Social Security Disability Critic Appointed By Trump

     Richard Burkhauser has been appointed to the President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEO). I mention this because Burkhauser  has been a proponent of outlandish ideas for "reforming" Social Security disability benefits, such as forcing employers to pay disability benefits for the first two years and experience rating employers for the disability experience of their workers. These ideas would have devastating effects upon manufacturing,  construction, mining and other fields where there is a high incidence of disability. We need to help U.S. manufacturing, not place unnecessary burdens on it.

     I would not expect Burkhauser's appointment to have any effect upon Social Security. The ideas he has espoused in the past are complete non-starters with both Republicans and Democrats. Even if he had a plan that could conceivably be enacted, the CEO doesn't give him much of a platform for pushing his views on Social Security. It's not likely that the White House chief of staff would want him even trying.

The Struggle To Work As A Schizophrenic

     Erica Crompton has written a moving piece for the New York Times describing her struggle to work as a schizophrenic -- actually now her diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder but that doesn't affect the story.

     In reading this piece, you may want to say "See, that shows you can work even if you're a schizophrenic." However, her work history has been extremely fragmented. Fragmentation is an inevitable part of schizophrenia, affecting both work and private life. It's part of the disease. By the end of the story, Crompton isn't earning enough to support herself. Maybe most important, Crompton is a talented writer. She has had opportunities that are not open to the vast majority of schizophrenics and she still can't support herself.

     I've said it many times. Social Security ought to just go ahead and approve every last disability claim filed by a person suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Very few people who suffer from either of these conditions are able to maintain regular employment for extended periods of time. Social Security approves a lot of these claims but not all.

Facing A Long Wait In Nashville

     From a television station in Nashville:

Across the nation 1.1 million Americans who are trying to claim their social security benefits are stuck in a backlog with an average wait of two years just for a hearing. In Tennessee that wait is more than a year long. 

Anita Robinson spent 41 years working as a nurse in middle Tennessee. Now she spends a lot of her time sorting through her manifold of medication. 

"Its just kind of lonely , I'm too young," Robinson said with tears in her eyes. 

Several years ago a doctor visit changed her life, turns out the rash on her foot was much more than it seemed. She was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and other immune disorders as well as lymphocytic colitis.  ...

"In 16 months I'll either be worse or dead," said Robinson. ...

H.R. 2792 Passes House

     From a press release:

On Thursday , September 28 , 2017, the House of Representatives approved by a vote of 224 to 171 an amended version of H.R. 2792 , a bill to cut off Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits entirely for certain people with disabilities, as well as seniors. The proposed cut would bar payment of SSI benefits to people with an outstanding arrest warrant for an alleged felony or for an alleged violation of probation or parole. 

H.R. 2792 would revive an old, failed policy that had catastrophic effects for many people with disabilities and seniors, employing procedures that did not withstand judicial scrutiny. This proposal would not help law enforcement secure arrests. The Social Security Act already prohibits payments to people fleeing from law enforcement to avoid prosecution or imprisonment. ...

Based on prior experience with SSA’s failed former policy, the people who would be affected are those whose cases are inactive and whom law enforcement is not pursuing. Most of the warrants in question are decades old and involve minor infractions, including warrants routinely issued when a person was unable to pay a fine or court fee, or a probation supervision fee. Many people are not even aware that a warrant was issued for them, as warrants are often not served on the individual. Some people will be swept up as a result of mistaken identity, or paperwork errors, which can take months or even years to resolve. ...

Do Medical Marijuana Laws Increase Disability Benefits Claiming?

     From the abstract of The Impact Of State Medical Marijuana Laws On Social Security Disability Insurance And Workers' Compensation Benefit Claiming by Johanna Catherine Maclean, Keshar M. Ghimire and Lauren Hersch Nicholas:

We study the effect of state medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Workers' Compensation (WC) claiming. We use data on benefit claiming drawn from the 1990 to 2013 Current Population Survey coupled with a differences-in- differences design. We find that passage of an MML increases SSDI, but not WC, claiming on both the intensive and extensive margins. Post-MML the propensity to claim SSDI increases by 0.27 percentage points (9.9%) and SSDI benefits increase by 2.6%. ...

     A few words of caution in interpreting this:

• The Social Security Act forbids granting disability benefits on the basis of substance abuse disorders, a point which the authors of this study seem not to understand.
• The effect found is small and could have other causes.
• If there is an effect, it may be a little less direct than the authors (who are economists) think. My guess is that if there is an effect, it would be because marijuana lessens the effectiveness of medications given for mental health problems such as bipolar disorder.

