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Dec 21, 2011

Hiring More ALJs? Decline In Disability Claims?

     There is a report at the ALJ Discussion Forum that Social Security intends to hire 107 Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in September 2012. The same person also reports that there has been a decline in the number of disability claims filed in the last three months, particularly in October. 
     I do not doubt that Social Security wants to hire more ALJs next year. I would be very surprised if they have the money to do so. This sounds like a plan that is likely to be out of the question because of Social Security's budget crunch.
     By the way, if you're ready to ascribe the reduction in the number of disability claims filed to the reduction in unemployment, take a look at the numbers for the unemployment rate this year:
  • January 9.0 
  • February 8.9 
  • March 8.8 
  • April 9.0 
  • May 9.1 
  • June 9.2 
  • July 9.1 
  • August 9.1
  • September 9.1
  • October 9.0
  • November 8.6 
     The reduction in unemployment, unfortunately, is modest and almost all of the reduction happened in November, not October. If you still believe that the rate of unemployment determines changes in the number of disability claims filed, why didn't we hear about a big increase in the number of disability claims filed between March and June of this year?
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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:57 AM, December 21, 2011

    Ssa paying millions more in salary to additional aljs so they can enforce their new economic downturn agenda to deny more claims that are meritous,defies logic.


    Signed,

    the disabled

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:51 AM, December 21, 2011

    Dear The Disabled,

    The disability system is rigged heavily in your favor and SSA's "unofficial" policy is to pay more people, regardless of the merits of the claim -- have to reduce the backlog somehow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12:39 PM, December 21, 2011

    Chuck! You are too much my friend!

    The correlation doesn't have to happen month to month, "mano a mano", "if "A" happens, then "B" will immediately happen, etc. etc.
    It's not that simple, my friend.

    And, correlation does not equate with "cause and effect" either.

    You are beating a dead horse as you try to "prove" your own point on this.

    Seek out some help at one of your local universities, a professor or two in math/statistics, to see if you can come to terms with the likeliness that your perspective is not very imformed.

    I'm open to adjusting my own beliefs, but you need more thorough data and analyses to sway the status quo.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous1:47 PM, December 21, 2011

    @ anon 12:39...agreed.

    Any uptick in SS apps due to increased unemployment will not be noticed for several months, if not years. Most people who are getting unemployment are not seeking SS and are rightly counselled that accepting unemployment comes with the caveat that they are admitting to being "ready, willing and able to work" (or some similar variant, depending on the state). Therefore, they collect unemployment, then apply for SS when those funds end. This can be as much as two years under our current system of endless handouts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:28 PM, December 21, 2011

    @9:51- rigged in anyones favor is a joke. These ALJ's are denying claims like their jobs depended on it. Er, wait a minute, no, couldn't be. Anyway..

    Any change SSA has made in the last 15 years has been adverse to claimants. I welcome proof otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:15 PM, December 21, 2011

    ok, so the simple answer is, since 07/28/2011, you cannot file a new claim if you already have a claim pending at any level of appeal. ergo, fewer claims filed since then. questions?

    ReplyDelete