob Bynum

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 12:54 PM
To: Undisclosed recipients
Subject: COMMISSIONER’S BROADCAST--10/26/10

A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees

Subject: Robert (Bob) Bynum

I am sad to report the passing of Bob Bynum on October 16, 2010, at the age of 89. Bob began his 32-year career in 1948 as a Field Assistant in Montgomery, Alabama and retired in 1980 as the Deputy Commissioner for Programs. Bob also served as the first District Manager in Selma, Alabama, the Associate Commissioner for Program Operations, and the Regional Commissioner for Atlanta. After retirement, Bob continued to serve through volunteer work.

To learn more about his legacy, see the transcript of a 1996 interview by visiting http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/orals/bynum.html. An obituary is available at http://obits.al.com/obituaries/birmingham/obituary.aspx?n=robert-paul-bynum-bob&pid=146070218.

Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner

Jackson Teleservice Center

From a press release:

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today joined Congressman John Tanner and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency’s new teleservice center (TSC) in Jackson, Tennessee. The Jackson TSC will be the first new call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade. When completed, it will create almost 200 new jobs for residents in the Jackson area. ...

The Jackson call center ... is expected to open by late 2011.

Little Rock Punitive Damages A First

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is saying that the punitive damages awarded in arbitration to a Social Security employee in Little Rock is a first for the agency. $100,000 in punitive damages were awarded for a wrongful termination. The $100,000 in punitive damages were in addition to $100,000 in compensatory damages.

No COLA On Anything

Social Security made the official announcement in the Federal Register today that there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) on anything this year. Contrary to an earlier rumor, there will be no adjustment in the "bend points" used in benefit computation.

Mob Scene In Port St. Lucie

From "TC Palm", one of the many newspapers that goes out of its way to keep its true name off its internet edition:

The grand opening Monday of the new Social Security Administration building at 6810 S. U.S. 1 resembled a “mob scene” at the shopping malls the day after Thanksgiving, as one resident described.

People lined up outside the building at 8 a.m., but the doors didn’t open until 10 a.m.

“It was like Black Friday at Best Buy,” said Port St. Lucie resident Peggie Nattutat. “When the door started to open, people came down on it like it was the flood.”

Daniel Borello, Social Security Administration district manager, said the administration moved into the new 14,000-square-foot building Friday and encountered a few glitches Monday, but now everything is OK.

Social Security Employees To Get Extra Day Off At Thanksgiving

From Government Executive:

Social Security Administration employees this year will receive an extra day off to celebrate Thanksgiving, according to a report from Federal News Radio's Mike Causey.

SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue told nonemergency employees they do not have to report to work on Nov. 26, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thursday is a federal holiday. Friday won't be considered a holiday for pay and leave purposes, but workers will receive their normal pay, according to Astrue.

According to Causey's report, Astrue said SSA employees have "faced unprecedented workloads and unprecedented hostility from an increasingly stressed public. While many government agencies understandably have moved backward in this climate, you have moved forward."

It's not clear yet whether other agencies and departments will follow SSA's example.

The day after Thanksgiving AND Columbus Day AND President's Day?

Social Security Loses A Big One In Little Rock

Social Security just suffered a big arbitration loss in Little Rock, Arkansas. (I uploaded this to Yousendit. It can only be downloaded 100 times.) The American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents most Social Security employees, had requested the arbitration over the firing of a union member. The employee was alleged to have engaged in misconduct in approving the use of Social Security's Critical Payment System for a $57,354 fraudulent payment made to another Social Security employee. The actions of the employee involved in this arbitration in approving the payment were only alleged to have been negligent. The employee involved in this arbitration was not alleged to have profited from her mistake. Another employee was guilty of fraudulent conduct and did profit from their fraud. That employee faced criminal charges.

Inconsistency in Social Security's treatment of its employees involved in this matter was a major issue raised by the union. One huge problem for Social Security was that the agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) had investigated what had happened in Little Rock but the agency refused to disclose the entire OIG file, leading the arbitrator to presume that the agency was hiding exculpatory information.

The end result in this arbitration was that the employee was ordered restored to her job and was given $100,000 in compensatory damages and another $100,000 in punitive damages. I am not familiar with this sort of thing. Does it get worse than this for an agency?

Social Security Helps Bring Fugitive To Justice

From the Contra Costa Times:

Pacifica police Capt. Fernando Realyvasquez got a letter in 2007 he had waited 14 years to receive.

It was from the Social Security Administration and said the agency had located a man named Dedy Idris, who was wanted for allegedly molesting several young girls in Pacifica.

Today, nearly three years after that envelope landed on Realyvasquez's desk, Idris, 65, is slated to be sentenced in San Mateo County Superior Court on 10 counts of child molestation. ...

Idris had applied for benefits, and a routine check had turned up the 14-year-old arrest warrant.

Way Off Topic: Anyone Want To Guess Who This Is?

Update: Yes, it was the Rolling Stones in 1966.

Threat To Florida Social Security Office

From WEAR-TV in Pensacola, FL:

A suspicious package at a central Florida Social Security office turned out to be a box with two kittens.

Authorities say the box was found early Friday on the front steps of the building. A bomb squad examined the box and found the kittens. One of them ran away and hasn't been found. The other will be taken to an animal shelter.

That kitten certainly looks vicious to me!

Former Social Security ALJ Kept Her Silence About Clarence Thomas

From the Washington Post:

For nearly two decades, Lillian McEwen has been silent -- a part of history, yet absent from it.

When Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his explosive 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Thomas vehemently denied the allegations and his handlers cited his steady relationship with another woman in an effort to deflect Hill's allegations.

Lillian McEwen was that woman.

At the time, she was on good terms with Thomas. The former assistant U.S. attorney and Senate Judiciary Committee counsel had dated him for years, even attending a March 1985 White House state dinner as his guest ...

Now, she says that Thomas often said inappropriate things about women he met at work -- and that she could have added her voice to the others, but didn't.