Huge Layoffs At Binder And Binder

     From Newsday:

Binder & Binder plans to lay off 100 of the 147 employees at its Hauppauge headquarters, a state regulatory filing says. ...

The layoffs are planned for Dec. 11.

In addition, Binder & Binder plans to close its Long Island City, Queens, office and lay off all 90 employees, also on Dec. 11, a separate WARN notice says....

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

     Social Security has been working on the Disability Case Processing System (DPCS) for some time now. It's a major project to develop a common computer system for disability determination at least at the initial and reconsideration levels. They're already spent $64.8 million on the project. Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a report on the progress of the DCPS project. So far, Social Security has only been able to process 1,665 cases using the system. They report that the staff members who have used DCPS seems happy with it. The agency plans plan a widespread rollout by January 2018 and a complete rollout by April 2018.

She Doesn't Have The Luxury Of Ignoring The Problem

     I'm unable to embed it here but television station WATE in Knoxville ran a long piece on a young woman whose Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits may be terminated. She has digestive problems. She says she needs to go to the bathroom too frequently to work. This sort of limitation is always ignored at the initial and reconsideration levels of review. Always. It's like the problem doesn't exist as far as Social Security is concerned. Unfortunately, this young woman can't ignore the problem.

Altman Appointed To SSAB

     From a press release:

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she will appoint Nancy Altman to the Social Security Advisory Board.  The Board is a bipartisan, independent federal government agency established to advise the President, the Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security on matters of policy and administration of the Old-age, Survivors and Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income programs. ...

Altman is the co-founder and president of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition and Social Security Works ...

Acting Commissioner's Message On Hurricane Maria

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast 

Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 3:15 PM
Subject: Hurricane Maria Update

A Message to All SSA and DDS Employees

Subject: Hurricane Maria Update

When Hurricane Maria swept across the Caribbean, it devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  We continue to work to account for our hundreds of employees in more than a dozen offices on these islands.  However, because communications are an ongoing issue, we still cannot reach about half of our offices or managers.  Please keep our colleagues in Operations, ODAR, the Puerto Rico DDS, OIG, and OGC in your thoughts and prayers.

All of our offices remain closed, severely impairing our ability to deliver service.  Limited power, spotty telecommunications, and extreme gas shortages will further impair recovery efforts.

On Friday, we put our Cycle 4 payments in the mail.  In Puerto Rico, the postal offices remain closed.  All payments destined for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will be sent via express mail as soon as the United States Postal Service can get a plane into San Juan.  The New York Region is prepared to send a team to Puerto Rico when it is safe to do so.

I will keep you updated on the status of our employees and offices in the affected areas.  Recovery efforts are just beginning, but know that we are doing everything possible to reach and account for all SSA staff and restore our critical services to those in need.

Nancy A. Berryhill

Acting Commissioner

The Disability Backlogs Are A Disgrace

     The Altoona Mirror editorializes on the awful Social Security disability backlogs:

... [T]his nation, which, for the most part, prides itself on being compassionate, has, for the past half-decade, been guilty of an increasingly terrible disservice to individuals dealing with disabling physical and mental conditions. ..

Off Topic But I Hope I'll Help Somebody

     I'm going to succumb to the temptation of playing amateur physician and give readers a little advice that only a very few of you need. If you've got hidradenitis suppurtiva, see a dermatologist.

     First, I need to explain what hidradenitis suppurtiva is, since if you already know that you have it, you're probably already seeing a dermatologist. Hidradenitis suppurtiva is a skin condition that causes severe recurrent boils in the arm pits and groin areas. It's extremely painful. It can absolutely be disabling. It's just a matter of how frequently you get the boils and how long they last. (No, thank goodness, I'm not talking from personal experience. I've just heard enough about it from my clients, including one I saw recently.)  Most people who have hidradenitis suppurtiva don't get referred to a dermatologist because they don't get diagnosed. They keep going to general surgeons who keep treating the disease as a series of individual boils to be drained or excised rather than as a dermatological problem to be managed with medication. Almost every time I see a client with this problem I have to refer him or her to a dermatologist. Dermatologist do a better job of managing the problem than surgeons.

     Your first impulse on considering this may be that a skin condition couldn't possibly be disabling. Your second impulse is probably that if a skin condition is disabling, it must be an awful disease to have. Your second impulse is the correct one. Hidradenitis suppurtiva is a really nasty skin problem. There are other really nasty disabling skin problems. You don't want to be on disability for any of them.

