Bipartisan SSI Bill

     From a press release:

Today U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced the first bipartisan, bicameral push in decades to reform the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which has not been updated in nearly 40 years and currently punishes older and disabled Americans for saving for emergencies and their futures. The senators’ bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act would update SSI’s asset limits for the first time since the 1980s to ensure disabled and elderly Americans are able to prepare themselves for a financial emergency without putting the benefits they rely on to live at risk.  

In addition to Brown and Cassidy, U.S. Representatives Brian Higgins (D-NY-26) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1) will introduce companion legislation in the House. U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Casey (D-PA), and James Lankford (R-OK) are original Senate cosponsors. ...

    Of course, the bill stands no chance in this Congress. The GOP controls the House and the GOP would filibuster in the Senate. Sorry, but there's nowhere near enough Republican support in Congress for this to advance. Maybe, maybe, I can squint at it and imagine the bill progressing after the 2024 election, but only if the Democrats have an overwhelming victory.

Ferguson To Be New Chairman Of House Social Security Subcommittee

     Congressman Drew Ferguson will be the new Chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee. Ferguson was not on this Subcommittee in the last Congress. Apparently, he's a mainline Republican Congressman -- an election denier who wants to outlaw abortion and same sex marriage, for instance. He was very much opposed to blocking Social Security recipients who need representative payees from buying firearms. This is what he said in the press release on his appointment as Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee:

... As a member of the Committee on Ways and Means and House Budget Committee, I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get our country back on track with responsible fiscal and pro-growth policies. For the last two years, the radical Left’s out-of-control, big government spending resulted in an economic crisis – causing hardworking Americans to suffer with record high inflation and putting our nation on the brink of a recession. 

“We will reverse course and enact policies to maintain American competitiveness and innovation, economic growth, and fiscal responsibility. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, I will be a leading voice for our nation’s seniors, and advance solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our country today.” ...

    The problem is that for many Republicans in Congress the only solution for any Social Security issue is to cut benefits somehow, such as by raising full retirement age. I'm not saying that's his view or that he'd get anywhere if that is his view, but that's the milieu he's coming from. There's also the prevailing Republican viewpoint that since government is infinitely wasteful, cuts in agency operating budgets can have no effect upon agency service. The agencies will get by just by reducing waste. At least that's their viewpoint as to non-defense spending.

    Would he be interested in working on the more mundane problems at Social Security, such as getting their phones answered, where he might make a difference? We'll see but I'm expecting hearings asking why Social Security allows people to freely change their gender in agency records and why any Social Security employees are allowed to do any work from home.

 

    Below is the full list of Subcommittee members -- at least as announced so far. Since this list includes an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, I think there may be another Republican or two to be added.

 

Republicans

• Drew Ferguson, Chairman
• David Schweikert 
• David Kustoff
• Tom Rice
• Jodey Arrington

 

Democrats

• John B. Larson, Ranking Member
  
• Bill Pascrell, Jr.
• Linda T. Sánchez
• Brian Higgins
• Dan Kildee

Social Security Subcommittee Democrats Named

      The House Ways and Means Committee has finally announced its subcommittee assignments for this Congress, at least for the Democrats. I can't find an announcement about the Republicans. Below is the lineup for the Social Security Subcommittee. Let's hope we can get some oversight hearings in this Congress. I've never before seen the passivity displayed by the Social Security Subcommittee in the last Congress.

Chair: Rep. John B. Larson

• Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.
• Rep. Linda T. Sánchez
• Rep. Brian Higgins
• Rep. Steven Horsford
• Rep. Earl Blumenauer
• Rep. Terri A. Sewell
• Rep. Gwen Moore

More On Tomorrow's Congressional Hearing On The Social Security 2100 Act

     Here's the list of witnesses for tomorrow's hearing before the House Social Security Subcommittee on the Social Security 2100 Act:

• Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration
• Nancy J. Altman, President Social Security Works
• Kelly Brozyna, Member, Job Creators Network’s National Women’s Coalition
• Abigail Zapote, Executive Director, Latinos for a Secure Retirement
• Shaun Castle, Deputy Executive Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America

     By the way, in case you're wondering whether this is a serious proposal that might move forward should Democrats actually control the White House and both houses of Congress after the next election, here's the list of the bill's cosponsors:

