From a notice published today by the Social Security Administration in the Federal Register (footnote omitted):
... SSA is embarking on a multi-year effort to simplify the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application process. ...
As part of this effort, our goal is to develop a fully online, simplified SSI application process. As an important step toward that goal, we are currently planning to implement in late 2023 the SSI Simplification Phase I initiative, or iSSI. iSSI will be a pathway in the existing Social Security internet Claim (iClaim) System that will streamline and shorten the SSI application for Title XVI disability applicants. iClaim is an online portal the public can use to apply for multiple types of Social Security benefits. Currently, this includes Retirement, Spouse's, and Disability Insurance benefits (DIB) (Title II SSDI). ...
Title XVI applicants who want to use the internet to apply for SSI will use the iClaim system to initiate the application process and establish the protective filing date of the application. Applicants filing for themselves can authenticate online using one of our existing authentication methods, while applicants assisting others can use iClaim without authenticating. Although SSA encourages respondents to authenticate in iClaim, they can continue to use the system without authentication.
When applicants who use iClaim authenticate themselves, the iClaim system can use some information already within SSA records. For all applicants, the iClaim system will prompt the Social Security Disability (Disability Insurance Benefit (DIB)) questions and pre- populate the applicant's answers within the iSSI portion of the iClaim pages. The applicants would then only need to answer simplified eligibility related questions, excerpted from the deferred SSI application, that will form the core of iSSI. These are what SSA refers to as ``basic eligibility questions.''
After answering the DIB and SSI basic eligibility questions, applicants will be automatically transferred to other existing steps within the SSI Application iClaim path, such as providing medical information (using the i3368, OMB No. 0960-0579) and signing a medical release using the i827 (OMB No. 0960-0623). This process will be seamless to the applicant, as the iClaim system will take them from page to page without interruption. Once the applicant submits the information online, SSA technicians will review it for completeness and send it to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) to make a disability determination. ...
This is about to become a well intentioned nightmare for field offices across the country. The agency is HORRIBLE at marketing, absolutely atrocious. The amount of claimants who are filing for RIB that mark "yes I want to apply for SSI" on their application is unreal. SSA needs to do a better job of explaining that Social Security benefits are different than SSI. Secondly, these claims will likely go to the WSU (Workload Support Units) who support SSDI applications. This is going to cause problems unless policy is changed. Currently, if a claim needs development (proofs), WSU cannot contact the claimant, or the claimant marks that they want an appointment with their FO after filing their application, it will immediately get transferred to an FO for development. SSI applications complicate this as the majority of SSI applications need extra development on income/resources/vehicles/whatever needs documentation. So, unless SSA policy changes, they are going to file online, it will go to a WSU and just sit, and then it will have to be transferred to the FO anyways so a Claims Rep can try to reach the claimant. Again, as well intentioned as this may be, it's going to be a shitshow for field employees as is every "update" SSA leadership wants to do.
ReplyDeleteWe generally check the SSI box for those with unclear insured status and those who may be eligible asset-wise at the time of filing or in the future. The problem with not checking the box is that SSA would not back date the PFD on a straight T2 claim for a T16 claim if circumstances later changed to support SSI or the PIA was lower than the maximum SSI benefit. Unfortunately it was more work for everybody, but our job is to represent claimants and get them everything they are entitled to.
DeleteOh boy…..
ReplyDeleteWho is going to do the PERC if the decision comes back approved? WSU? Transfer to the field? Nightmare incoming.
ReplyDeleteAnd even when you say you also want to file for SSI, claimants frequently get letters saying that they had told SS they did not want to file for SSI even when no conversation took place.
ReplyDeleteIt would be fine if we could file the SSI claim online. It would also be fine if we could file a claim for a client and not have to have the claim verified by sending papers to the claimant and not the rep that also needed to have a wet signature and be returned. Just how many claims are filed by reps that the client doesn't want filed.
Supposedly, a rep can be listed as trusted which will allow them to file for a client. Why not allow that and eliminate the extra paperwork back and forth.
Its almost as if the SSA wants to prove the Republicans are right and that Government is too incompetent to get anything right.
@1:50
ReplyDeleteIts not just SSA, democratic oversight has been non-existent, and no one in Congress or the Executive branch are interested in intentionally designing processes/regulations that make the agency more efficient. An empowered smart Commissioner could target these non-sensical case processing inefficiencies directly. Revising/eliminating POMS does not require Congressional authorization. But none of this would work without internal IT experts and heavy input from SSA employees that actually do the work. It honestly feels like SSA does not even bother getting input from on the ground FO employees and managers before passing these regulations that are intended to improve efficiency and reduce workloads.
Jennifer Palkha's new policy book needs to be read widely at SSA and in Congress. She lead the team that fixed the disastrous rollout of the Obamacare website. https://www.recodingamerica.us/
It will be a giant cluster at first given the agency’s track record. Give 3-5 years and it will probably be somewhat viable and no just a headache.
ReplyDelete