     By the way, you might be surprised how often these cases come up before Social Security Administrative Law Judges. The incidence rate of this disease may be as high as 4% of the adult population so it's not rare. Statistically, it's almost a certainty that there will be at least on reader of this blog who has an undiagnosed case of hidradenitis suppurtiva. Of course, not everyone with hidradenitis suppurtiva is disabled by it. There are mild cases and there are severe cases. It's only the extremely severe cases that lead to disability claims.

And I'd Like To Have Flying Monkeys At My Disposal

     From a contracting notice posted by the Social Security Administration:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is conducting market research/sources sought to help determine the availability and technical capability of qualified businesses providing an artificial intelligence interface that can provide customer service in a conversational manner. This is not a request for quotations or proposals, and we do not guarantee the issuance of a solicitation as a result of this notice. We will use the information we obtained from this research for planning purposes only. ... 

This technology should be capable of undergoing both supervised and unsupervised learning for continuously improving its support capability. The technology should be able to remember actions and contextual details during conversations, and leverage the captured information for suitable responses to other users, as appropriate. ...

The new technology cannot require extensive training for proficiency. It must provide flexibility in offering technicians with a broad range of skillsets the opportunity to successfully share and complete tasks for the public. 

This technology should support seamless transition of conversation history of authenticated users across channels and sessions. ...

Online Social Security Fraud Decreasing

     From Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG):

... [I]n 2012, SSA implemented my Social Security, an internet portal that allows people to create a personal online account to access their Social Security information. In January 2013, SSA enhanced my Social Security to allow beneficiaries to change their direct deposit bank information. The innovation was helpful for SSA and beneficiaries alike; however, soon after SSA added the direct deposit function, the agency began to receive reports of misdirected benefits due to unauthorized direct deposit changes in my Social Security....

To address this issue, SSA said it would strengthen controls over my Social Security accounts to address fraud and improve service to beneficiaries. ...

Our auditors followed-up on this issue in a recent report, and they estimated the amount of misdirected benefit payments from 2014 to 2016 was considerably less than it was in 2013. ...

Hurricanes May Increase Social Security COLA

     From The Motley Fool:

... Unquestionably, these hurricanes were respective disasters for Texas and Florida, and it's going to take months for some individuals and families to get their lives back together. ... 

But the more immediate impact from the U.S. being hit with this double-whammy is that it's pushed crude oil prices, and thusly prices at the pump, higher. ... 

More importantly, per the BLS' August report that was released last week, the CPI-W increased to 1.9% on an annualized basis from the 1.6% reported in the previous month. This implies that Social Security beneficiaries are in line for a larger benefit increase in 2018 than was expected just a month or two ago. ...

Why Do More Experienced ALJs Approve More Disability Claims?

     From a report by Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG):

In FY [Fiscal Year] 2015, the most experienced ALJs [Administrative Law Judges] had, on average, higher allowance rates than ALJs who had fewer years’ experience. Also, on average, ALJs who had more experience had agree rates [the rate of accuracy according to Social Security management but I would submit that this number is meaningless since there is no way of validating these numbers, i.e., there is no gold standard of ALJ decisional accuracy] of about 84 percent — about 6 percent lower than the ALJs who had less than 5 years’ experience. 

     While I don't recall any prior studies on the issue, the increase in ALJ allowance rates with more experience is nothing new. Attorneys who represent Social Security disability claimants pay close attention to this sort of thing.It's been a matter of common knowledge among us for a long, long time. We've long speculated that this is caused by the training process for new ALJs. However, I have heard many new ALJs who had represented claimants in the past assure me that the training wasn't slanted. They were all surprised that it wasn't slanted.

     Although I've presented it here, I think the "agree rate" is meaningless. You're just fooling yourself if you think there's a gold standard of disability determination. It doesn't exist. It's never existed. It's never going to exist.

Updated CARES Plan

     From Social Security's newly updated CARES Plan for dealing with its hearing backlog:

The original CARES Plan issued in January 2016 assumed a certain hiring of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) – 250 ALJs in each of fiscal years (FY) 2016, 2017 and 2018 along with the corresponding support staff. While we were able to hire 264 ALJs in FY 2016, an agency-wide hiring freeze hindered the hiring of corresponding support staff. At the start of FY 2017, the agency-wide hiring freeze continued and included ALJs followed by an Executive Order initiating a government-wide hiring freeze. While we were able to obtain an exception for hiring staff in the hearings operation, our funding level in FY 2017 did not support hiring at the levels originally assumed in the original 2016 CARES Plan. Our 2017 Updated CARES and Anomaly Plan builds on the tactical initiatives laid out in the 2016 plan. We are also introducing new initiatives in 2017. ...

