The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Trump Administration is working on a plan to make it harder to qualify for Social Security disability benefits, apparently by revising the grid regulations. The paper says it has seen a copy of the draft.
You have to wonder who leaked this. Was it someone in the Trump Administration proud of the plan? The fact that this appeared in the Wall Street Journal suggests that. That's crazy since this is bound to be unpopular with far more people than it's popular with. It's also possible that this was leaked by an opponent who wants to make it clear what the stakes will be in this November's election although that seems unlikely. You have to wonder if this, like the assassination in Iraq, is an attempt to curry favor with an impeachment juror.
In any case, there's virtually zero chance this will happen before the election. The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act make that essentially impossible. Also, Social Security would have to allow publication of the new Occupational Information System it's been keeping under wraps. The agency's website suggests that's not imminent.
Okay. Let's say your premise (or their premise) is correct. So what? Pelosi pressured many of her people to vote for impeachment in the house. She also withheld the NAFTA replacement deal until after the impeachment vote. As for the Iranian, he had it coming and so did Iran! As for the grids, wouldn't changing them require Congress to act? Couldn't ALJs work around them? The deniers are going to deny anyway! Ultimately, it is the ALJ who makes the decisions and they are the ones who will have to answer for their decisions (before God). Do you think Pontius Pilate will have to answer for putting a man he KNEW was innocent to death? He didn't even know WHO was actually on trial. He was.
ReplyDeleteSorry Tim but I don't think you are thinking in the real world. We are the only western so called civilized nation that I believe has a significant part of its population undergoing a reversal in life expectancy. Working people in their fifties with high school diplomas are getting hammered socially, economically, and healthwise in this society. This action is aimed right at them. Many will be white working class supporters of this administration. This will make it harder than ever to get approved for disability and will drive down approval rates dramatically. You also have to take into consideration that many state workers compensation systems have been almost destroyed by republican state legislatures acting on behalf of HUGE corporate and insurance interests leaving broken workers with no choice but to seek disability through this system. Build more prisons and homeless shelters! This administration is totally screwing a good portion of its base of supporters. Red states rely on this program far more than blue do. Suck the disability funds out of the economies of every red state small town in America. Think main street looks dismal now.
ReplyDeleteTimmy is delusional. I manage a rural office coming from an urban one. The staff complains about daycare costs, medical, working Wed, no telework but first to ok more money for the military and MAGA.
DeleteHere's a link to the full article:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-weighs-tighter-requirements-for-disability-payments-11578686424?mod=e2tw
Wow! 1st the proposed new CDR diary rules and then this. So much for the promise to leave Social Security alone. Honestly when you look at theses ideas they come directly from proposals written by the Heritage Foundation. They have articles about both of these proposed issues. Next will be a proposal about a means tested flat benefit based on the poverty level.I think that's a Heritage Foundation gem too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for publicizing this. So far it's hardly out there or getting picked up on by national media. The shining light of day needs to be placed on the upcoming attacks by the Trump Administration to shatter the disability program. NOSSCR and other groups need to go into full crisis mode on all of this and fight and lobby like hell. This will create further distrust and unease about this administration going into election if publicized enough. The democratic party once used the eternal desire of right wing republicans to end social security and medicare to destroy them in elections. If we set back we are going to be clubbed like baby seals. Destroying safety nets is starting to become unpopular. Lots of my clients are Trump voters they need to be told what they are really voting for!
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to the Heritage Foundation's ideas on SSDI/SSI reforms.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/report/16-reforms-improve-the-solvency-and-integrity-social-security-disability
It sure seems like this is where the Trump administration is grabbing ideas.
I see one has to have a subscription to Wall Street Journal to even read about this. I doubt many poor disabled people will even know this is happening. The article needs to free. I'm disabled, and I'd like to read it but I won't pay Apple $9.99 for 1 month of Apple News subscription just to read it -- I can't afford that.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand the Trump administration.
Any person who isn't wealthy that thinks the Trump administration is looking out for them is seriously deluded. Second Trump term will be death to all programs that protect or help regular Americans or protect us from corporate greed and corruption. With no additional term to be had he will give the Koch brother everything he ever dreamed of. He will purge the disability rolls. Our homeless populations will skyrocket! Trillions for unnecessary republican wars but let the people eat cake.
ReplyDeleteTrump bloviates about how the economy is and all these jobs. Then, he attacks the most vulnerable the disabled. Trump and his minions will not go over aged Social Security recipients but the disabled are easy targets.
ReplyDeleteJust vile.
@11:04
ReplyDeleteHere's a similar article I'd assume.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/477779-white-house-weighing-proposal-to-tighten-eligibility-for-disability
10:25, they're going against the Heritage Foundation in many other respects, reinstating recon instead of eliminating it, and attacking the ALJ corps instead of increasing it in size and strengthening it in responsibility.
ReplyDeleteTim, you’re going to twist yourself into a pretzel trying to defend Trump while you complain about how hard it is to get disability benefits.
ReplyDeleteIf Trump’s administration has its way, it will be harder than ever for people like you to prove that you are disabled. Yet instead of blaming Trump for pushing a harmful law, you’d blame the ALJs for applying that law. Absurd.