Nov 10, 2023
Sep 17, 2023
Another Golden Oldie — Many Vets With 100% VA Ratings Get Turned Down When They Apply For Social Security Disability
A post on this blog on August 7, 2014:
Below is a chart labeled "Allowance rates for first DI applications filed by veterans after receiving VA disability ratings of 100% or IU during fiscal years 2000–2006, by VA rating and SSA primary diagnosis body system and selected diagnostic categories." This appears in Veterans Who Apply for Social Security Disabled-Worker Benefits After Receiving a Department of Veterans Affairs Rating of “Total Disability” for Service-Connected Impairments: Characteristics and Outcomes by L. Scott Muller, Nancy Early, and Justin Ronca published in the Social Security Bulletin, the agency's research journal. DI refers to Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits. IU refers to Individual Unemployability. Veterans may be approved for 100% VA disability benefits either with or without consideration of IU.
Overall, Social Security is denying about 31% of disability claims filed by veterans with a 100% VA rating. Social Security approves only 43.5% of these 100% disabled veterans claims at the initial level and 13.8% at reconsideration but 70.8% at the Administrative Law Judge level. Social Security is turning down 25.3% of the claims filed by veterans determined 100% disabled by VA due to traumatic brain injury and 34.8% of those found 100% disabled by VA due to dementia associated with brain trauma.
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Nov 10, 2019
Social Security Treated Employee Worse Because He Was A Vet
A former attorney adviser with the Social Security Administration convinced the Federal Circuit Nov. 7 that his veteran status was a substantially motivating factor in the agency’s 2011 decision to fire him.
As a qualifying veteran hired by a government agency, Clarence McGuffin was entitled to a shorter probationary period than other non-veteran new hires before the full suite of Civil Service Reform Act rights vested. Those rights include the right to appeal adverse employment actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board....
“We want to terminate him so that he does not acquire MSPB rights,” read one intra-agency email quoted in the opinion. Another email stated that McGuffin was a “vet” who “has to be terminated in his first year.” ...
McGuffin was let go from his attorney adviser position in SSA’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in part because he allegedly wasn’t producing his “fair share” of work, a monthly quantity determined by dividing the office’s caseload across all of the attorney advisers charged with authoring benefits appeals decisions. But SSA isn’t supposed to use an attorney adviser’s “fair share” production as a performance metric until their second year with the agency, Reyna said. ...
“The record is clear that SSA closed the door on Mr. McGuffin well before the end of his first year to avoid the inconvenience of defending itself should Mr. McGuffin assert his procedural safeguards afforded under the CSRA,” Reyna said. The court reversed the contrary decision from the MPSB and remanded the case for further proceedings. ...
The case is McGuffin v. SSA, Fed. Cir., No. 17-2433, 11/7/19. ...
Jul 15, 2019
Inconsistent Handling Of Veterans' Disability Claims
SSA [Social Security Administration] policy provides for disability claims filed by current and former military service members to be expedited. SSA identifies these claims as Military Casualty/Wounded Warrior (MC/WW) and Veteran 100 Percent Permanent and Total (VAPT) disability claims. ... VAPT classifications do not guarantee an allowance for SSA disability benefits. VAPT recipients must meet SSA’s disability medical eligibility and entitlement requirements. ...
SSA does not define “expeditious” for processing MC/WW and VAPT claims, have processing time goals, or perform regular analysis of the MC/WW and VAPT claims to identify trends. Therefore, to assess the MC/WW and VAPT processing times, we compared them to the average processing time for all disability claims at the various stages of review nationally and by State. We found the following.
At the initial claims level, SSA processed MC/WW and VAPT claims only 1 day faster than it processed all disability claims.
SSA processed MC/WW and VAPT claims from 37 to 315 days more quickly than all disability claims at the reconsideration, hearing office, and Appeals Council levels.
Average processing times varied across States.
There were processing delays attributable to SSA as well as delays outside SSA’s control.
Finally, SSA designed and implemented internal controls to identify and flag MC/WW and VAPT claims to prioritize the processing of those claims. However, SSA could not provide us evidence that it followed its policies and procedures to ensure staff and management properly tracked or monitored MC/WW and VAPT claims.By the way, I've seen the same sort of thing with other categories where Social Security is supposed to speed review, such as homeless claimants. A "critical case" designation seems to mean nothing at the initial and reconsideration levels but usually a lot at the hearing or Appeals Council levels.
Jul 16, 2018
Waiting In Atlanta
An Atlanta veteran who once served in the Navy is now living in and out of homeless shelters.