... Proactive Analysis and Triage for Hearings (PATH) – PATH is a new initiative introduced in FY 2017. However, this initiative builds upon successful screening and data analytic tools developed for the SmartMands and National Adjudication Team (NAT) initiatives from the 2016 CARES Plan. PATH also incorporates the robust use of naïve Bayes classification that will identify cases likely for allowance prior to hearing assignment. Through this initiative, we will assign appropriate staff to review and process cases identified through our screening methodologies. We plan to continue developing the PATH methodology in an effort to use this robust analysis at all levels of disability processing. Through PATH, we expect an increase in non-ALJ adjudications (reversals, on-the-record decisions), which will create a significant savings and opening a hearing slot for another case where a hearing is necessary. Our early projections for PATH modeling efforts in March 2017 suggested that approximately 3 percent (about 22,000) of unassigned cases pending at the hearing level could be identified by this model to be appropriately reviewed for a fully favorable decision without a hearing. We continue to monitor the percent of cases that are selected through the PATH model to validate our expected outcomes and will continue to update and improve our triage models as we learn from and incorporate the results of our efforts. ...

Move from Office-Based to National-Based First-In First-Out (FIFO) Model – This is a new initiative in FY 2017 that enhances the method of FIFO workload assignment by sharing resources across the country and matching up resource availability. This assists in prioritizing cases that have been waiting the longest. We will begin testing in the Seattle Region with the first stage of our process, when the hearing office first gets the case. We expect to see a balance in wait times and reduce bottlenecks in key parts of case processing (e.g., case intake, workup). ...

Pre-Hearing Conference (PHC) Expansion – We introduced this initiative with our original CARES Plan. As of December 31, 2016, over 30 participating offices conducted over 6,000 PHCs since May 2015. Data showed PHC participants had completed their hearing without postponement or rescheduling 56 percent of the time compared to 28 percent for those who did not participate in a PHC. Due to competing priorities, we paused this initiative in December 2016 to allow offices to focus on decision writing. With support from special anomaly funding, we will resume the PHC program on a limited basis in FY 2017, eventually normalizing the practice of PHCs for unrepresented claimants nationwide. Overall, we should see an increase the number of successful first time hearings a reduction in postponed hearings that needlessly take up hearing slots. ...

Voluntary Standby List – This CARES initiative is new for FY 2017 and may be supported by special anomaly funding for systems support to develop new notices. We will create the opportunity for claimants to have their hearings sooner by filling empty hearing slots on short notice. Participation will be voluntary, and participants must sign a waiver of advanced hearing notice should a spot become available. We expect to increase flexibilities with scheduling hearings by filling every available hearing timeslot. ...

     I salute those who drafted this document for trying but the only things that will really work are hiring more personnel and getting serious about screening cases for approval by a senior attorney or at what has been referred to informally as "re-recon." They can't do much hiring now because of budget constraints. While this plan talks of screening cases for early approval the way they have actually done this has been so restrictive that almost no cases have been disposed of. It appears to me that they are almost literally terrified of doing anything that results in more claims being approved even if, as here, it's just a matter of claims being approved earlier. Virtually all the cases approved in the past in the senior attorney and re-recon programs would have been approved eventually.

     Unfortunately, I'm not expecting anything but a worsening of the backlogs until there's a change in the control of the House of Representatives. That will get more resources for the agency and bring about different ways of thinking.

     By the way, the backlogs would have been much worse except for a major downturn in the number of Social Security disability claims filed. I hear that the agency's actuaries can't figure out the downturn. I can. Prospective claimants are discouraged by the huge backlogs and high denial rates. They delay filing claims. It may seem irrational to delay filing a disability claim because of bad backlogs. Wouldn't you want to get your place in line as soon as possible? Sure, if you're rational but humans are deeply irrational beings, especially when they're facing a crisis in their lives, as is the case with newly disabled people.

Caseload Analysis Report

     Below is a report that the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR) obtained from the Social Security Administration and published in its newsletter. That newsletter is not available online. Click on the thumbnail to view it full size. The published original is a bit fuzzy but it's readable.

Another Editorial On Backlogs

     The Denver Post has published an editorial on the backlogs in processing Social Security disability claims. It's got a reference to fraud but I think that the Republican effort to portray the Social Security disability programs as being rife with fraud is fading. They could only go so far with that because it's just not true. Instead, we're seeing more reporting on the horrible backlogs.

