The Effects Of Incarceration On Disability Benefits

     From The Impact of Past Incarceration on Later-Life DI and SSI Receipt by Gary V. Engelhardt:

• Past incarceration reduces the career years of employment, in general, and the likelihood of meeting the DI [Disability Insurance] duration test, in particular, reducing eligibility for DI. 
• Given the likely reduction in eligibility, however, past incarceration leads to a 30-percentage-point increase in the likelihood of applying for DI or SSI benefits, with an 18-percentage-point increase in the likelihood of benefit receipt. 
• Past incarceration raises by about 20 percentage points the likelihood the individual is in poverty as measured by the federal poverty threshold. 

 The policy implications of the findings are:

• At the aggregate level, DI rolls are about 300,000 higher for 50-61-year-old men because of past incarceration; SSI rolls are about 50,000 higher. 
• Incarceration has resulted in about 375,000 additional men between 50 and 61 years of age being under the federal poverty threshold in the 2010-2016 period.  ...

    What I've seen over the years is that imprisonment is bad for your health. Unhealthy food, incredibly stressful living conditions and poor medical treatment are a big part of it but probably not all. Certainly, many convicted felons arrive in prison already suffering from significant health problems, both physical and mental.

It’s Easy To Get Your Social Security Problems Resolved — Just Get A TV Station Involved

     Social Security stopped a man’s benefits benefits because they say he’s in prison but a TV station found him at home saying he’s never been in prison. He couldn’t get the agency to restore his benefits. Twenty-four hours after the TV station starts asking Social Security about the case, the benefits are resumed. Funny how that happens.

Mistaken Identity In Florida

     From First Coast News:

Johnnie Hills, 58, believes he is the victim of mistaken identity. He said proving that to Social Security Administration, however, has been difficult.

"The system is you're guilty until proven innocent and I didn't even do anything," he said.
On July 29, Hills received a letter at his North Jacksonville home from Social Security Administration. The document stated his monthly disability check of $1,600 was being suspended "because he is in prison for the conviction of a crime."

"I was like, 'it can't be me,'" Hill said. "It must be somebody else."

Hills said he made two trips to the local Social Security office to correct what he calls an obvious mistake. He said he found no empathy and no help. 

Hills, who is a former school board employee, was advised to check with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for a criminal or prison record. He said there was none.

"The officer told me I wasn't in the system and there was nothing he could do," Hill said. ...

"My bills have gotten behind," Hills said. "They're not going to help me with that. I didn't know who to talk to." ...

     I had one of these cases. My client was approved for Social Security disability benefits but she wasn't paid. The explanation we got was that the client was in prison in New Mexico. My client, who was a free woman in North Carolina, gave a response which I understand New Mexico residents are all too familiar with, "I've never been in Mexico in my life!"  I called the New Mexico prison authorities. They told me that they not only had no prisoner by the same name as my client but that their database didn't show that they had ever had a prisoner by that name. They also didn't have the Social Security number in their database. I gave Social Security the name and telephone number of the New Mexico prison employee I had talked with but they insisted that they couldn't call him. In any case, my client's benefits were soon paid.

Paying Bounties

     From an Emergency Message that the Social Security Administration (SSA) released yesterday:

... On July 2, 2018, SSA will mail a one-time advance notice to participating correctional and mental health reporters and facilities to inform them of a recent legislative change to Title XVI incentive payments. ...

Social Security Act requires that the institution enter into a written agreement with SSA. ... 

Beginning August 09, 2018, the legislation effective date, the Prisoner Update Processing System (PUPS) will pay incentives using the new Title XVI incentive payment rules for inmate admission information that result in the suspension of monthly benefits to our SSI recipients. The new Title XVI incentive payment rules provide the following: 

For every Title XVI recipient we suspend due to the inmate information provided, we will pay the institution:

• $400 for information received within 15 days of the confinement; or
• $200 for information received after 15 days but within 90 days after confinement. 

We will continue to pay for inmate information for our Social Security beneficiaries as we normally do under our current incentive payment law: 

For every Title II beneficiary we suspend due to the inmate information provided, we will pay the institution:

• $400 for information received within 30 days of the confinement; or
• $200 for information received after 30 days but within 90 days after confinement. ...

Turning The Spigot Off But Not Back On

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

The Broward Sheriff's Office collects $400 every time the Social Security Administration learns about and suspends benefits for inmates within 30 days of their incarceration.

The Broward Public Defender's Office is raising pointed criticism of the Sheriff's Office because it does not take part in a system designed to help these inmates reinstate their benefits upon release.

"If they're turning the spigot off, they can help turn it back on, too," said Doug Brawley, a chief assistant public defender. ...

The county took in more than $211,000 through the program last year, according to budget reports. ...

The Sheriff's Office does not participate in the administration's pre-release agreement, said Patti Patterson, an administration spokeswoman.

Under such an agreement, jail staff would have a liaison at the local Social Security office who would help the staff navigate eligible inmates through the application process and match benefits reinstatement with release dates.