From the newsletter of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR), which is not available online to non-members:
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Note the continuing decline in receipts and backlogs. I can't see the national picture but I know locally that one reason for this is that cases are piling up at the initial and reconsideration levels. You can't ask for a hearing until you've been denied at initial and reconsideration. Increased backlogs at that level, at least where I am, has led to decreased backlogs at the hearing level.
Note also the large amount of overtime used as well as how highly variable overtime usage is from month to month. I'd say that such heavy usage of overtime in a program that deals with only very minor seasonal fluctuations in workload is bad management. I think that if they were honest that Social Security managers would agree but would blame it on the uncertain budget situation they face.
By the way, I think it's time to change the caption on this report from "ODAR Workload and Performance Summary" to "OHO Workload and Performance Summary". It's been quite some time now since they changed the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) to the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO).
7 comments:
pending is definitely continuing to drop pretty rapidly. The agency has already met its pending target for the FY with a month still to go. It looks like the agency will also meet its dispositional target though thats going to be close. in the 2 months since that report came out pending is down almost another 50K. You can see the pending DDS workloads by month and state here- https://www.ssa.gov/disability/data/ssa-sa-mowl.htm
while there has been a slight uptick in receipts and DDS pending its nowhere close to where it was just a few years ago.
Is NOSSCR still a thing since they don't do continuing education requirements any longer? How is the membership holding up since the former leader of the organization left? Is it still relevant? I hear even less about NADR, is it still alive?
When did NOSSCR stop providing continuing education credits? I went 2 years ago and got credit...Say it ain't so...
No one should be celebrating these numbers. Overtime is being done non-stop. So, it does not mean folks are being more productive or efficient. Until the agency gets rid of the useless and excessive mgt. folks at hearing offices and all the other folks who are not doing their jobs (like so many ALJ's) this is just making numbers dance to support the faulty argument that the agency is being as productive and efficient as it should be.
NOSSCR has a conference next month at which our very own Charles Hall is presenting.
BY the way, NOSSCR still gives credits.Just checked.
I thought only SSAs continuing ed met requirements, guess I have been out of the money end of this too long.
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