Mr. Larson of Connecticut for himself, Ms. Adams, Mr. Aguilar, Ms. Barragán, Ms. Bass, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Bera, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Cárdenas, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Case, Mr. Casten of Illinois, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Castro of Texas, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Cisneros, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Correa, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Cox of California, Mrs. Craig, Mr. Crow, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Cummings, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. Dean, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. DeGette, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. DelBene, Mrs. Demings, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Deutch, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Engel, Ms. Escobar, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Evans, Mr. Foster, Ms. Frankel, Ms. Fudge, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Gallego, Mr. García of Illinois, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Golden, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Haaland, Mr. Hastings, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Heck, Mr. Higgins of New York, Ms. Hill of California, Mr. Himes, Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Jeffries, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Keating, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Kim, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, Mr. Lamb, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. Levin of California, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Luján, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Malinowski, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Ms. Matsui, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McEachin, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Meng, Ms. Moore, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, Mr. Nadler, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Neal, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Norcross, Ms. Norton, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Omar, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Payne, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Peterson, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Porter, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Raskin, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Rouda, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Sablan, Ms. Sánchez, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Schrier, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Ms. Shalala, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Sires, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Soto, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Speier, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Swalwell of California, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Torres of California, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Trone, Ms. Underwood, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Vela, Ms. Velázquez, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Waters, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Welch, Ms. Wexton, Ms. Wild, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Mr. Yarmuth

Social Security Subcommittee Members Announced

     House Ways and Means Committee Democrats and Republicans have announced the members of the Social Security Subcommittee for this Congress:

• Chair: Rep. John Larson (D-CT)
• Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
• Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
• Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY)
• Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI)
• Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA)
• Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL)
• Ranking Member Tom Reed (R-NY)
• Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX)
• Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA)
• Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS)

They Want A Meeting

     Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Brian Higgins have requested a meeting with Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin to discuss the closing of Social Security's Amherst, NY field office.

New Ways And Means Committee Members

The following representatives have been newly added to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over Social Security:

• Danny Davis (D-IL)
• Bob Etheridge (D-NC)
• Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
• Brian Higgins (D-NY)
• John Yarmuth (D-KY)

Higgins has been especially active in promoting the rights of Social Security disability claimants and would be a wonderful addition to the Social Security Subcommittee.

I have not heard yet about Subcommittee assignments or Subcommittee Chairmanships.

Powerful TV Story On Backlogs

WGRZ-TV in Buffalo is running a lengthy story (more than six minutes) on Social Security's terrible backlogs in adjudicating disability claims. The story includes interviews with Congressman Brian Higgins and Senator Chuck Schumer.

I know that the description of the problems suffered by the claimant who is used as an example may give you pause, but that is merely a television reporter's understanding of a claimant's understanding of her medical problems. It should not be surprising if there is a lot misunderstood along the way. There are plenty of people who give similarly incoherent accounts of their medical conditions who are genuinely in terrible shape. I talk with them every day and try to help them better understand what their doctors have said and what they are experiencing so they can testify in a coherent fashion.

If you have wondered why there have been so many backlog stories coming from the Buffalo area, watch. The reason is one person, Linda Fullerton. It makes you wonder what would happen if there were a hundred or a thousand people out there like Ms. Fullerton pressing Congress and the media.

By the way, the reporter's desire to blame President Bush and former President Clinton may not be completely off the mark, but, by far, the bigger problem was Republican control of Congress between 1994 and 2006. This is not Republican bashing. This is plain fact.

Meeting About Buffalo Backlogs

I keep posting about this, because the papers in the Buffalo area keep running articles. If every Congressman put this kind of pressure on Social Security, things would change. From the Amherst, NY Times:

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) today met with senior Social Security Administration officials with direct oversight over Social Security hearing office operations to discuss the SSA’s plans to address the egregious backlog of Social Security cases in the Buffalo Hearing Office region. ...

“The Social Security Administration has taken the first step, but has only scratched the surface of the egregious backlog problem in Western New York,” Said Higgins. “It is crucial that we now continue to build on this start and in order to eliminate the backlogs that exist now and ensure that Western New Yorkers never have to deal with backlogs like this in the future,” Higgins said. ...

“The SSA knows that it can and must do better for Western New Yorkers whose lives have been put on hold while they await a decision on their Social Security cases,” Higgins said. “This is not a matter we will let go unchecked simply because the SSA has made a step towards solving the problem.”

More Pressure In Buffalo

From the Observer in Dunkirk, NY:

With May 2008 statistics in, showing 723 new Social Security cases filed in the Buffalo-area office last month alone, the highest one month total this year, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) is calling for swift action on the promised hiring of judges and staff at local Social Security Administration (SSA) offices. ...

“Local judges and Social Security staff are working hard, but until additional personnel are on the job they can’t put a dent in these numbers,” Congressman Higgins said. “We need immediate action to get the Western New York offices staffed at a level that provides local residents with the service they deserve from our government. Making people wait two years for an answer is unreasonable and unfair.”