Over the years, reporters and biographers approached her eager to know more about Thomas from women who knew him well. But McEwen remained mum. She said she saw "nothing good" coming out of talking to reporters about Thomas, whom she said she still occasionally met. ...

Today, McEwen is 65 and retired from a successful career as a prosecutor, law professor and administrative law judge for federal agencies.

McEwen apparently began her career as an ALJ at Social Security not long after the Thomas confirmation hearing. She later moved on to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Social Security's Real Estate Plans For Baltimore

From the Maryland Gazette:

The JBG Cos. of Chevy Chase won the bid to develop a 538,000-square-foot Social Security Administration campus opposite the new Reisterstown Metro station to replace offices in downtown Baltimore, city officials announced Tuesday.

The $150 million complex will transform the northwest corner of the city, an area of low-slung retail and residential properties that Maryland and Baltimore officials have targeted for transit-oriented development. JBG will design and build two office buildings, five and seven stories tall, with a parking garage and day care center.

Construction of the office building, which includes 1,076 parking spaces, is to start next year and be completed in 2014. ...

The new center, 6100 Wabash Ave., will replace the existing Social Security Metro West center. ...

The federal agency has had a long and tortured relationship with the city since it opened its headquarters near Baltimore's waterfront in 1936. It served as a path to middle-class security for thousands of residents, including many blacks who otherwise were shut out of most jobs in the segregated city.

But Social Security's biggest expansion and economic impact came in 1960 when it moved its headquarters to Woodlawn in Baltimore County, spurring an explosion of growth north of the city. The agency eventually opened a new city office complex at 300 N. Greene St. on Baltimore's downtown west side in 1980, but employment there has steadily dwindled.

Problems With Federal Workers Compensation Offsets

Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently looked at a sample of 50 people who were receiving both Social Security disability benefits and federal workers compensation benefits. Of that group, 32 had overpayments because their federal workers compensation benefits had not been considered in computing their Social Security disability benefits. Additionally, OIG looked at another 50 who were receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and federal workers compensation and found that 21 of them were being overpaid.

Before you assign the blame to Social Security, let me tell you that the federal Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) has a longstanding reputation for being incredibly incompetent. There are many attorneys who have handled one federal workers compensation case and decided that they never wanted to mess with OWCP ever again. At the moment, I am not sure that there is any attorney in the state of North Carolina who regularly takes on federal workers compensation cases. Around here, even the federal employee unions do not know who to refer these cases to. OWCP is the biggest mess of any agency, federal or state, that I have ever dealt with. Social Security has real problems with workers compensation offsets in general but difficulty in getting information from OWCP almost certainly exacerbates the problem for claimants receiving federal workers compensation benefits.

Disability Claims Spike In Georgia And Tennessee

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

Judy Duncan had worked in the same place for more than 40 years.

Over that time, her knees began to give out and, when she was laid off three years ago, she already was medically disabled, she said. ...

At 63, the East Ridge resident was able to get by in her job as an insurance company office clerk because she knew the job like the back of her hand and her employer accommodated her limitations, she said.

But when she found herself unemployed at the start of a worldwide economic crisis, her physical problems made it impossible to get back into the work force. ...

Duncan, with the help of her attorney, was approved for disability compensation seven months after losing her job.

There are thousands of other Americans just like Duncan, and they are fueling a large spike in applications for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.

Nationally, applications were up 17 percent from 2007 to 2009. In Georgia and Tennessee, applications are up more than 25 percent in the same time frame, Social Security Administration numbers show.

Claims have risen so much, Georgia requested another 100 federally funded staffers to sort and handle the paperwork. Starting in mid-November, 35 of those employees will staff a new Claims Adjudication Office in Dalton, Ga. ...

Disability claims have been on the rise for years because of aging baby boomers whose ailments make work too difficult. But the latest spike, seen over the last three years, is fueled by both boomers and the economy, officials say.

A View Of The Future?

From the Sun Journal of Maine:

Thousands of people in the River Valley area, and Oxford and Franklin counties are expected to visit the Rumford Public Library soon for their Social Security needs rather than drive to Auburn.

Late Wednesday morning, representatives from the U.S. Social Security Administration, and Maine offices joined congressional, state and local officials in touting the administration's new real-time video service program.

The program, which allows people to file a claim or complete Social Security business face-to-face via a two-way video monitor with a representative about 50 miles away in Auburn, is the first of its kind to debut in New England, Jennifer M. Bowie, Social Security district manager in Portland, said.

For the record, I have no problem with this for sparsely populated areas. I am afraid that there are some who see this as a way of centralizing service delivery for Social Security. My experience is that Social Security's field operations are vastly more successful than its centralized operations such as the payment centers and the teleservice centers. There have always been those in Social Security management who are mistrustful of field operations and desire greater centralization. I do not understand their thinking.

Republican Plan Would Cut Social Security Dramatically

From a press release issued by the House Ways and Means Committee:

Ways and Means Social Security Chairman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) today released the results of a study from the Chief Actuary of Social Security analyzing several proposals, including those advanced by Republican Congressional leaders, as ways to reduce the long-term cost of Social Security. The analysis reveals that, contrary to the assertions by their proponents, these proposals would have a profoundly negative impact on the retirement security of middle-class seniors in addition to high-income retirees. ...

The Office of the Chief Actuary analyzed several proposals - including those by Budget Committee Ranking Member, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) - that claim to make "modest" changes affecting higher-income seniors in order to "save" Social Security.

"The new analysis reveals that these proposals result in benefits cuts ranging from ten percent to as high as 50 percent,” continued Pomeroy.

Update: The Washington Post has a story on this actuarial report which gives a response from one Republican:

Ryan spokesman Conor Sweeney said [Social Security's chief actuary, Stephen] Goss did not analyze the full effect of Ryan's plan to balance the federal budget and ignored Ryan's proposal to guarantee a higher minimum benefit to low-income retirees. More to the point, Sweeney said, failing to overhaul Social Security - which is already paying out more than it collects from payroll taxes - will cause more immediate harm.

