Here's a report from Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) about Social Security underpaying claimants. Underpayments happen a lot but OIG seems vastly more interested in overpayments. Both issues deserve attention.
They should take a look at childhood disability benefits. There are thousands of people who are disabled before age 21, entitled to a small DIB benefit on their own record, and subsequent to that entitlement a parent retires or dies. The person could then be eligible for a higher CDB but no one bothers to look. This is especially true when the person has a rep payee or the retirement or death of the parent occurs many years after entitlement. often when the parent retires or dies no one is aware of the possible eligibility of a CDB on that record.
True, but how will SSA know the parents are dead or retired? If the child doesn't have a payee (possibly parent info there if parent is payee), how is one to ever know that there is entitlement? Maybe a mass mailing to folks who were disabled before age 22, either on SSI or SSA, when they reach say 40 or so? And then again every 5 years after that?
@ 12:29 The government has spy programs that can listen to all of our phone conversations and hack into the most private details of our lives. But the government can't recognize when a disabled person's parent dies so the disabled child can get benefits they are legally entitled to. Anybody else see the irony in that?
The giveaway for many of these beneficiaries is not that their onset is before age 21 but that usually it is the date they first become insured for DIB (often when they get their 6 quarters of coverage). This date may be after age 21 but looking at the disability you can determine that it is a disability since birth. Many are also receiving SSI with an onset prior to age 21 but SSA DIB onset is first insured after age 21. Technically, since they are receiving SSI they are required to file for all eligible benefits so when the SSI redet is done someone should check about possible CDB eligibility.
No, Garmon's far too busy in his executive position with OLMER creating and enforcing all the punitive management policies of late, e.g., denying telework, issuing Reprimands, and threatening Suspension of ALJ's who do not schedule 50 cases a month, or meet unreasonable quotas in terms of number of dispositions issued; similarly threatening the decision writer's with loss of telework, Reprimands and Suspensions for failing to meet ridiculous numerical quotas in terms of numbers of decisions issued; and the very same types of threats to SCT's and CT's. All of these punitive management policies being established and implemented from a former ROCALJ with a documented history of some of the most egregious Labor Management Employee Relations violations dating back to the very beginning of his term as Region IV ROCALJ in the late 1990's. Why any Agency would find it fitting to place a man with such a horrendous track record of denying due process as an executive with OLMER defies any reasonable explanations, and frankly, shocks ones conscience! The finest and best colleges of Management in the world would find such punitive management policies counter productive and reprehensible.
@12:29 - there is thing, commonly referred to as"Social Security Death Rolls" - so I think SSA has the date on deaths. Also, I am pretty sure SSA administers a retirement program, so they have that data as well.
@2:42 death rolls so not show next of kin, spouses, ex-spouses, children, etc. Retirement records could show disabled children but if they do, the child has already filed. Now if you could revise the SSA 721 so that it asks about disabled children, you may have a chance to turn up some more leads for DAC cases. Right now it only shows a current spouse so leads for surviving divorced spouse are missed at that point. SSA misses DAC leads at times. But with the systems that are in place right now, there isn't enough manpower to check every reported death (approx 6-K per day) for possible exspouses, DACs, etc when there is no information about them on our records already.
They should take a look at childhood disability benefits. There are thousands of people who are disabled before age 21, entitled to a small DIB benefit on their own record, and subsequent to that entitlement a parent retires or dies. The person could then be eligible for a higher CDB but no one bothers to look. This is especially true when the person has a rep payee or the retirement or death of the parent occurs many years after entitlement. often when the parent retires or dies no one is aware of the possible eligibility of a CDB on that record.
ReplyDeleteAll true.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but how will SSA know the parents are dead or retired? If the child doesn't have a payee (possibly parent info there if parent is payee), how is one to ever know that there is entitlement? Maybe a mass mailing to folks who were disabled before age 22, either on SSI or SSA, when they reach say 40 or so? And then again every 5 years after that?
ReplyDelete@ 12:29 The government has spy programs that can listen to all of our phone conversations and hack into the most private details of our lives. But the government can't recognize when a disabled person's parent dies so the disabled child can get benefits they are legally entitled to. Anybody else see the irony in that?
ReplyDeleteThe giveaway for many of these beneficiaries is not that their onset is before age 21 but that usually it is the date they first become insured for DIB (often when they get their 6 quarters of coverage). This date may be after age 21 but looking at the disability you can determine that it is a disability since birth. Many are also receiving SSI with an onset prior to age 21 but SSA DIB onset is first insured after age 21. Technically, since they are receiving SSI they are required to file for all eligible benefits so when the SSI redet is done someone should check about possible CDB eligibility.
ReplyDeleteIt's Garmon's fault.
ReplyDelete@8:41
ReplyDeleteNo, Garmon's far too busy in his executive position with OLMER creating and enforcing all the punitive management policies of late, e.g., denying telework, issuing Reprimands, and threatening Suspension of ALJ's who do not schedule 50 cases a month, or meet unreasonable quotas in terms of number of dispositions issued; similarly threatening the decision writer's with loss of telework, Reprimands and Suspensions for failing to meet ridiculous numerical quotas in terms of numbers of decisions issued; and the very same types of threats to SCT's and CT's. All of these punitive management policies being established and implemented from a former ROCALJ with a documented history of some of the most egregious Labor Management Employee Relations violations dating back to the very beginning of his term as Region IV ROCALJ in the late 1990's. Why any Agency would find it fitting to place a man with such a horrendous track record of denying due process as an executive with OLMER defies any reasonable explanations, and frankly, shocks ones conscience! The finest and best colleges of Management in the world would find such punitive management policies counter productive and reprehensible.
I've been trying with no success form congress members and the SSA to address the underpayments to me since 1992. Like nailing jello to a wall.
ReplyDelete@12:29 - there is thing, commonly referred to as"Social Security Death Rolls" - so I think SSA has the date on deaths. Also, I am pretty sure SSA administers a retirement program, so they have that data as well.
ReplyDelete/snark/off
@2:42 death rolls so not show next of kin, spouses, ex-spouses, children, etc. Retirement records could show disabled children but if they do, the child has already filed.
ReplyDeleteNow if you could revise the SSA 721 so that it asks about disabled children, you may have a chance to turn up some more leads for DAC cases. Right now it only shows a current spouse so leads for surviving divorced spouse are missed at that point. SSA misses DAC leads at times. But with the systems that are in place right now, there isn't enough manpower to check every reported death (approx 6-K per day) for possible exspouses, DACs, etc when there is no information about them on our records already.