tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post8462701672715300785..comments2024-03-28T18:46:20.316-04:00Comments on Social Security News: Astrue's Statement To Senate Finance Committee -- The Future Doesn't Look Too Good For Service DeliveryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-7686919201178017582012-05-18T17:27:15.047-04:002012-05-18T17:27:15.047-04:00@ 10:31 AM:
If you read all that I wrote I do not...@ 10:31 AM:<br /><br />If you read all that I wrote I do not consider myself jaded. I just admit that it is difficult to stay optimistic and it is understandable that some employees do become jaded. I do not know in which field offices you have worked, but I work at one in an inner city ghetto. From the management down to the clerical workers, we all feel extremely frustrated by the claimants. We do not necessarily blame them for the predicaments claimants are in and we try to be as understanding as possible. But we would be lying if at times we are about ready to break. Perhaps if I was located in a suburban field office I may have a different perspective on things. This is just one humble civil servant's honest opinion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-55712311227753509272012-05-18T12:10:27.994-04:002012-05-18T12:10:27.994-04:00As a learned friend of mine once said, " I am...As a learned friend of mine once said, " I am constrained by the Regulations". This is oh so true. I have denied many that broke my heart and paid some I could hardly stand to do, however, I was constrained by the Regulations to do as I did. This is not a fun job. Every claimant that appears before me is a wonderful person, a Mom, a Dad, a Brother, a Sister, a Grandparent, a Veteran, and they all have a story. Some are very sad. Some have caused their own problems, many haven't. Life is unfair and can be cruel. Many a times I have remembered that "if not for the Grace of God" I could be on the other side of the bench. A lot of Judges are just like me. A few are not. Most of us don't play God on these decisions, we are simply constrained by the Regulations one way or another.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-36051051342613268052012-05-18T10:31:29.899-04:002012-05-18T10:31:29.899-04:00I disagree with the jaded field office worker who ...I disagree with the jaded field office worker who complains that visitors to his office are rude, abrasive and uncooperative. In my experience working in field offices, 30+ years, this is the exception. Most people appreciate what we do, try their best to read and understand our letters, and cooperate with us. If you don't have that experience, it may not be the public that is the problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-66316713149332681182012-05-18T10:06:22.029-04:002012-05-18T10:06:22.029-04:00From this excerpt, I really fail to see why a cong...From this excerpt, I really fail to see why a congressmen would increase funding for SSA. Call wait times? Busy signals? This is the big reason you need more funding?<br /><br />What about all the money lost in overtime pay? Loss to the economy because disabled people can't purchase basic necessities? Deaths of those waiting years for court decisions on Medicare eligibility? Inability to prepare for baby boomer retirement?<br /><br />If I didn't know better I'd say that Astrue has no first hand experience in an overworked FO or DDS; only numbers and percentages on a chart his secretary gave him. Please, please, please retire...Nobbinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08199597836854072596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-8951016367343281402012-05-18T09:20:04.099-04:002012-05-18T09:20:04.099-04:00You could hire a fair number of CRs and TSRs with ...You could hire a fair number of CRs and TSRs with the money SSA chose to spend this month and next adding OGC attorneys and ALJs....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-29673979125919237212012-05-18T01:08:03.594-04:002012-05-18T01:08:03.594-04:00Now California is trying to reduce each DDS employ...Now California is trying to reduce each DDS employee to 38 hrs per week instead of 40 to save dollars, so this means less net cases will be done in Cali! Hope SSA can enforce their contract wit CA and stop letting the DDSs do what they want.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-63498708256928265192012-05-17T22:17:54.952-04:002012-05-17T22:17:54.952-04:00Most SSA employees are compassionate and extremely...Most SSA employees are compassionate and extremely patient. Most claimants are obviously on their best behavior in front of the ALJ. If attorneys or ALJs spent a few days in the field office maybe you would understand why the frontline employees become somewhat jaded over time. A decent amount of the time the claimants are totally rude and abrasive. They do not want to understand the rules of Social Security or SSI. When you try to explain the reality of the rules they boast how they will get an attorney and take it to the judge. If half these claimants knew how to read a simple letter or follow directions the hearing backlog would plummet, at least for the non-disability cases. And I am not saying this for sympathy for my perspective or to try to bash the public. It is simply a reality of the current state of affairs. I have a lot of sympathy for people and I truly feel blessed I am not in their shoes, but when a significant amount of people you have to serve have little respect for you obviously it is going to wear down morale.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-74976211965262076802012-05-17T21:34:13.020-04:002012-05-17T21:34:13.020-04:00Compassionate insiders like anon 8:43 are indeed r...Compassionate insiders like anon 8:43 are indeed rare on some of these blogs. And while no one expects sympathy pays the mere understanding of a claimants plight is great acknowledgement to make. I wish more would speak up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-12227337633770132572012-05-17T20:43:46.497-04:002012-05-17T20:43:46.497-04:00anon 6:29,
I think you have to include dismissals ...anon 6:29,<br />I think you have to include dismissals in the percentages. Before and ALJ can dismiss, he/she is supposed to review the case to determine whether it can be paid on record. It's my experience that most "no show" dismissals are weak cases anyway. <br /><br />I agree with your point about Conehead omitting senior attorney cases. My favorable percentage has decreased and I suspect this is one of the reasons. Another reason is the horrible economy has pushed desperate people to file disability claims. Most of us feel sympathy for these folks but we can't pay them because of our feelings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-73548431238456607942012-05-17T18:29:06.067-04:002012-05-17T18:29:06.067-04:00Our ALJs are not meeting our productivity goals by...Our ALJs are not meeting our productivity goals by “paying down the backlog,” as has sometimes been alleged. In fact, our hearing level allowance rate dropped over 4 percentage points this past year. ...<br /><br />That is a deceptive statement. ALJs approved 58% of all cases disposed of by ODAR in 2011, but if you eliminate dismissals, which count as dispositions, but not decisions, the percentage of favorable decisions would increase. Also, Astrue conveniently forgets to mention the Senior Attorney Adjudicator decisions, of which there were 53,000 last fiscal year. Obviously ALJs are going to issue fewer favorable decisions if the senior attorneys are taking away 53,000 from the ALJs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-6990165594420893002012-05-17T17:47:43.161-04:002012-05-17T17:47:43.161-04:00I don't know why you try to make jabs that thi...I don't know why you try to make jabs that this year's numbers will be worse. Obviously they probably will since he indicated there is increasing workloads and attrition. Why can't you just commend the frontline employees for doing their jobs? SSA is an agency under siege, but we do our jobs with pride. None of us really care what a bloodsucking lawyer has to say about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19246708.post-41294704491613335842012-05-17T16:38:10.359-04:002012-05-17T16:38:10.359-04:00Maybe he is not giving FY12 stats because the FY s...Maybe he is not giving FY12 stats because the FY still has 4+ months left.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com