"According to the Social Security Administration, Congressman Pomeroy's do-nothing plan will impose painful, across-the-board benefit cuts on current seniors and those nearing retirement," Sweeney said. "It is deeply irresponsible for elected leaders to stand idle with icy indifference as the social safety net collapses."

I expect that Republicans will attempt to harass Stephen Goss if they gain control of either house of Congress after the election. They do not like hearing just before an election that their plans for Social Security have serious problems. Of course, I am not sure how they can harass Goss since he is just telling the truth.

Social Security Warns Of Scam

From KOLO-TV:

Watch out for callers who try to get your personal information, Social Security warns.

The latest telephone scam appears to be targeted at the Latino community. In this scam, the caller tells beneficiaries that they will be receiving additional payments from Social Security. All they need to do is verify their bank account information and Social Security Number in order to receive these funds. The caller also told beneficiaries that they would not receive the money unless they provided the requested information by a specified date.
Click here to find out more!

As a general rule, Social Security will not call you for your personal information such as your Social Security Number or banking information.

"If something about a call doesn't feel right, it probably isn't legitimate," Social Security Regional Communications Director Leslie Walker warned.

Financial Literacy Plan Runs Into Obstacles And Opposition

From a report by Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG), responding to a request from House Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Earl Pomeroy (footnotes omitted):

In a May 20, 2010 letter, you requested that we conduct an audit of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Financial Literacy Initiative. Specifically, you requested that we determine (1) why SSA considered its Financial Literacy Research Consortium (FLRC) necessary; (2) whether SSA coordinated with other agencies or the Office of Management and Budget to ensure research and development efforts were not duplicative; and (3) what SSA’s expert panel found when reviewing the FLRC grant proposals. ...

In April 2009, SSA published a Request for Applications (RFA) soliciting research proposals for a 5-year cooperative agreement for which SSA would award grants. ...

In the first stage of the review process, SSA deemed all 10 applications received to be responsive to the RFA criteria.

The second stage called for an expert panel to conduct a technical review and score applications. SSA selected a 12-member expert panel to provide seasoned and respected input. The panel was highly diverse with respect to expertise, organizational representation and outlook, and personal demographics. The panel included Federal executives, experts from the private sector, and academia. ...

After the official review and scoring was complete, some panel members discussed the non-scoring feedback they provided to SSA. Because many had concerns about the proposals, 8 of the 12 expert panelists signed and submitted a letter to SSA contracting personnel. The letter stated that panel members did not believe SSA should fund any of the submitted proposals because they did not address the needs discussed in the RFA. The letter also stated that SSA should cancel the RFA and develop a new one if it wished to focus on improving financial management and decision-making among lower- and middle-income Americans. ...

Results of Review ...

When developing the RFA, requesting resources for the initiative, and ultimately funding the proposed activities of the research centers, SSA coordinated with OMB, other Federal agencies, academia, and leading experts in the field of financial literacy. Although avoiding duplication with other research and development activities may not have been SSA’s primary goal, the Agency was proactive in briefing numerous stakeholders regarding its plans. ...

In our interviews with 11 of the 12 expert panel members, almost all echoed the concerns outlined in the letter they sent to SSA contracting personnel after reviewing and scoring the FLRC grant applications. In fact, although only 8 of the 12 panel members signed the letter, 10 of the 11 we interviewed generally agreed with the concerns expressed. ...

Because SSA officials did not believe Federal grant-making rules allowed them to discuss the concerns expressed in the letter with the expert panel members, SSA did not directly respond to the panel’s letter. ...

In response to congressional questions about duplication of other initiatives, the Commissioner of Social Security responded, “Now that I am aware of these concerns, I have directed staff to closely monitor the progress of the FLRC . . . I will thoroughly review this situation and determine if further action is necessary.” ...

In addition to the concerns expressed in their letter, some panelists told us they had other concerns with the FLRC review process. For example, most of the panelists told us there was a lack of communication with SSA during and/or after the FLRC review. One panelist told us that SSA representatives who were present during the full panel meeting did not want to address panelists’ concerns. In fact, one panelist told us if SSA decisionmakers had addressed their concerns during the panel meeting, they probably would not have written the letter. ...

One panel member stated that, to an extent, the panel’s criticism of the proposals reflected criticism of the financial literacy initiative as a whole. He said that SSA was “reinventing the wheel” in that the proposals were similar to efforts already undertaken by other Federal agencies and nonprofit organizations. ...

One panel member believed the panel was uncertain what the RFA was trying to accomplish. She believed the centers receiving the panel’s top scores were already receiving substantial funding from other sources, and she did not think any of the proposals would accomplish more than what was already being done in the area.

Was this plan in the works before Michael Astrue took office?

Watch Out Houston!

From a presolicitation notice posted by the Social Security Administration on FedBizOpps.gov:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) , Region VI Dallas Region, intends to solicit for Fraud Investigation Services for the Dallas Region VI Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit (CDI) located in Houston, TX. The requirement is for the investigation of suspected fraud activities against the Social Security Administration's Title II and Title XVI Disability Programs (including Title XIX Medicaid) in the Houston, TX metropolitan area. The contractor shall provide the necessary personnel, materials, services, equipment and perform all tasks necessary for or incidental to providing the required services. The contractor must be able to provide the following: (1) State wide arrest authority as defined by the statutes and regulations of the State of Texas; (2) Access to reports which are restricted to law enforcement officials; (3) A license to carry a concealed weapon (must be armed); (4) Training in arrest techniques and (5) A valid certification by a Class A Law Enforcement Department (6) Ability to testify in court.

I Predict No Response Before The Election And A "Hell No" After The Election

From Political Brief:

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wrote to his counterpart today asking for GOP support on helping social security recipients who will not receive cost-of-living adjustments next year.

In a letter to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Reid urges the Republican to support Democratic legislation that would provide one-time $250 checks to seniors in 2011. ...

Reid’s letter was co-signed by 18 other Senate Democrats ...

OIDAP Asks For Comments

Social Security's Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (OIDAP) has posted a notice in the Federal Register requesting comments on its plan for Social Security to develop its own new occupational information system.