George Hocker reached out to CBS46 reporter Natalie Rubino after he'd been waiting two years for social security.
After his service, Hocker worked for decades as an executive assistant. But in 2009, he had his first heart attack.
"Recovered from that, went back to shortly after I went back to work I had a second heart attack," said Hocker.
He recovered from that too but he had a third heart attack. So in 2013, Hocker applied for disability with social security. At 55 years old he was denied.and couldn't find a job in his field.
Hocker then worked retail for three years until it became too painful to stand for long periods of time.
"I went to the doctor and found out I had peripheral artery disease on top of my coronary artery disease," he said.
His VA doctor told the SSA that Hocker couldn't work. Still he was once again denied disability benefits. So he went to the VA to for help.
"They said you have to actually become homeless before we can do anything for you," said Hocker.
But the head of the Social Services Department for the VA tells CBS46 they did provide Hocker with other resources.
"We provided all of those resources but it's the veterans choice whether they follow up or go with a or b."
Hocker says after he became homeless the VA placed him at the Salvation Army's shelter. Now he's desperately waiting for an appeal date with social security. ...
A spokesperson for social security also tells Natalie Rubino after hearing about Hocker's case, they've requested that his appeal court date be scheduled immediately.
Mar 10, 2018
One Vet's Struggle
Feb 1, 2018
Hearing On Social Security Service For Vets
House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) announced today that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled “Ensuring Social Security Serves America’s Veterans” on Wednesday, February 7, at 9:00 AM in room 2253 of the Rayburn House Office Building. At the hearing, Members will examine the effectiveness of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) initiatives to reduce processing times and expedite claims for certain veterans, as well as efforts by the agency to hire veterans.Our vets deserve a lot but do they deserve special treatment by the Social Security Administration? Shouldn't the goal be to provide good service to everyone?
Jul 30, 2017
Vet Cut Off Disability Benefits
For 31-year-old Wayne Swier, a U.S. Army combat veteran who suffered devastating injuries from an improvised explosive device seven years ago in Afghanistan, this summer should have been a season of solace and celebration.
But fate and a federal agency seemed to have conspired to turn it into a nightmare.
Swier is set to marry his sweetheart in a week, and the couple plans to move into a new home near Johnson Siding built by the nonprofit Homes for Our Troops later in August. ...
Instead, in May the Social Security Administration deemed him no longer disabled and cut off his monthly disability checks, in a manner as harsh as the way that IED blew off his leg in a small Afghan village in November 2010.
Today, Swier is essentially broke, behind on his rent, his credit cards are maxed out, and just last week, power was cut off to his Box Elder rental home due to nonpayment, meaning he couldn’t even recharge his robotic prosthetic leg. Although his electricity has since been restored thanks to Black Hills Energy, the man’s problems have not been resolved. ...
Jul 23, 2017
I'm Expecting To See Lots Of Remands On This Issue
Jun 9, 2016
Why Is It Harder To Win With Newer ALJs?
Oct 7, 2015
This Is Wrong
Beginning September 25, 2015, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and VA initiated a weekly information exchange agreement in which the VA provides SSA with information concerning veterans who received the VA 100% P&T [Permanent and Total] disability compensation rating. With this release, when an individual contacts SSA, and their social security number is on our database as having the 100% P&T rating, our users will receive an immediate alert that we must expedite the case.
Additionally, when an alert identifies the individual as having this VA rating, no additional proof of the 100% P&T rating is necessary to expedite the case. ...We owe our veterans a lot but we don't owe veterans who have 100% VA ratings expediting on their Social Security disability claims. These vets aren't in great financial distress. They have their VA benefits. Other disabled people hurtle towards homelessness while vets who don't really need it get expediting. This is wrong.
Jul 30, 2015
Texas ALJ Draws Fire For Belittling Vet's Claim Of PTSD
Jul 15, 2015
VA Policy On Charging For Medical Records?
Nov 2, 2014
Triple Dippers?
Out of the 1.9 million DOD [Department of Defense] nondisability and disability retirees, we identified 59,251 individuals who received concurrent payments in fiscal year 2013 from DOD retirement, VA disability compensation, and SSDI. The payments totaled over $3.5 billion. From our population of individuals receiving concurrent payments, we also selected a random sample of seven individuals to provide illustrative examples. These seven examples individually received from $19,210 to $152,719 in concurrent benefits.
Aug 7, 2014
Social Security Turns Down Lots Of 100% Disabled Vets
Overall, Social Security is denying about 31% of disability claims filed by veterans with a 100% VA rating. Social Security approves only 43.5% of these 100% disabled veterans claims at the initial level and 13.8% at reconsideration but 70.8% at the Administrative Law Judge level. Social Security is turning down 25.3% of the claims filed by veterans determined 100% disabled by VA due to traumatic brain injury and 34.8% of those found 100% disabled by VA due to dementia associated with brain trauma.