Political Pressure Gets Buffalo More ALJs

From the Buffalo News:

In a step to alleviate the severe backlog of disability claims in Western New York, the Social Security Administration will appoint two more administrative law judges to Buffalo area hearing offices, Rep. Brian Higgins announced Friday. ...

After the Social Security Administration released data in March showing Buffalo’s large backlog of disability claims, Higgins, D-Buffalo, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, DN. Y., wrote to Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue, calling for the appointment of more judges in the district.

The new hires will reduce the time judges waste commuting back and forth between the Buffalo and Rochester offices, Higgins said.

Higgins said more must be done to lessen the strain on Buffalo- area offices.

“I’m not content with this action,” he said. “It’s wonderful news, but we’re going to keep seeking changes.”

Lack Of Space Argument Goes Over Poorly With One Congressman

At yesterday's hearing, Commissioner Astrue claimed that office space shortages were preventing him from adding more Administrative Law Judges. I think he was mostly talking about some particular locations, rather than generally, but it mostly sounded like a make weight argument to me. In any case, Astrue's comments about office space did not sit well with one Congressman. Here is a press release from Congressman Brian Higgins:

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) was critical of comments made by Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue at an April 23 congressional committee hearing in which the Commissioner suggested that it would be difficult to increase the number of Administrative Law Judges and support staff at the Buffalo Hearing Office because of insufficient available office space.

Just last week Congressman Higgins and Senator Hillary Clinton wrote letters to the Commissioner insisting on more Administrative Law Judges in the Buffalo-area hearing office. The Buffalo-area office service area includes: Erie, Chautauqua, Niagara, Genesee, Ontario, Monroe, and Cattaraugus counties. According to March 2008 statistics, it takes 669 days (nearly two years) for the average Western New Yorker to have their SSA case heard and processed in the Buffalo Hearing Office and each Administrative Law Judge in Buffalo has an average caseload of 895 SSD applicants.

“Persons with disabilities are waiting two to three years for their case to be heard and the Commissioner is worried about office space,” said Congressman Higgins. “We need the Social Security Administration to re-think their priorities.”

The Social Security Administration has announced 135 Administrative Law Judge appointments in Fiscal Year 2008. Ten have been assigned to New York: 3 in New York City, 2 in Queens, 3 in Syracuse, and 2 in Albany. No new judges have been assigned to Buffalo even though the backlog has been well-documented by the Social Security Administration itself.

“If the problem is office space, I would be happy to find them available space in downtown Buffalo tomorrow,” Higgins added, pointing out that according to a Militello Realty report on downtown Buffalo property, as of January 779,228 square feet of Class A office space was vacant in the immediate downtown area.

Congressman Higgins noted that staffing shortages aren’t exclusive to the Administrative Law Judges. Staffing at Western New York field offices have decreased substantially – by approximately 170 employees - over the past 25 years, even though the need for services has increased.

The Congressman has long supported increased funding for the Social Security Administration. In January, Congressman Higgins introduced H.R. 5110, the Social Security Customer Service Improvement Act which if enacted would provide Members of Congress with detailed information on the operation and staffing of Social Security offices in their districts and around the country. Members of Congress should have ready access to this type of information, not only because it is exactly the type of information necessary to measure the effectiveness of government agencies, but also because when citizens aren’t treated properly at their local Social Security office, they immediately reach out to their local Member of Congress for expedited assistance.

“The hard-working people of Western New York who paid into the Social Security system deserve better treatment from their government,” said Congressman Higgins. “We are talking about people here, not numbers, - people who deserve an answer, one way or another, so they can plan for their future and live each day without the fear and frustration these backlogs create. An immediate alleviation of these caseloads is essential.”

Buffalo News Editorial

From the Buffalo News:

If you paid insurance premiums that ran a little more than 6 percent of your income every week throughout your working life, but had to wait nearly two years to collect when you had a legitimate claim, you might complain to the government.

But when it is the government that is making people wait to collect the disability benefits to which they are entitled — because they paid for them — even members of Congress are left to rage into the storm.

Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, is among the congressmen heard to demand that the Social Security Administration finally make some serious efforts to chip away at the disgraceful backlog of cases of people who can no longer hold down a job and need the benefits to survive. ...

The need ... was disgracefully not addressed when the government hired 135 administrative law judges to hear those appeals but assigned only 10 to the state of New York — and none to Buffalo. ...

Attorneys who handle such cases have long lists of people who went bankrupt, were evicted, even died, while waiting for their appeals to be reviewed.