CUFF That Impulse

     From a press release issued by the Coalition for Citizens with Disablities (CCD), the major umbrella group of nonprofits working to help the disabled:

On Wednesday, September 13, 2017, the House Ways and Means Committee passed an amended version of H.R. 2792, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons [CUFF] Act of 2017. This bill would cut off Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits entirely for certain people with disabilities, as well as seniors. The proposed cut would bar payment of SSI benefits to people with an outstanding arrest warrant for an alleged felony or for an alleged violation of probation or parole. 

H.R. 2792 would revive an old, failed policy that had catastrophic effects for many people with disabilities and seniors, employing procedures that did not withstand judicial scrutiny. This proposal would not help law enforcement secure arrests. The Social Security Act already prohibits payments to people fleeing from law enforcement to avoid prosecution or imprisonment. The Social Security Administration (SSA) currently notifies law enforcement of the whereabouts of every person with a warrant for an alleged felony or an alleged violation of probation or parole who turns up in SSA’s databases. This bill would not change these policies and procedures.

Based on prior experience with SSA’s failed former policy, the people who would be affected are those whose cases are inactive and whom law enforcement is not pursuing. Most of the warrants in question are decades old and involve minor infractions, including warrants routinely issued when a person was unable to pay a fine or court fee, or a probation supervision fee. Many people are not even aware that a warrant was issued for them, as warrants are often not served on the individual. Some people will be swept up as a result of mistaken identity, or paperwork errors, which can take months or even years to resolve.

Resolving these warrants can be extremely hard and costly: people often must go before a judge in the issuing jurisdiction, and typically need counsel to assist them in navigating the process. Often, people have moved in the intervening years and live far from the issuing jurisdiction. ...

     Having seen this before, I definitely agree with CCD. This is the sort of thing that looks good from 30,000 feet. However, at ground level it's obviously unfair. People are deprived of their income over minor matters from many years earlier and sometimes they've done nothing wrong. They have to persuade prosecutors to dismiss ancient charges that couldn't possibly be prosecuted. Prosecutors are sometimes cooperative, sometimes hostile. It just depends upon the prosecutor. It's not fighting crime. It's not achieving any worthy goal. It's just harsh.

Equifax And Social Security

     Dave Lindorff at Salon wonders "How badly did Equifax breach damage the Social Security system?" The question arises because Equifax, which has suffered a massive hacking breach, has a contract with Social Security to help with security for the mySocialSecurity system that allows Americans to have some degree of access to their Social Security records.

     It's a reasonable question to ask. Unfortunately, when Lindorff asked Social Security, he got nothing. Their public affairs office refused to answer questions.

     Let my try to give the answer that Social Security should have given. Social Security obtains information from Equifax to verify identities but gives none to Equifax in return. For example, Social Security would ask Equifax for information on a person who is attempting to establish a mySocialSecurity account and those records might show that the person had recently purchased a car. Social Security would ask the person what brand of car they purchased. If the person attempting to open the mySocialSecurity account is the true number holder, they'd be able to answer the question and open the account. The key fact is that there is no information exchange. All of the information goes in one direction, from Equifax to Social Security. Equifax gets no information in return apart from the knowledge that Social Security was asking for information on that person.

     If there is a problem, it would be that the information hacked from Equifax could be used to open mySocialSecurity accounts but that risk quickly disappears assuming Equifax has stopped the data breach since Social Security is only using recent information to verify identity. Also, even apart from the Equifax hack, identity thieves have been able to access mySocialSecurity accounts to change bank deposit information to divert payments made to claimants. So far, Social Security has regarded this as a low level problem. To some extent that's true. It doesn't take long for people to complain about not receiving their Social Security benefits so little money is stolen and it's all eventually restored to the rightful people. However, it's a big problem for those who are deprived of their Social Security benefits for a month or two or three. Social Security seems to prefer that this not be publicized since it undermines their effort to get people to open mySocialSecurity accounts.
     I should say that Social Security eventually got its act together and was able to give a terse but accurate response when the Wall Street Journal asked the same question. The Wall Street Journal article is behind a pay wall.
     Update: Social Security really should have put out a statement on this as soon as possible after the Equifax breach became public. Two Senators have written a letter to  the Acting Commissioner asking about Equifax.

Brilliant Analysis

     The Scranton, Pennsylvania Times-Tribune has published an editorial saying that the Social Security disability "system is disabled and in need to rapid rehabilitation" It then goes on to cite the extensive backlogs at the agency. So what "rehabilitation" does this newspaper think is needed? They don't say. They just wonder why key staff shortages developed at Social Security and think someone needs to take a look at "whether the system’s earlier stages need to be improved to prevent so many appeals." 