Raising Retirement Age Unpopular In France

From the Associated Press:

Masked youths clashed with police and set fires in cities across France on Tuesday as protests against a proposed hike in the retirement age took an increasingly radical turn. Hundreds of flights were canceled, long lines formed at gas stations and train service in many regions was cut in half. ...

The protesters are trying to prevent the French parliament from approving a bill that would raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 ...

Study On CEs

The Social Security Administration recently released a 2008 study of consultative medical examinations (CEs) performed by Comprehensive Occupational Medical Services (COMS), a contractor. Not all, but many, disability claimants are sent to these exams conducted at Social Security's expense. I have no idea why Social Security took so long to release this. Here are a few findings from the study:

• The mean Quality Rating (QR) of the CE’s reviewed was 2.97 within a range of 1-5: “1” represents an unsatisfactory and unredeemable CE Report and “5” a superbly documented, consistent, and logical report. This finding implies that the majority of CE Reports reviewed were sufficient to provide the DDS with enough clinical information to make an informed claim decision, but were deficient in the amount of clinical detail provided. The common deficiencies noted included: an inadequate history of present illness(es), failure to note medications or medication dosages, an absent or incomplete review of systems, omissions of important details of the physical findings, most commonly involving the musculoskeletal or neurological body systems, and an absent or qualitative medical source statement (MSS).
• Medical evidence of record (MER) was often not forwarded to CE providers. On the other hand, when MER was forwarded, it was unusual to find in CE Reports an adequate description of what items of MER were reviewed by the CE provider. COMS did not find any current policy or regulatory guidance requiring the inclusion of such information in CE Reports.
• The mean QR for CE’s associated with allowance decisions was statistically higher than for denials.
• COMS found that about 25% of X-Rays purchased by DDS’s as part of the CE process were probably unnecessary. Also, most purchased X-Rays, even when apparently indicated based on other CE findings or MER, do not demonstrate important pathological findings for SSA purposes.
• A consistent theme expressed by the DDS’s is that it is difficult at current fee levels to recruit and (retain) CE providers, especially specialists.

This Is Odd

From a notice posted by Social Security on FedBizOpps:

Region X of the Social Security wishes to identify vendors who may provide Verbatim Hearing Recordings (VHR) at various locations. The government contemplates the pursuit of up to three Indefinite Quantity Indefinite Delivery type contracts. One contract would provide all VHR needs in the States of Washington and Idaho, one contract would provide all VHR needs in the State of Oregon, and one contact would provide all VHR needs in the State of Alaska. The period of performance would be one year, with four one-year option periods.

There are a couple of things that I find surprising about this notice. First, my understanding is that Social Security has been contracting with individuals who perform this service rather than trying to contract out the service for an entire state. Second, on April 27 of this year Social Security Commissioner Astrue told the House Ways and Means Committee that "We are in-sourcing verbatim hearing reporting to further improve ALJ productivity."

Can someone tell me what is going on? This is not such a small thing to the hundreds of people who work as hearing reporters.

Processing Time Report

Below are a couple of reports from Social Security on processing times and workloads at Social Security hearing offices. Click on each page twice to view full size. These come from the newsletter of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR). That newsletter is not available online.

Compare the processing time as it has changed over time:

• January 25, 2007 -- 508 days
• February 29, 2008 -- 511 days
• March 8, 2009 -- 499 days
• April 24, 2009 -- 505 days
• June 3, 2009 -- 505 days
• September 29, 2009 -- 472 days
• July 5, 2010 -- 415 days
• July 30, 2010 -- 410
• September 5, 2010 -- 398 days
  

Obama Supports $250 Payments

From the Chicago Tribune:

President Obama will press Congress to send a one-time payment of $250 to senior citizens to help them get through another year without an increase in their Social Security benefits, White House officials said Friday. ...

But the plan faces opposition in the Senate, which defeated a similar measure last year, and among Republicans concerned about long-term funding of the Social Security system.

AFGE Questions Progress On Backlogs

From a press release:

The American Federation of Government Employees questions the validity of SSA management claims that progress is being made on disability claims backlogs; and that efficient management practices are improving office performances. “While resources are limited and field office staffing levels have not increased in relation to additional workloads, SSA management continues to use smoke and mirrors in measuring the amount of work completed at field offices,” noted Witold Skwierczynski, president of AFGE’s Council of Field Operations Locals for the Social Security Administration. “SSA management has been manipulating the disability claims process, making it appear that offices have become much more efficient due to management improvements, when the biggest increase has been in claims that are denied on technical grounds.”

Such manipulations include processing claims for individuals who clearly are ineligible for benefits, and padding statistics by taking unnecessary actions such as reissuing Medicare cards to every client in the office whether or not they request such cards. ...

“It’s outrageous that some SSA managers are condoning the practice of using system tricks and having employees do unnecessary work to better statistical performance. These practices adversely affect service delivery at SSA and detract from the mission of the agency to assist those in need,” concluded Skwierczynski.

The Importance Of Social Security

Doubleclick on the thumbnail of a page from a recent Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation poll to get an idea of what Americans think about Social Security.

Benefits Slashed In Britain

From the Daily Mail:

Hundreds of thousands of claimants are to lose their disability benefits as Britain’s bloated welfare budget takes the strain of public spending cuts.

More than £1billion is due to be slashed from the disability living allowance bill, forcing around 400,000 to seek work. ...

[Chancellor George] Osborne also plans to introduce tough new medical assessments for the three million claiming disability living allowance.

President Favors Raising Income Cap

From Reuters:

President Barack Obama said on Thursday he favored raising more revenue for Social Security to prolong the solvency of the U.S. retirement fund, rather than just cutting benefits or making people work longer.

Obama told a televised youth town hall event that he thought the best approach was to increase the amount of income subject to Social Security taxes above the current cap set around $106,000, but he did not rule anything out.

Resignation From OIDAP

Professor Mark Wilson has resigned from the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (OIDAP). Click twice on the thumbnail to read his letter of resignation. Note that he says that "I no longer feel that the management of this project can bring about the occupational information system that the agency and the country needs and that the panel envisioned."