At least one claimant never got the message that he’d finally won his appeal because he was, at that moment, out in the woods killing himself.

Senator Clinton On Backlogs

A press release from Senator Clinton's office:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today joined Congressman Brian Higgins in calling on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to answer questions regarding excessive delays in appeal hearings that have been caused by a lack of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) who are charged with hearing those cases. In a letter sent today to SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue, Senator Clinton expressed her concerns regarding the excessive delays that have been reported in the Buffalo Hearing Office, which affects Social Security recipients in Erie, Chautauqua, Niagara, Genesee, Ontario, Monroe, and Cattaraugus counties. She also called for an explanation of how the agency determines the allocation of ALJs throughout their offices. Congressman Higgins brought this matter to the forefront on Monday when he singled out the delays affecting the Western New York region, and called for additional ALJs to be assigned to the Buffalo Hearing Office.

“It is unacceptable that people in Western New York are forced to wait almost two years before they can expect the SSA to hear their appeals,” said Senator Clinton. “People can’t be expected to put their lives on hold indefinitely. If the SSA is aware that certain offices have a track record of experiencing excessive delays, the agency should take a thorough look at how they are allocating the judges charged with hearing those cases.”

“This is a matter of basic human dignity,” Higgins said. “No one should have their life put on hold for years to find out whether they will receive social security disability benefits, but this has become the frustrating reality for thousands of Western New Yorkers. I thank Senator Clinton for partnering with me to advocate for getting these people the service they deserve.”

Waiting In Buffalo

From WGRZ:

The Social Security Administration's Buffalo office has a lot of cases to process. And the delays in getting those cases resolved has raised a lot of questions.

According to the SSA it takes 669 days, or nearly two years, for the average Western New Yorker to have their case heard and processed. Also, each Administrative Law Judge in Buffalo has on average 895 cases pending.

"It's unacceptable," said Congressman Brian Higgins (D) (Buffalo). "People in this community are hurting. When they file a claim, they're not looking for benefits two years from now, they're looking for benefits right away."

Higgins wants to know why ten new administrative law judges have been added to New York in 2008, and none of those ten have been assigned to Buffalo. "We need more administrative law judges to get these claims processed in an expeditious way," he said.

Note that the Congressman is asking a question that has not been asked by Congressmen in the past. How does Social Security decide which hearing offices to assign new Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to. From what I have seen, the assignment of new ALJs seems to have little to do with need. There are legitimate questions to ask.

New York Congressman Calls For More ALJs

From Buffalo Business First:

Applicants in Western New York seeking a hearing for Social Security benefits have to wait nearly two years, one of the worst processing times in the country.

Such delays have prompted Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, to ask the federal agency to add more administrative law judges to the seven-county region, which includes Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Monroe and Ontario counties.

In a letter to Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue, Higgins noted administrative law judges working the Buffalo area office have an average of 895 pending cases, among the largest caseloads in the nation. Also, the average length of each claim is 381 days. Figures are cited from the SSA's March 2008 hearing office report.

AFGE News Release

A news release:

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 25,000 employees in the Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices, today expressed deep concern over the administration’s ability to continue to service the American people amid severe budget constraints. As part of a coalition to garner public support for additional funding, AFGE held a news conference today urging Congress to pass the Higgins Bill, H.R. 5110. The new legislation known as the Social Security Customer Service Improvement Act was introduced before the House of Representatives in January and provides Congress with additional oversight in staff levels, office closures and SSA budget estimates.

“Over the past ten years the Social Security administrative budget has been constricted by upwards of $1.3 billion,” said AFGE Council 220 President Witold Skwierczynski. “Further cuts to the SSA budget, as 76 million baby boomers enter the system, could prove to be disastrous.”

SSA field office employees, already inundated with backlogs, are concerned that a lack of sufficient funding will adversely affect their ability to effectively serve tax payers. Employees have already received anecdotal reports from the public that previous office closures forced clients to travel 50 to 100 miles to their nearest SSA field office.

“In order to prevent proposed office closures nationwide, which would severely limit public access, Congress must provide funding and oversight through H.R. 5110-the SSA desperately needs,” added Skwierczynski.

AFGE has continuously lobbied for an increased the Social Security budget, but the needs of the administration have been continually ignored.

Waiting In Dunkirk

From The Post-Journal of Jamestown, NY:

DUNKIRK — Chances are you may have filed a social security disability claim and either healed from the injury, or worse, before you ever received a check. Congressman Brian Higgins, 27th Congressional District of New York, visited the City of Dunkirk Senior Citizen Center on Friday morning to announce his proposed bill which could help alleviate several problems at the social security administration level.

