Big Surprise

     The user fee assessed on attorneys who represent Social Security claimants will remain at 6.3% in 2014.

Updated Fee Payment Numbers

     Social Security has issued updated numbers on payments of fees to attorneys and some others for representing Social Security claimants. These fees are withheld and paid by Social Security but come out of the back benefits of the claimants involved. The attorneys and others who have their fees withheld pay a substantial (in my opinion, excessive) user fee for this privilege. Since these fees are usually paid at the same time that the claimant is paid, these numbers show how quickly or slowly Social Security is able to get claimants paid after a favorable determination on their claims.

Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-12	29,926	$89,749,312.99
Feb-12	43,946	$134,207,416.10
Mar-12	47,376	$139,571,577.57
Apr-12	38,239	$113,225,483.07
May-12	37,648	$112,446,283.39
June-12	43,816	$128,559,225.66
July-12	33,342	$97,458,955.82
Aug-12	41,441	$119,484,061.59
Sept-12	38,393	$115,676,630.23
Oct-12	29,646	$84,612,068.75
Nov-12	37,384	$110,226,459.65
Dec-12	34,780	$104,926,570.07

Jan-13

32,663

$96,690,734.65

     I can't get January 2013 to line up with the 2012 numbers. They are from two different tables and Blogger has problems with that. 

     January is a tough month for Social Security because the SSA-1099s and the earnings estimate forms for retirees between 62 and 65 go out in January which cause more people to call Social Security and because many people retire at the end of each calendar year and because many people put off business around the holidays.

One User Fee Goes Down

From today's Federal Register:

We provide limited fee-based Social Security number (SSN) verification service to private businesses and other requesters who obtain a valid, signed consent form from the Social Security number holder. ...

To use [this system], interested parties must pay a one-time non-refundable enrollment fee of $5,000. Currently, users also pay a fee of $5.00 per transaction in advance of services. We agreed to calculate our costs periodically for providing [these] services and adjust the fees as needed. ...

Based on the most recent cost analysis, we will adjust the fiscal year 2012 fee to $1.05 per transaction. New customers will still be responsible for the one-time $5,000 enrollment fee.

User Fees Being Studied

     Sam Johnson, the Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee, asked Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) to determine whether there are additional activities performed by the Social Security Administration for which a user fee might be charged. OIG's study is so preliminary that it is almost worthless but it does reveal that the Social Security Administration itself has formed a "user fee workgroup." 

     The important things here are that Republicans in Congress have some interest in charging fees for some activities at Social Security and that Social Security is studying how it can best do this.

     Let me make it clear that, so far, they are only studying fees for services such as providing replacement Social Security cards but it is only a short distance from there to charging a fee for filing a claim, processing an appeal or answering a question.