     I don't expect a newspaper's editorial writers to have detailed Social Security knowledge but the research behind this piece must have taken less than a minute. I'm going to miss newspapers when they're gone but I'm not going to miss worthless editorials like this.
     Update: Here's a much better editorial on the same subject from a much smaller paper in Council Bluffs, Iowa showing what you can do if you put a little time into it.

People Want Smaller Government -- But Not For Themselves

     From Tom Margenau's column in the Arizona Daily Star: 

 I sure am glad President Trump isn’t considering me to be the new head of the Social Security Administration. What a thankless job! As about 10,000 people retire every day, and as thousands more file for disability and survivor benefits, the agency’s workforce keeps dwindling. And it’s going to get worse. ... 

The Trump administration has ordered the Social Security Administration (and almost all other government agencies) to downsize. At SSA, early retirement incentives have been offered to about 15,000 employees. That’s one-fourth of the agency’s total workforce of 62,000.That’s going to mean the closure of more local Social Security offices, which means fewer people available to answer the thousands of calls the agency gets every day. By far, the No. 1 complaint I hear from my readers is the overly long wait times when they call SSA’s 800 number. Well, all I can say is: Get used to it.

I’ve made this following point many times in this column. So many Americans claim they want smaller government. But if my e-mails are any indication, what they really mean is they want smaller government for everyone else — but not for themselves. ...

And if you also think that SSA, just like any other government agency , has a bloated administrative budget that could stand some trimming, well, think again. Out of every dollar collected in Social Security taxes, less than one penny goes toward running the agency that maintains earnings records for almost every American and pays monthly benefits to 1 out of every 6 Americans. ...

And if you think that these Trump cuts will merely be reversing all the growth in government that happened during the Obama years, you’re wrong. Between 2010 and 2016, SSA’s budget dropped by more than 10 percent. During that same period, its beneficiary base went up by 12 percent and its fixed costs increased by about $300 million each year....

You Can't Make Bricks Without Straw

     From the Associated Press:

More than 1 million Americans await a hearing to see whether they qualify for disability benefits from Social Security, with the average wait nearly two years -- longer than some of them will live. ... 

Last year, the agency's budget was $12.6 billion, roughly the same as it was in 2011, even though an additional 6 million people receive either retirement or disability benefits from Social Security. ...  

"No search for efficiencies, reprioritization of tasks or technological improvements can substitute for adequate resources," said Lisa Ekman of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives.

There"s No Mailing List For This Blog

     I keep getting e-mails asking from people asking me to add their e-mail address to the mailing list for this blog. There isn't a mailing list for this blog. There used to be but technical changes at Blogger made that impossible. If you want to access this blog, you have to come to this website on a regular basis.

I Don't Think You'll Get Any Argument From The Social Security Administration

     From an op ed in the New York Times:

... Consumers are asked for their Social Security number perhaps dozens of times each year: by banks, by utility companies, by their health care providers, by government agencies, even by websites. Every time the number is given, the odds go up that it will fall into the wrong hands. Still, America’s identification system relies on the fantasy that these nine digits are a secret. Publication of the full Social Security number list would shatter that fantasy and force the banking industry to invent new and genuinely effective ways to protect consumers from identity thieves. 

It seems that has finally occurred. The Equifax credit-reporting agency is being terribly, dangerously vague about its stunning loss of “potentially” 143 million Social Security numbers. The data belong to roughly three-quarters of Americans with a credit report. Might as well be everyone. 

Whatever the company finally admits to, this much is certain: Social Security numbers are no longer a secret. 

These numbers were created for a single purpose: to track worker contributions to a national retirement fund. Until the 1970s, the cards even arrived printed with the warning “Not for identification.” It’s time we heeded that warning and stopped using the number for applications of any kind. For loans, for jobs, for cellphones. It’s going to be very expensive, but the jig is up. 

Identity theft is an unfair shifting of costs. It has always been cheaper to avoid investment in security upgrades and instead push the real costs of this system onto victims, who spend hours cleaning up the messes left behind. They sometimes even pay a monthly fee for protection from a system they never asked to be a part of in the first place. 

This fragile authentication arrangement based on Social Security numbers persists so that retailers and banks can offer easy credit. Walk in with a number and a name, walk out with a new TV and a credit card. As long as a credit score attached to the Social Security number listed on the application is high enough, many creditors are more than happy to make that snap decision and take the risk. ... 

