The Accidental Social Security Story

Every year in December I see these stories. They are intended solely to be about a person having it tough in the Christmas season, but they are also about the Social Security Administration's problems. From the Miami Herald (with emphasis added):

James Johnson unbuttons a faded blue shirt to reveal an eight-inch scar that runs over a sunken sternum.

His heart is big, but it is weak and gave out four years ago. Since then, he has found his family somewhere he never thought they would be.

Thursday, sitting in a Broward County park around what amounts to their living room and kitchen -- a picnic table sheltered by a tarp -- James, his wife Margie and their son Richard peered through pictures of the house where they once lived.

''This is hell,'' James says.

But even hell is closing its doors on the family. They have lived in the park nearly six months -- the maximum stay according to Broward County regulations -- and have been unable to find a place to move. ...

James, 60, has been told by doctors he is terminally ill. He lives with his two sons and wife Margie out of a tent and camper. They say they were tricked into giving away their West Park home at 5616 SW 36th Ct. by a man who said he would help them save the house from foreclosure. ...

James said within a year he had fallen three months behind on the mortgage. Then James and his son lost their Social Security disability last October because their assets -- including the house -- exceeded the acceptable limit. It became likely his home would be foreclosed on.

No CBS Story Tonight

I heard the phrase "ready to go" from CBS News today, but no Social Security story ran on the CBS Evening News tonight. I have also heard that CBS is still interviewing people for a Social Security piece.

Resurrection Cases

Most of the readers of this blog are well aware of just how big the Social Security Administration is. I thought that I would post a little something to give an idea of Social Security's size to any who do not fully appreciate the agency's size. Here is a little excerpt from a recent transmittal from Social Security's Program Operations Manual Series (POMS):

Erroneous death cases are very sensitive. A termination of SSI benefits due to death does not require a notice and can result in severe financial hardship and distress to the recipient. Loss of Medicaid benefits and other assistance based on SSI may occur. Unless the death termination was caused by an obvious administrative error, a person must show acceptable identifying information (ID) to have benefits reinstated. We must offer assistance as needed to help obtain proof of ID and process reinstatement of benefits expeditiously.

The transmittal goes on to talk about what proof of lack of death is acceptable and how the "resurrection" is accomplished. This transmittal concerns SSI benefits, but there are similar instructions concerning benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act.

One might wonder why Social Security needs written instructions concerning this sort of event. Surely, it cannot happen that often. No, in a sense it does not happen that often. I would give a wild guess that it might happen to less than one claimant in 100,000 per year, which really is a pretty good error rate. The problem is that with about one person in five in this country drawing Social Security benefits that is still a lot of erroneous death terminations. There are many press reports each year about these cases, even though most cases remain unreported in the media. There are many dozens of these events a year, perhaps hundreds, so Social Security needs staff instructions.

Major Media Stories Coming

There are major news media stories on Social Security's disability backlogs in the works.

There have been reports over the last month or so that CBS News is doing a story on Social Security's disability backlogs. It has been unclear to me whether the story is for 60 Minutes or for the CBS Evening News.

The New York Times is currently doing a story on the same subject. A New York Times reporter, Eric Eckholm, came to my office on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Eckholm and a cameraman visited the homes of several of my firm's clients that day and the next, returning to New York on Thanksgiving morning. My understanding is that Eckholm is interviewing Commissioner Astrue this week. I know that Eckholm has been in contact with a number of other people concerning the story.

I cannot say when either of these stories will run.