tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post1850733025621531997..comments2024-03-29T02:05:50.350-04:00Comments on Social Security News: I Can't Get Away From WorkUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-6562802262352926142016-06-10T21:26:59.677-04:002016-06-10T21:26:59.677-04:00"The bureaucratic mentality is the one consta..."The bureaucratic mentality is the one constant in the universe!" Doctor McCoy-Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01430141227801711657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-87977568426320593882016-06-10T19:09:41.275-04:002016-06-10T19:09:41.275-04:00That's exactly how the claimants treat it, as ...That's exactly how the claimants treat it, as a LOTTERY! It's really a system that needs a complete overhaul. <br /><br />And EQUAL is all the government really cares about. EQUAL means things even out. You are correct that someone can be treated equal but receive an unjust decision. But again, for every unjust denial, there's probably an unjust allowance somewhere. <br /><br />The numbers look good and the beaurocrats are happy. It sucks but it's the government. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-14083526088913016022016-06-10T10:29:18.789-04:002016-06-10T10:29:18.789-04:007:15 AM I know, life's not fair... What I ...7:15 AM I know, life's not fair... What I mean by "fair" is an honorable, honest, just attempt to determine if the individual meets the qualifications of SSI/SSDI! I don't expect anyone to be perfect, but I would expect a judge to make an unbiased, reasoned judgement. Part of doing that is to understand that doctors aren't attempting to document their records for SSA, but rather for their own use. Some are better record keepers than others. If it was all in the records, perhaps many more claimants would be approved earlier. Unfortunately, too many ALJs (read some of the comments from ODAR-such as Chicago) come into the hearing just looking for an excuse to deny. I'm sure I could find SOMETHING in EVERY claimants file to use as an excuse to deny or approve! As for "EQUAL," an ALJ could treat everyone "EQUALLY" and still be unjust! Also, if it's just about numbers to management and Congress and fairness is irrelevant, why bother paying management, DDS, ALJs, reps, VEs, MEs and the AC? Have Senator Lankford set a number he's willing to pay and set up a lottery among the claimants. Each claimant would then have an "EQUAL" chance!! Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01430141227801711657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-12827057641645603562016-06-10T07:15:07.028-04:002016-06-10T07:15:07.028-04:00It's exactly like an ACCOUNT to the government...It's exactly like an ACCOUNT to the government - that's just fact. I love it every day. There is no individual cases issues as long as the "numbers" look good. As for "fair"...really? Fair is pie in the sky across the board. Nothing is ever "fair". I agree the hearing should be impartial, but no one is expecting "fair" I hope. I'm not a proponent of making things in life "fair". That's not the role of the government. Equal, but not fair.<br />As long as you have human beings making these decisions, we will all have these issues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-61987953849694157952016-06-09T20:05:55.373-04:002016-06-09T20:05:55.373-04:003:33 PM "EVEN OUT" for the government?...3:33 PM "EVEN OUT" for the government? Sounds a lot like an accountant! Unfortunately, it doesn't "even out" for the victims of denier judges! SSA has a responsibility to ultimately make the right decision for every claimant. Allowing ALJs to deny for frivolous "reasons" or to simply approve everyone to get bigger bonuses are equally egregious. Taxpayers and claimants both must receive a fair hearring and, if necessary, a fair appeal. If ALJs are incappable of being fair and management is incapplable of insuring that fairness, then either or both should be removed/reassigned! All the petty SSA infighting seems to lack what the focus should be: determining whether individual claimants meet the requirements, or not!Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01430141227801711657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-84110250388359894582016-06-09T18:48:25.140-04:002016-06-09T18:48:25.140-04:00Thank you. Very inspiring and good food for though...Thank you. Very inspiring and good food for thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-21274548904964740392016-06-09T15:33:58.087-04:002016-06-09T15:33:58.087-04:00There are certainly people that need help. However...There are certainly people that need help. However, I think for every egregious denial I can equal it with a story of egregious fraud. Does that make it any better? No, but it shows things "even out". If you're under the impression the government cares about anything more than numbers, you're in for s rude awakening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-17418893387516491732016-06-09T13:17:27.171-04:002016-06-09T13:17:27.171-04:00Yep, about that "having a life". Have a ...Yep, about that "having a life". Have a homeless client right now waiting for his hearing. Over age 60, a botched hip replacement left one leg substantially shorter than the other. Should meet grids. But he asked for viagra at one doctor's visit (homeless, remember?) and admitted to selling food stamps for cash. Guess how this one is going to go? <br /><br />Another client, in the middle of the hearing the ALJ looked at the county clerk's online criminal court records to find that my client had been convicted of violating probation, something that was nowhere in the record. He proceeded to grill my client about the situation. <br /><br />Third client, a refugee from the Bosnian civil war, who had had 2 kidney replacement surgeries. Evidence that she liked to sit in her garden (on a stool) and weed her flower bed and that she traveled once during the time period to Bosnia to visit family was used to show lack of seriously impaired RFC. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-35049769457103582232016-06-09T12:52:25.139-04:002016-06-09T12:52:25.139-04:00Yes, claimants trying to "have a life" i...Yes, claimants trying to "have a life" is used all to often by ALJs to show the claimant isn't disabled. I had an ALJ turn down a claimant who had a stroke. Part of his main "proof" she could work was that she rode in a car (her husband drove) 8 hours out of state to a relative's wedding. Appealed to appeals council which upheld it. Meanwhile, she had a second stroke. The next ALJ found her disabled the day after the first hearing... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-59208803260472129182016-06-09T10:17:02.831-04:002016-06-09T10:17:02.831-04:00Agreed...a 26 year old with that many children is ...Agreed...a 26 year old with that many children is probably not common. I did have a 33 year old woman files who had 11 though. It does happen. If I remember right, the oldest was 15 and the youngest was less than a year old. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-67001920236130790562016-06-09T08:13:01.512-04:002016-06-09T08:13:01.512-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Word Ware Inchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08253922338337709995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-76398155759967421012016-06-09T00:33:41.441-04:002016-06-09T00:33:41.441-04:00IF the story about the woman is true and I doubt ...IF the story about the woman is true and I doubt 100% that it is, that woman who has 12 kids only gets paid half of her monthly benefits as if she only had one child, This is to the ignorant moron (redundant) who is willing to believe anything bad about the disabled. Hopefully the i m will never get to find out what that would be like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-62732872853607043152016-06-08T23:28:56.563-04:002016-06-08T23:28:56.563-04:00This fictional 26 year-old woman with a bad back a...This fictional 26 year-old woman with a bad back and 10 children is a red herring! This senario was rare in the golden age of welfare, let alone in SSI/SSDFI! It's just another attempt to belittle the disabled (along with claims of "rampant fraud") by petty, greedy, uncaring people who have no real concept of what the disabled go through!Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01430141227801711657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-16187751428348373082016-06-08T22:58:35.184-04:002016-06-08T22:58:35.184-04:00Who cares how many children someone has...as long ...Who cares how many children someone has...as long as they can AFFORD to care for them without ripping into my pockets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-55959210669590259612016-06-08T15:43:45.962-04:002016-06-08T15:43:45.962-04:00If a 26 year old has a 12 year old, she was below ...If a 26 year old has a 12 year old, she was below the age of consent when the child was conceived and more than likely was the victim of rape (see the Landry study from 1995). Repeated pregnancies could also cause back problems. <br /><br />But you just want to be a jerk, huh? <br /><br />Bet you don't ask most men how many children they've fathered, what role they play in childrearing, and use that in your decisions.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-3092447541238651092016-06-08T14:29:53.601-04:002016-06-08T14:29:53.601-04:00Nah, I want to go into title pawning...Nah, I want to go into title pawning...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-20342468927277560832016-06-08T12:48:22.116-04:002016-06-08T12:48:22.116-04:0012:32
You are a despicable person. You should con...12:32<br /><br />You are a despicable person. You should consider resigning from public service. I hear here are excellent job opportunities in debt collection, repo, and payday lending.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-31106725904269855752016-06-08T12:32:32.459-04:002016-06-08T12:32:32.459-04:00Ah my favorite claimant. 26 year old woman that h...Ah my favorite claimant. 26 year old woman that has severe back pain, so severe there is no position she can get comfortable in. Been like this for years. She has 10 children, the oldest 12, the youngest 6 months. I bet I know one position she is fairly comfortable in....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-41659885748214324102016-06-08T11:00:21.465-04:002016-06-08T11:00:21.465-04:00I really don't see how this question (vacation...I really don't see how this question (vacation) is really relevant? If someone can endure travel for a few days and walk a little more than they normally can, how does this really matter? Ultimately, it's about what you can do on a SUSTAINED basis! However, it wouldn't surprise me if a denier ALJ used merely traveling as an excuse to deny!Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01430141227801711657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-10864330402513432012016-06-08T06:15:20.491-04:002016-06-08T06:15:20.491-04:00ALJ: Have you taken any vacations or long trips, ...ALJ: Have you taken any vacations or long trips, say, within the last two years?<br />Porgy: Well, I did hitch up my goat cart and went up to New York to look for my girlfriend, who has a problem with "happy dust."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com