Social Security numbers were never designed to be a security tool, and their usefulness for that purpose has run its course. 

     Just please let the Social Security Administration continue using Social Security numbers. 

New Ruling On Sickle Cell

     The Social Security Administration is publishing a new Ruling on sickle cell disease tomorrow but you can read it today.

Nobody Wants The Job -- And One Explanation Why

     I'm at the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR) conference in Phoenix and I'm hearing that the job of Social Security Commissioner has been offered to several people by the Trump Administration and they have all turned it down.
     I'm also hearing that the backlog of Administrative Law Judge decisions awaiting decision writing has more than doubled in last year to more than 70,000. There are problems like this throughout the agency. These backlog problems may be one of the reasons no one wants the job.

Acting Commissioner's Staff Message On Hurricanes

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast 

Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 11:29 AM

Subject: Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Update

A Message to All SSA Employees 

Subject: Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Update

The one-two punch of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma has presented challenges for our employees and facilities.  The tireless efforts of regional, area, and local staff in Dallas, Atlanta and New York have helped ensure that we continue to deliver on the mission of the agency in trying times.  Thank you for your dedication and commitment.  

Many Social Security offices in Florida remain closed. Widespread power outages in Florida and across the Southeast are complicating office re-openings.  The Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas field offices remain closed and we continue to work on securing alternate space.  The remediation work in those and other offices, including in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has begun.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) authorized the activation of the Hurricane Harvey Emergency Leave Transfer Program (ELTP) as another measure to help adversely affected employees.  For employees who wish to donate annual leave to the ELTP, please complete Form OPM-1638, Request to Donate Leave and contact your supervisor for additional information.  If OPM makes a similar authorization for employees affected by Irma, we will let you know immediately.  For general donations, visit the Federal Employee Education and Assistance (FEEA) Fund at http://www.feea.org/, which collects contributions specifically for federal employees. 

To stay updated on service delivery in hurricane-affected areas, please visit our office closings and severe weather pages.  Recovery efforts in these areas will take time.  Please join me in keeping those affected in your thoughts.

Nancy A. Berryhill

Acting Commissioner 

Still No Trump Photo In Federal Offices

     From the Washington Post:

In the lobby of every federal building, just inside security turnstiles and before the elevator banks, a framed photograph of the president has always hung on the wall.

Not so anymore. Months after Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, pictures of the president and Vice President Pence are missing from thousands of federal courthouses, laboratories, military installations, ports of entry, office suites and hallways, and from U.S. embassies abroad.

On the walls are empty picture hooks left when workers took down official portraits of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Jan. 20. ...

The changeover appears to be tangled in a bit of red tape and mystery.

Federal agencies ordered photographs of their new commander in chief months ago. But they say they are still waiting for the Government Publishing Office, the printer of official portraits, to send them for distribution by the General Services Administration, which owns or leases 9,600 federal buildings across the country. 
The Government Publishing Office says it has yet to receive the images from the White House. And the White House says the president and vice president have not yet decided when they will sit for the type of high-quality official photographs usually churned out by the modern GPO, continuing a portrait tradition that began after the Civil War. ...

Earnings Records In The Early Days

The Visible Index which was used in the 1930s-1950s as the index to the earnings records of Social Security beneficiaries

Many Field Offices Closed By Weather

     Below is a list of Social Security field offices that will be closed today due to hurricanes. I have not seen any list of ODAR office closures:

Alabama

• Alabama ADO
• Alexander City
• Andalusia
• Anniston
• Bessemer
• Birmingham Downtown
• Birmingham East
• Birmingham Mega TSC
• Dothan
• Montgomery
• Opelika
• Selma
• SEPSC PC3
• Talladega

Florida

• Allapattah
• Belle Glade
• Bradenton
• Carrollwood
• Clearwater
• Cocoa
• Dade City
• Deland
• Ft. Lauderdale East
• Ft. Lauderdale TSC
• Ft. Lauderdale West
• Ft. Walton Beach
• Ft. Myers
• Gainesville
• Hialeah
• Jackson Memorial Hospital
• Jacksonville North
• Jacksonville South
• Key West Resident Station
• Kissimmee
• Lake City
• Lake Mary
• Lakeland
• Leesburg
• Little Havana
• Little River
• Marianna
• Melbourne
• Miami Beach
• Miami North
• Miami South
• Naples
• New Port Richey
• North Broward
• Ocala
• Orlando
• Orlando SSCC
• Panama City
• Perrine
• Pensacola
• Port Orange
• Port St. Lucie
• Pt. Charlotte
• Sarasota
• Sebring
• South Broward
• South Palm Beach
• St. Augustine
• St. Petersburg
• Tallahassee
• Tampa Downtown
• Tampa TSC
• Tampa WSU
• Valrico
• Venice
• Vero Beach
• West Palm Beach
• Winter Haven 