It's Official: No COLA This Year

The Social Security Administration has made it official. There will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits this year.

Vote On $250 Payments To Social Security Beneficiaries -- After The Election

The Associated Press is reporting that the House of Representatives will vote on Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Earl Pomeroy's plan for a $250 bonus payment to each Social Security beneficiary since there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) this year. The vote will come in the lame duck session of Congress after the election.

I am unable to comprehend why Democrats did not schedule this vote done before the election. I have to guess that Representative Pomeroy pressed for a vote before the election.

Non-Attorney ALJs?

From the Federal Register:

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing to eliminate the licensure requirements for incumbent administrative law judges who are covered under the Administrative Law Judge Program.

SSI Computation Problem

I have no idea whether this is serious but Social Security has issued an emergency message to its field offices telling them to stop work on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) "5B diaries, 5H diaries, and the associated redeterminations and limited issues" because of incorrect or duplicative data received from the IRS. This may affect just a few people or a lot. It appears that it would have affected the computation of SSI benefits.

An Embarrassment

From The Oregonian:

A federal magistrate on Wednesday ordered Social Security lawyer Daniel A. Bernath to undergo anger management counseling after an altercation with a judge on a downtown Portland elevator last spring.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul J. Papak found Bernath guilty of disorderly conduct for the March 31 dust-up with Dan R. Hyatt, a judge in Social Security's disability hearing office.

Papak dressed Bernath down for his behavior -- such as lampooning Hyatt on his web site as a Ku Klux Klansman and behaving like a pre-schooler fighting for a swing -- and said officers of the court are expected to treat judges with respect.

"This trial," said Papak, "is an embarrassment, in my mind."

The tiff on the lift climaxed a three-year war of words between Bernath, of Tigard, who represents clients in disability cases, and Hyatt, one of the judges who hears those claims at the Portland hearing office. Their squabbles -- which include dueling bar complaints, claims of slander and a $10 million lawsuit -- were chronicled in a July story in The Oregonian.

I Don't Know What This Means

A reader decided to take the figures that Social Security has posted on the number and gross amount of fees paid to attorneys and others for representing Social Security claimants and compute the average fee per case and then present that average in the form of a chart. Click above twice to see it full size. Notice that spike in July 2010? The reader did not know what that meant and neither do I. Could there be some problem with the data? Something as simple as a typo?

New Rules For QDDs And Compassionate Allowances

From today's Federal Register:

We are revising our rules on a temporary basis to permit State agency disability examiners to make fully favorable determinations in certain claims for disability benefits under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act) without the approval of a State agency medical or psychological consultant. These changes apply only to claims we consider under our rules for quick disability determinations (QDD) or under our compassionate allowance initiative.

Encryption Problems

I had posted earlier about Social Security's plan to encrypt the CDs of client files sent to attorneys and others who represent Social Security claimants. The comments this post received are worrisome enough that I think they are worth bumping up to a full post:

Anonymous said...

As an ME, I have been using this encryption system on cases from various California ODAR offices since March, 2010. The "transition" was without warning...discs simply arrived, and my follow-up calls yielded an instruction sheet. It has been very difficult for me, as I am an Apple computer user, and this encryption system is based solely on Windows. (I had just purchased a new Apple, with dual operating systems in January!) There was some ODAR acknowledgment that the encryption system was out of date, even before it was implemented...it used Windows XP, which was no longer even on the market. It was to be updated to Vista (also out-dated) in mid-summer, with no time-line for updating to the current Windows version. Tech support from the ODAR offices amounted to comments that I should just buy another computer!

A local computer shop helped me, by finding a copy of Windows XP, but the 'work-around' is terrible. There is no way to use scroll functions within Exhibit documents, nor is there a way to get thumbnails. Each page has to be 'clicked through' to the last page in the exhibit, where the chronology usually begins. That is terribly laborious, and a waste of time. "Sizing" documents to make them readable also requires many more steps. Bottom line is that a file takes me at least twice as long to read.

I don't believe this is solely a problem related to using an Apple computer, as the hearing room computers I have been using have the same issues. In my opinion, SSA has invested in a system that was flawed even before roll-out, and I can see nothing has been done to correct the problems.

p.s. If anyone has other work-around ideas for me, I'd love to hear them.

10:02 AM, October 11, 2010

Anonymous said...

I heard about this nonsense at NOSSCR, and when I received the letter that Charles received I knew I was right, and that this would be a complete disaster. After reading the comment by the CA ME above, I am confident that this encryption system, while noble at heart, is another example of SSA taking a good idea and smashing it with a ball-peen hammer. I sure am glad I have online access through Electronic Record Express so I don't have to waste time with these encrypted discs.

11:36 AM, October 11, 2010

Anonymous said...

I commented on CONNECT message board that I, too, use a Mac at home, and do not want to have to buy a copy of Windows to install just to use these discs on my home computer. To the ME above, you may have bought an Apple computer with both operating systems included, but you paid extra to have the Windows OS installed. They don't ordinarily come with the two OSs installed. I would have to purchase and install Windows in order to do this.

And is it true that the encryption method is not compatible with Windows 7? If so, the ODAR tech support's "solution" to buy another computer is off-base, because no new computers are being shipped with Vista or with XP; they are all now Windows 7. So now that means that at my office I can't even sit at my own desktop computer, but will have to go find someone who will let me use their older computer with XP on it to look at these discs?

Tell me that, at least, if I can open the documents on one of these, I can convert it all to PDF?

What a crock.

12:03 PM, October 11, 2010

Anonymous said...

ME responding about the Apple problems...
My new Apple came with the usual Apple OS. Then I bought Parallels software (so I could use the Windows environment), plus Windows 7...several hundred $ extra for this. The encryption software would not work with 7...that's when the contact began with ODAR tech people. They were the folks who told me they knew 7 wouldn't work, that it was set up on XP, to later transition to Vista.
I have never been able to convert to pdf...