May 21, 2014
Social Security To Do Data Match With VA To Identify 100% Disabled Vets
This is to alert all operational components that Systems will perform a one-time data match. The purpose of this data match is to identify, flag, and message all pending SSA disability claims filed by Veterans who possess a VA compensation rating of 100% P&T as of February 28, 2014.
B. Background On March 17, 2014, SSA implemented a new policy to expedite disability claims of all Veterans rated 100% P&T [Permanent & Total[ by the VA, who subsequently filed for SSA disability benefits (see EM-14013).
To receive expedited processing, these Veterans must self-identify and provide verification of their VA rating of 100% P&T.
On May 2, 2014, the VA signed an agreement with SSA to provide a one-time data match file to allow SSA to identify and flag for expedited processing all Veterans rated 100% P&T as of February 28, 2014 with a disability claim pending with SSA at all levels of adjudication. This is part of the ACOSS initiative to treat 100% P&T Veterans’ applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions. ...
E. DDS [Disability Determination Services] actions Upon receipt of Systems alert, the DDS should follow the terminal illness (TERI) case procedures in DI 23020.045. Do not designate these cases as TERI unless they meet the TERI criteria (i.e., there is evidence of a terminal illness). ...I don't understand the DDS instructions. They seem self-contradictory.
G. ODAR 0Office of Disability Adjudication and Review] actions Upon receipt of Systems alert, ODAR offices should follow the critical case procedures in HALLEX 1-3-1-51. ...
Feb 24, 2014
Staff Instructions On Priority To 100% Disabled Vets
Feb 20, 2014
Expediting For 100% Service Connected Vets -- A Bad Idea
- This is NOT about expediting disability claims for wounded warriors. Social Security was already doing that. This announcement expedites disability claims for veterans whose disabilities are NOT the result of combat. You ask how that can be. Easy. A veteran gets VA service connected benefits for virtually ANY disability incurred while in military service. Heart attacks, cancer, off base automobile accidents, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney failure, etc. The only things excluded are disabilities which are the result of the veteran's own willful misconduct or abuse of alcohol or drugs
- To expedite disability claims for one group of people is to delay them for everyone else, which is no minor matter when we consider the severity of the backlogs at Social Security. Vets receiving 100% service connected VA benefits for non-combat related disabilities are undeserving of this special attention because they already have substantial incomes of more than $2,800 per month. They can be hurting somewhat financially but most Social Security disability claimants are hurting much worse because they do not have any disability benefit from their former employer. If anyone gets expediting, it should be those who are in serious financial distress, not vets already receiving 100% service connected benefits.
- This new policy makes it NO more likely that vets drawing 100% service connected benefits will be approved for disability benefits by Social Security. It's only expediting. I strongly suspect that this was a cynical attempt to head off legislative proposals that would automatically grant Social Security disability benefits to those who had been approved for 100% service connected VA benefits.
Feb 19, 2014
Speed Up For 100% Disabled Vets
The Social Security Administration plans to streamline its review of disability claims for veterans starting next month, shaving weeks off the process by which it determines benefits, officials are set to announce Wednesday. ...
Under the new policy, applicants who have been deemed 100 percent disabled by the VA are to be put on a "fast track" at virtually every step of the process. ...
The change won't make it any more likely veterans will receive benefits, officials say — just that they'll get a decision more quickly. ...Update: And, here's the announcement but it's brief and a bit vague. If there are staff instructions, they haven't been released to the public yet.
May 23, 2013
I Wish I Could Be Optimistic That This Will Work
Acting Commissioner Colvin is in a green top at the far end on the near side |
Chairwoman Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), joined by Senator Tim Johnson (D. S.D.), Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, today announced the initial results of a roundtable discussion with senior Administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, and Internal Revenue Service Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support Beth Tucker, to seek to finally put an end to the claims backlog that has troubled the Department of Veterans Affairs for years.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Social Security Administration agreed to work together to break down the barriers between the Departments in order to end the gridlock. Specifically, the participants agreed:
1. Each agency will identify a single high level person whose sole focus is fixing problems, and who reports directly to the Secretary or Administrator.
2. Secretaries Hagel and Shinseki agreed to meet every 60 days as we progress toward ending the claims backlog.
3. A method of accountability to the Chairwoman and to the Committee, including a coordinated progress report to the Committee every 60 days.