Georgia

• Albany
• Athens
• Atlanta Downtown
• Atlanta RO
• Atlanta West
• Augusta
• Blue Ridge CS
• Brunswick
• Columbus
• Cordele
• Covington
• Dalton
• Decatur
• Dublin
• Gainesville
• Georgia ADO
• Griffin
• Gwinnett
• LaGrange
• Macon
• Marietta
• Milledgeville
• Morrow (Southlake)
• Newnan
• Rome
• Savannah
• Statesboro
• Savannah DDS
• Thomasville DDS
• Tifton
• Toccoa
• Valdosta
• Vidalia
• Villa Rica
• Warner Robins
• Waycross
• Winder

Puerto Rico

 

All offices are closed in Puerto Rico

South Carolina

 

• Beaufort
• Charleston
• Columbia
• Walterboro

Texas

• Beaumont
• Port Arthur

Virgin Islands

 

 All offices are closed in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Some History To Explain Why I Don't Trust Social Security's Occupational Informational Project

Click on each page to view full size.

Initial And Recon Allowance Rates

     This was obtained from the Social Security Administration by the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR) which published the document in the NOSSCR newsletter, which is not available online.

Acting Commissioner Message On Hurricanes

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2017 9:02 AM
Subject: Update on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

A Message to All SSA Employees

Subject: Update on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

Recovery efforts continue in Texas and Louisiana.  Social Security offices in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are closed, with Hurricane Irma striking those Caribbean locations yesterday.  Due to the uncertainty of the hurricane’s path, we closed many southern Florida offices beginning yesterday as residents are either under mandatory evacuation orders or preparing to evacuate.

Most employees in the affected areas of the Dallas region have returned to work, and all offices except for Port Arthur, Texas and Beaumont, Texas have reopened.  We have employees on site in several Texas shelters to provide immediate payments for those who qualify.  Over the weekend, employees assisted about 600 individuals with their Social Security service needs in these shelters.

To keep updated on service delivery in hurricane-affected areas, please visit our office closings and severe weather pages on the Internet.

These are trying times for so many Americans, many of whom are our family, friends, and colleagues.  While we continue to deliver on the mission of the Agency, please remember those in harm’s way in your thoughts and prayers.

Nancy A. Berryhill

Acting Commissioner

Alleged SSI Fraud Found During A Terrorism Investigation

     From the Buffalo News:

When FBI agents searched Ari Elias Baum's Facebook page, they were looking for evidence of a terrorist in training.

They already knew about Baum's posting of a photo depicting a couple dressed in military garb and holding weapons, with the caption, "Husband and wife fighting for Islam. The most beautiful photos I have ever seen."

The FBI also knew about the Buffalo man's travels to Yemen and Facebook friendship with a man whose inflammatory posts had come to the attention of terrorism investigators.

Baum was never charged with any terrorism crime but he will stand trial later this month for Social Security fraud, and the government would like to resurrect the terrorism claims as part of its prosecution.

That was until a federal judge said no. ...

He ordered prosecutors to stay away from any mention of the terrorism investigation but allowed them to get into Baum's travels overseas, as well as make general references to his religion. ...

Baum is charged with Social Security fraud and making false statements, and the evidence against him was uncovered as part of the FBI's terrorism investigation. The evidence includes an alleged Facebook conversation between Baum and his stepfather while Baum was traveling overseas.

"How is your money holding out?" asks his stepfather, Dr. R. Bruce Baum.

"Life is cheaper here but I will lose the SSI eventually if I stay here because they will find out that I am out of the country," Baum replied. ...

The FBI's investigation into Baum became public shortly after his arrest on fraud charges three years ago. The four-count indictment against him claims he stole $4,277 in Social Security disability benefits over a four-month period in 2013. ...

     To explain, while benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act, that is, benefits based upon FICA contributions, are payable to those who are traveling or living outside the U.S. (with one rare exception), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are not supposed to be paid in a month in which an individual is outside the United States (except in one extremely rare circumstance). These rules are not well understood by SSI recipients. I don't think a prosecution would be common for something like this because there would be no proof that the SSI recipient was intentionally breaking the law. In this case, maybe there is proof of what lawyers call scienter.