2:44 PM, October 11, 2010

Anonymous said...

It's really amazing to me that everyone wants to protect a person's(Claimant's) privacy.--If that's so why haven't any of the 20 or so envelopes I received from SS via the USPS been sealed,taped or licked shut-- they are always wide open---anyone who handles my mail can read everything about me-- sometimes I don't even get all of the pages of a decision.

4:58 PM, October 11, 2010

Anonymous said...

It's so pleasing to see that the "professionals" working on cases apparently put their convenience ahead of protecting the privacy of the claimants. Whine, whine whine. Waahh, I use Apple. Grow up. If this is your attitude towards patient privacy, I certainly hope you aren't covered by HIPAA in your primary business because you are a fine waiting to happen.

Those CDs should have been encrypted 3 years ago, that's what the problem is and folks getting the CDs just need to either deal or move on. The world has changed whether you like it or not. 46 states have breach laws, HIPAA, HITECH apply to many and OMB directs federal agencies so get with the program.

The fact people are complaining about something so fundamental exposes a likely lax attitude towards other aspects of privacy protection.

Too bad SSA hasn't the staff to audit you folks.

6:09 PM, October 11, 2010

Anonymous said...

Anonymous ME:

Yes you are right about what is needed to run Windows on a Mac. Now, it's a wonderful thing, that Macs will run dual operating systems, but it does cost more, and it's no excuse for SSA to not make their records available to all.

What about claimants? Are their files not encrypted? If not, then why is there not a concern about their privacy? Seems that as a representative, I will do a better job to maintain my client's privacy even without encryption - after all, I have an additional incentive to do so because of Bar rules governing my behavior toward clients.

The letter states "No additional software is necessary to read the information on the encrypted CD." Well, we've shown that this is not true. And hearing that these CDs are only readable on Windows XP, and that the next upgrade will be to Vista makes me question the comptetency of their IT department.

Dr. ME, with regard to converting to PDF: on a Windows machine, you need either the full Adobe Acrobat program, or a shareware add-on to convert documents to PDF. If you're new to Mac, you may not know that the ability to convert any document into PDF is built-in to the Mac's Print function. In the Print dialogue box, you'll see a PDF button on the far left of the bottom row. You can save as PDF, fax, email, etc. A real handy feature.

Mr. Hall, is there something we can do to head this off?

What I wonder is whether this encryption even helps secure these files. Doesn't Social Security have to send all the information needed to decrypt the files when it sends the CD to the person representing the claimant? A CD with no identifying information is useless. A CD with full identifying information can be decrypted by anyone. Social Security could send the CDs with just the name or the Social Security number but that is problematic. Unless the attorney is using a database -- and most do not -- sending just the Social Security number would not be enough to allow the attorney to figure out whose CD it is. For that matter, it is not difficult to go online and find out a person's identity using their Social Security number. Sending just the name would not be enough in many cases to allow identification of the claimant. A friend of mine who practices in Texas has told me that he has many clients with identical names such as Jose Rodriguez or Maria Hernandez. I do not have so many Hispanic clients but my firm certainly has clients with duplicate names. It happens all the time.

Public Hearing On Compassionate Allowances

How many Social Security Commissioners have thought that one key to solving Social Security's disability backlog is finding ways to speed up allowances for those who are most obviously disabled? I have not kept count but I think it has been at least the last three. The current Commissioner has scheduled a public hearing on his Compassionate Allowance plan for November 9 in Baltimore. The subject of this hearing is cardiovascular diseases and multiple organ transplants.

Pomeroy In Tough Battle

Earl Pomeroy, the Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee, trails narrowly in his race to gain re-election to his seat as North Dakota's sole member of the House of Representatives, according to a Rasmussen poll.

You can contribute to Pomeroy's campaign online. It would be a shame if this able, experienced and decent man is swept out of office by a candidate who has been endorsed by Sarah Palin, a candidate who has proposed that the nation "save" Social Security by drilling for oil in our national parks.

You Won't Believe This

Snopes.com is website that tries to correct the wild rumors that float around the internet. Currently, they are trying to correct a rumor that there will be no Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) this year not because there has been no increase in the cost of living but because Social Security is using that money to pay for an electronic medical records processing system! Of course, this is preposterous. It is hard to imagine how this got started accidentally but it is also hard to imagine why anyone would deliberately concoct such nonsense.

Training At The Social Security Administration

Social Security had a public relations problem last year when it was revealed that the agency had a training session at the Arizona Biltmore -- even though it was off-season, the thermometer probably said it was 115 degrees outside and the hotel rates were not much more than one would pay at a Motel 6. Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) was asked to do a study on Social Security's training expenses in general. Here is a summary of what they found:

Although SSA’s cost systems were not set up to specifically track and accumulate training costs in one report or management information system, we reviewed the available financial data and estimated the Agency spent approximately $409 million on training-related activities in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, representing about 3.8 percent of SSA’s $10.7 billion administrative budget. This amount does not include training costs incurred by the State disability determination services, which we estimated could be another $64 million. SSA incurred approximately $9.7 million in off-site conference costs in FY 2009, or about 2.4 percent of the estimated $409 million spent by the Agency on training in FY 2009 (and less than 0.1 percent of the Agency’s administrative budget). Beginning in FY 2010, off-site conferences became subject to centralized oversight to ensure such training closely adhered to the Agency’s training procurement policies.

Not Feeling The Excitement

From Federal Computer Week:

The Social Security Administration’s recent video competition generated fewer than 10 entries, and is the latest in a string of federal video-production promotions with lackluster participation.

The contests to create original videos are part of open government/innovation programs at several agencies. In April, a video contest at the Environmental Protection Agency drew in about 20 entries, and another one at the General Services Administration attracted about 30 entries. Both those competitions offered $2,500 prizes.

The SSA contest to create a publicity video for the agency offered no cash prize, yet generated high hopes. “We anticipated selecting the winner – or even several – from a sizable collection of contest entries," Frank Baitman, SSA chief information officer, wrote on the White House Open Government Blog on Oct. 1. "Well, we didn’t get as much participation as we’d hoped. Fewer than ten solid entries came in.”

