Social Security has issued an official announcement about video hearings. Interestingly, the announcement talks only about video hearings beginning this fall. A November date isn't mentioned. November is the date that was mentioned to NOSSCR recently. This may mean nothing but people were already asking whether November meant the first of November. The term "fall" covers a lot of ground. Perhaps, it's a sign that this won't be rolled out all at once or that Social Security still hasn't decided when they'll start this.
Sep 9, 2020
When Do The Video Hearings Begin?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
Keep an eye of the Notice of Hearings. They are supposed to go out 75 days in advance, though an amended one can go out 20 days in advance.
An ALJ told me that the rollout is starting with the NHCs first.
Funny how far behind the government offices are in all of this.
Business has been holding video meetings for the ENTIRE length of the pandemic. International business has continued. SSA seems unable to find its footing in this new world.
I'm not sure if it was the official announcement, though it looked official, but the one I read said that they are going to do a phased roll out with critical cases and aging cases getting the option first.
@8:27 AM
This is an unprecedented situation for SSA, and given the sensitive nature of the information disclosed during hearings, it couldn't be addressed by simply hopping onto the Zoom bandwagon. I'm sure the delay was also compounded by the deluded misinformation campaign pushing lies about how this pandemic would, despite all evidence to the contrary, just "disappear" once summer came.
Also, we deal with vulnerable individuals who don't have computer access.
@8:54 it was new to everyone. I guess you think major corporations simply closed and no longer conducted business. Or did all business in an environment that was not secure, or that doctors did not conduct video consults, but I am sure you have your own motivations.
@11:23 AM
Of course not. But most major corporations and medical providers aren't performing the unusually specialized work of conducting Social Security disability hearings, and had the ability to purchase pre-existing, ready-made software built for their needs. Most also have greater control over their financial resources, and aren't subject to the complex procurement rules we suffer in exchange for a less corrupt government. Also, the average business staff meeting or telehealth visit isn't likely to involve the verbal exchange of information that could result in theft of someone's Social Security number (and thus result in identity theft, which often takes years of time and tens of thousands of dollars to fix).
@11:23 Good point. Could have been done long ago.
As I understand Microsoft Teams, there is no phone in option for some participants like there is on Zoom. Everyone has to be on video or its not going to happen. It will be interesting to see if MEs and VEs will be willing to participate by video. They have mostly been phoning it in, literally and figuratively, since will before the pandemic started.
11:23 must be ignorant of all the various rules and regulations that tie federal executive branch administrative agencies' hands even when they're well run (which SSA most decidedly is not). Someone already mentioned general procurement rules, which are onerous and time consuming, but there's also a suite of rules regarding security and IT--nobody can just up and start using new tech, especially when the subject matter involves PII of the public.
Did businesses just start zooming recklessly? There's a good argument to be made that they have--I've seen all sorts of anecdotes in major media publications about security issues with the quick transition to Zoom, etc. along with all the anti-China propaganda BS warning of similar problems.
Anyhow, it's just funny to me that you all are so ignorant of how things work in the fed gov't that you could say credulously, "why didn't SSA immediately transition to using new technology for its hearings?"
Not sure how this is realistically going to work. Many claimants have limited internet access and maybe not access to these apps. Many are not internet savvy.
It would be nice. But not sure if this will work. Telephone hearings are the next best thing.
Initial rollout is limited to only NHC judges and HOCALJs. In other words only management judges so that the agency doesn’t have to bargain with the ALJ union. It’s my understanding the purpose of this is to scoop up cases where there is a telephone decline but not a video decline. In other words, it’s expected that phone hearings will still be the primary way hearings are conducted into next year and the video hearings will be used to supplement that. I’d be surprised if video hearings from home become the norm. The agency’s network is getting more strained by the day without attempting to do several thousand hearings per day by video.
The question was asked at the meeting with Gruber et al about ME's Ve's and interpreters and the answer was that they would not be on video. They would only be on phone.
If it is true that all participants need to be video and there is no mixture, then someone should tell the Agency because that is not what they said.
they have been holding limited video hearings for about 6 weeks (NHC, management ALJs). Next rollout is with HOCALJs in all offices. Will be significantly limited to a small number of cases. Don't expect large-scale rollout for at least 6 months. As others noted, telephone hearings will be the norm for a while. The public-facing SSA website says that the current method of doing business will continue for the "foreseeable future". Get used to it, this is the new norm.
Post a Comment