From WYMT:
Victims of Eric C. Conn could see their social security benefits re-instated thanks to an agreement between the Social Security Administration and a local attorney.
Prestonsburg attorney Ned Pillersdorf, who has been advocating for many former clients of Conn’s in their battles with the SSA over the past several years, announced on Facebook Monday night that the “historic agreement” with the administration means that many of the 500 former clients could see their benefits reinstated if they request new hearings.
If the clients prevail in the hearings, they could see up to six years worth of back pay that could collectively total tens of millions of dollars. ...
When will it be time for Social Security to just throw up its hands on this? The whole thing is an impossible mess created by agency over-reaching. Of course, there was misconduct by a few people in Kentucky but the Social Security Administration didn't have to throw out all its rules and commonsense in responding to what happened.
8 comments:
The "whole thing" was created not by the agency but by Eric Conn "Mr Social Security a lawyer wo defrauded the government of millions of dollars.
I believe there were ALJs involved too, also lawyers. This is what happens when you make government benefits a business.
I wonder how many of Conn's clients have died while waiting for their benefits to be reinstated....
What was the Conn scam? It was payment to an ALJ to get his clients in front of that ALJ...who paid 95 % of his cases. To me, this really wasn't that different from "greasing the skids" in New York. My grandfather talked about taking his trucks to NYC. You bribed the unions and paid the mob "for protection," because, if you didn't... Conn wasn't necessarily paying for approvals as much as he was paying to get a favorable ALJ. Why do SSA employees want to make this all about Conn, when Daugherty was just as guilty, if not more so?
@9:15: And warnings sent up the chain by staff in the HOs went ignored by leadership because it was (and remains) vastly more important to them that claims be processed quickly rather than correctly. So, the agency doesn’t deserve any absolution either.
@2:53PM the amount that it is "vastly more important to them that claims be processed quickly rather than correctly" cannot be overstated.
The execs absolutely knew, but escaped scrutiny, because the HOCALJ retaliated against whistleblowers. Then, the execs, and Chief Judges Debbie Bice and Patrick Nagle, subjected the poor claimants to fraud redeterminations. Cruel and perverse
The settlement with the SSA involved 500 of the 750 former Conn clients whose benefits were not reinstated after the SSA's mass hearings were declared unconstitutional in the Sixth Circuit decision in the Amy Hicks case. Several other circuits agreed Hicks was correctly decided. 250 had previously had their benefits reinstated via individual court orders following Hicks. .
The SSA initially refused to reinstate benefits to the 500 because they did not have active cases, and according to the SSA they defaulted. We argued the American Pipe doctrine tolled their statue of limitations because we filed a class action.
The settlement allows the 500 to have their benefits reinstated once they ask for a new hearing. If they win the new hearing they can get six years worth of backpay. The settlement was likely caused by a change in leadership within the SSA.
Great work Ned and Appalred. Also two brave whistleblowers really deserve credit. It might have continued much longer without their sacrifice.
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