Encryption Of CDs

I have reproduced below the contents of a letter that I received recently from Social Security. I am not sure whether this has been distributed nationally. I used Adobe Acrobat's optical character recognition (OCR) on this. I hope I have straightened out all the misreads.

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to tell you about an important change that furthers our commitment to protect our claimants' personal information.

In October, we will begin a pilot program to encrypt the claim folder CDs sent to you by the Social Security Administrations' Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. We expect to expand the pilot rapidly, so that by the end of 20 10, we will be encrypting all CDs sent to appointed representatives and medical/vocational experts. We developed the decryption password formula in collaboration with members of the appointed representative community. The encrypted CDs are easy to use and provide a major and necessary improvement in safeguarding the personally identifiable information in our possession. We huve enclosed a guide that describes the process.

We appreciate your ongoing support to help strengthen the security and privacy of our claimant's

data.

Jim Borland
Associated Commissioner
Office of Electronic Services and Strategic Information

Jim Bentley
Associate Commissioner Acting Associate Commissioner
Office of Electronic Services and Office of Budget, Facilities and Security

Opening an Encrypted CD

No additional software is necessary to read the information on the encrypted CD. The following instructions will allow proper viewing of the contents of the CD.

1. Insert the Electronic Folder CD into your PC's CDROM drive.

2. Double click on "My Computer"; next double-click on your PC's CDROM drive to display the contents of the CD.

3. Double-click on the pme.exe file located on the CD.
4. Enter the Account Name and Password; click OK.

Account Name: ssa
All ODAR encrypted media will use the same Account Name, "ssa". The Account Name field is not case sensitive.
a. Use the following criteria to determine the encryption password. If you are unable to determine the correct password for your encrypted CD, call the local ODAR office that sent you the CD for assistance. NOTE: The password will always be nine characters long.

Representatives and Claimants Password Criteria:

• First 4 letters of claimant's first name in lower case (if the name is less than four characters, use "#"s after the last alpha)
• A number sign (#)
• Last 4 numbers of the claimant's SSN

The CD will be labeled as follows:

• Claimant's full last name
• Claimant's first 4 numbers of the SSN

Examples:
Claimant's name is Mickey Mays and SSN is 123-45-6789. The encryption password is mick#6789. Label on the CD is "Mays 1234".
Claimant's name is Tom Mays and SSN is 123-45-6789. The encryption password is tom##6789. Label on the CD is "Mays 1234".

Experts (medical and vocational) Password Criteria:

• First 4 of the expert's last name (lowercase). If the name is less than four characters, use "#"s after the last alpha.
• A number sign (#)
• First 4 numbers of the experts BPA

The CD will be labeled as follows:

• Experts full first name.
• Date of the hearing or "interrogatory".

Examples:
Experts name is Sam Jones and the BPA number is 1234. The encryption password is jone#1234. Label on the CD is "Sam 080910" (date ofhearing is 8/9/10) or "Sam interrogatory",

5. To decrypt the contents of the CD, highlight the words "[Encrypted Device]" and click on the Extract button.
6. The Browse For Folder window will appear. The first time you decrypt a CD, highlight the drive where you want to save the file and click on [Make New Folder] button. NOTE: If a folder already exists, navigate to that location to download the file.
7. Change the folder name then highlight the new folder and click on the OK button.
8. Go to the folder created, or the location you extracted the files. Double-click on the index.html file
9. Close the Pointsec encryption window by clicking on the "x" in the upper right hand corner of the screen or by selecting File/Exit from the menu.
10. A deletion window will appear if files were extracted to your computer.
11. If you extracted files to your hard drive or server and DO NOT want the files deleted from your computer, select "No". By selecting "Cancel", you will return to the Pointsec encryption window.

1.0 Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the account name and/or password entry is incorrect?
If incorrect information is entered in the Account name and/or Password fields, you will receive a Pointsec Media Encryption box, pop-up message say that says, "Your password or account name is wrong. Please try again."

Click the OK button on the screen to reenter the correct Account name and Password. If you continue to get this message, please contact the local ODAR office that sent you the CD.

What happens if the files are copied or viewed beforethey are un-encrypted?
If the files are copied or view straight from the CD without running the decryption process, they will be unreadable.

Once the contents ofthe folder is decrypted, can I simply view the files without copying or extracting them to my computer?
Yes, you can view the files individually from the Pointsec Media Encryption window without using the index.html to navigate to them. You will have to select each separate document in the "docs" folder. If you open the index.html from the Pointsec window, it may not display correctly.

To view the actual tiff images you will need to navigate to the "docs" folder and select the desired
image.

One Reaction To The News That There Will Be No COLA This Year

Word is beginning to filter out that since there has been no increase in the cost of living that there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits this year. The Associated Press quotes Andrew Biggs, former Deputy Commissioner at Social Security who is now in residence at a right wing think tank, as saying that "If you're the ruling party, this is not the sort of thing you want to have happening two weeks before an election."

It's A Roller Coaster

Updated figures on payments of fees to attorneys and certain others for representation of claimants before the Social Security Administration:

Fee Payments
Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-10	32,227	$111,440,046.23
Feb-10	29,914	$105,708,101.59
Mar-10	34,983	$122,874,426.87
Apr-10	44,740	$153,478,589.32
May-10	34,686	$119,527,194.40
June-10	32,432	$111,887,579.72
July-10	32,232	$132,328,622.27
Aug-10	34,755	$119,424,346.42
Sept-10	32,660	$108,650,373.60

Watch Out Social Security! Dr. Taitz Is On To You

I probably shouldn't even link to this craziness but birther queen "Dr. Orly Taitz Esquire" has now submitted a freedom of information act request to Social Security demanding a copy of the application for a Social Security number filed not by Barack Obama but by his mother when she was applying for her Social Security number! Taitz finds something sinister in the fact that Obama's mother went by the first name of Shirley even though her given first name was Stanley. I can't imagine why a woman would rather be called Shirley than Stanley. Must be something very, very dark going on. This could cause Obama's mother real problems if she decides to run for President. Of course, her running for President is a little unlikely since she's been dead for quite a few years!

No COLA This Year

The Huffington Post is reporting that the Social Security Administration has informed Congressional aides that there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) this year. The official announcement is said to be coming on October 15. The Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee, Earl Pomeroy, has been working on a plan to give Social Security recipients a one time check for $250 each if there is no COLA this year. The Huffington Post says that a staff aide told them that "discussions" are still ongoing on this proposal. It seems to me that if it were going to happen, that it would have happened before Congress went into recess.

Attorney And Employee Charged With Social Security Fraud

From Arkansas Online:

A Forrest City attorney and an employee in his office have been indicted on federal Social Security fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas said.

Barry Michael Easley, 62, and Marie Diane Douglas, 61, are both facing charges of aiding and abetting Social Security fraud and aiding and abetting theft of government property. Douglas is also charged with one count of making a false statement.

Douglas reportedly began working at Easley's law office in August 2002, a year after she began receiving Social Security disability payments that limited the amount of money she could earn.

According to the indictment, portions of Douglas' salary were paid to other individuals for her benefit to avoid going over and a $100,000 bonus paid to her was structured so it appeared to be a civil settlement.

A $100,000 bonus?

Hello White House

Unless you go to a lot of trouble, when you visit this or any other website you leave behind some evidence that you were here. It is nothing too personal. I cannot identify individuals who visit. One of the pieces of information you leave behind is the identity of your service provider. This is how I know that I get lots of visits from Social Security employees. For the first time in a couple of years I recently decided to look down the list of service providers for visitors to this blog. There was a service provider listed that I had not seen before, "Executive Office of the President." I wish I could show you the chart on visits from this service provider but Adobe Acrobat is not cooperating and I lack the technical savvy to do it in another way. What it shows is exactly zero visits during the Bush Administration. Starting in June 2009, this has gone up to a fairly stable level of approximately 100 hits per month. This is almost as many hits as this blog receives from the entire Department of Health and Human Services.

I am not under the illusion that President Obama or anyone close to him is reading this blog. More likely, it is one or more people at the Office of Management and Budget or the President's domestic policy staff charged with Social Security matters.

And Still More On The Big IT Contracts

Yes, this topic is worth all these posts. These are enormous contracts of major long term significance to Social Security. From Nextgov:

The Social Security Administration has assigned four vendors specific jobs within a multibillion-dollar contract to support the agency's modernization program, rather than have the companies compete against each other for the work, agency officials said on Friday.

The decision differs from some procurement specialists' expectation that the agency would let the contract winners Lockheed Martin Corp., Accenture, Computer Sciences Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. bid on certain tasks to encourage competition. Instead, Social Security will reserve the right to replace one supplier with another, if any of the companies do not keep costs low or fail to complete work on time, officials said. ...

During the seven-year contract period, Lockheed will support software development. Accenture will concentrate on electronic health records and emerging technologies, possibly including voice recognition and data mining. CSC will help with application validation, software engineering and systems administration for the operating systems z/OS, Unix, Windows and IBM WebSphere. Northrop Grumman's assignments include application and business planning, as well as enterprise architecture, which is the practice of driving operational change by comparing how an agency functions today versus future performance expectations. ...

"There was intense competition among vendors for both receiving a contract award and for the technical areas," Social Security spokeswoman Kia Green said. "There will be competition in the form of proposals for any new technical areas, but, as of now, each vendor has been awarded specific technical areas and there is no competitive bidding for projects in a technical area."

And More On The Big IT Contracts

From Information Week:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has selected four prime contractors under the Information Technology Support Services Contract (ITSSC) that will be used, in part, to acquire health information technology that works with electronic health record (EHR) systems to process applications for disability benefits.

The ITSSC includes a one-year base period plus six additional one-year options with an aggregate ceiling valued at $2.8 billion.

The four prime contractors under ITSSC are Accenture, Computer Sciences Corp., Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin.

While those companies could bid on various "tasks" that SSA might order, the agency has provided direction to each prime contractor about the type of work they'd most likely be expected to participate in, said Accenture managing director Steve Shane in an interview with InformationWeek.

"All four companies are prime contractors, but SSA has directed different paths" for each, he said.

For instance, Accenture's focus is on "emerging technologies," including projects involving analytics, mobile, and web portals, Shane said. Accenture will also focus on integrating data from EHRs into SSA systems to assist in disability and other entitlement program determinations, he said.

I have to ask the question: Are electronic records really worth this kind of money to Social Security?

Update: And by the way, Social Security should have put out its own press release on this. Accenture's press release was really misleading.

Maybe Accenture's Contract Isn't So Big

A comment posted below is worth noting:

This news release is very misleading....Accenture got only a part of this potential contract and not the full potential amount.

It went to 4 vendors.....and the bulk of the money goes to Lockheed Martin....

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=8372314c59b0d6808e179923a57fe4d3

Not Everyone Loves Accenture

Accenture, which just announced a huge new contract with Social Security, has its detractors. Take a look at the company's profile on crocodyl.

$2.8 Billion Contract For Accenture

From a press release:

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has selected Accenture (NYSE: ACN) as a prime contractor under the Information Technology Support Services Contract (ITSSC) that will be used to acquire a wide range of IT systems development and modernization services. The ITSSC includes a one-year base period plus six additional one-year options with an aggregate ceiling valued at $2.8 billion.

Under the contract, Accenture will implement emerging technology applications designed to improve SSA’s service delivery capabilities to current beneficiaries and future retirees. Task orders issued under the contract may request services such as evaluating ways to integrate data from health records more seamlessly, expanding Web and social media to enhance user accessibility, and applying predictive models and analytics capabilities to SSA’s business.

Accenture is a spinoff of Arthur Andersen, an accounting firm. Accenture was incorporated originally in Bermuda and is now incorporated in Ireland. Its headquarters are now in New York. It is a multinational consulting company with 200,000 employees.