“There is just an unacceptable back-log in social security disability claims and other services that people depend on here in Chautauqua County. I have a bill that I’ve introduced — with a lot of co-sponsorship — that would exercise congressional oversight over the social security administration,” Higgins said. “They have cut staffing, they have cut hours and they’re essentially cutting services and it’s unacceptable at a time where the claims for benefits are actually increasing.” ...

“We have lost staff by more than 50 percent. However, the work that we do continues to increase,” added AFGE Local 3342 President Paul Demler. “The population is not going away. It’s growing and we’re expecting over the next few years the effect of the baby-boom generation is going to increase our services by approximately 30 to 40 percent.”

Downfalls for SSA were noted as offering unreliable office hours for local administration offices and, worst of all, untimely with the processing of claims. ...

Under the SSA’s current plan, Demler says the Dunkirk office would actually close before it hired one new employee.

“Currently, the agency only has a plan to replace employees who leave at a 1:8 ratio, meaning it would require eight employees to leave before another is hired,” he said. “If you think of Dunkirk, there’s only 6 employees, they would close before ever considering to hire another employee under the 1:8 ratio. Jamestown would be down to two or three employees.”

SSA Employees Promote Social Security Customer Improvement Bill

From the Amherst Times of New York:

Today, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) was joined by West Seneca Supervisor Wallace Piotrowski and local Social Security Administration employees as he announced that he has introduced H.R. 5110 The Social Security Customer Service Improvement Act, a new bill that would give Congress a proper oversight role for local hearing office operations to ensure that customer service is at a level that citizens deserve. ...

Congressman Higgins’ bill would give Congress a proper oversight role for local hearing office operations. Specifically the bill would:

• Require SSA to provide Congress a nonpartisan detailed yearly budget estimate;
• The budget estimate would include yearly statistics of the number of cases pending at hearing offices, the rate at with case backlogs are increasing or decreasing, the average length of time it takes for claims to be administered, and staffing level trends at offices over time;
• Prohibit SSA from closing or limiting hours at local offices without providing Congress with at least 6 months notice and thoughtful justifications for closure;
• Require SSA to inform Congress of changes to how it staffs offices at least 3 months before a proposed change could be implemented.

“This is an important issue, especially in the Town of West Seneca and surrounding communities like Cheektowaga and Lackawanna where you find a large senior citizen population,” said West Seneca Supervisor Wallace Piotrowski. “Residents are justifiably frustrated with the delays caused by understaffing and bureaucratic red tape. This legislation gives our local federal representatives the tools to know how their communities will be impacted by Social Security Administration changes and advocate on behalf of the residents they serve.” ...

“The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) fully supports the efforts of Congressman Brian Higgins to introduce legislation requiring the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make transparent any attempt to close a Field Office (FO) and deprive the public of the service it deserves”, said Paul Demler, President of AFGE Local 3342.

I hope those Social Security employees were off the clock.

Second Non-Attorney Exam Results

In November 2005, for the second time, Social Security administered the examination to qualify for non-attorney withholding of fees for representing claimants before the agency. By Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request I have obtained the following list of those who qualified as a result of this examination.

State City Name
AL, Decatur, Rodney D. Bains

AL, Anniston, Lana L. Chamlee

AL, Decatur, William H. Horton

AL, Sylacauga, Randall S. McKee

AL, Bessemer , Darlene W. Trammell

AR, Rogers, Laura K. Bender

AR, Little Rock, Nonia L. Hartman

CA, El Segundo, Anthony S. Adderley

CA, Redding, Shirley A. Hull

CA, Valencia, Derek S. Margolis-Devermont

CA, Redding, Jack A. Matlock

CA, Redding, Alice P. Stribling

CA, Eureka, David J. Villec

CO, Grand Junction, Judith L. Knouse

CO, Colorado Springs, Gerald W. Riley

FL, Pensacola, Patrick S. Cornelius

FL, Bokeelia, Theresa Daniels

FL, Glenwood, Bernice Y. Ippolito

FL, Deltona, Ron I. Pekoe

FL, Longwood, Ellen M. Runge

GA, Clayton, Randy L. Adams

ID, Lewiston, Deah M. Louis

ID, Lewiston, Leigh A. Newman

IN, New Albany, Donna L. Stephenson

KY, Greensburg, Tivoli A. Altman

KY, Lexington, Patsy R. Hughes

KY, Georgetown, Laura B. Palmer

KY, Lexington, Teresa A. Searcy

MA, New Bedford, Michelle R. Pequita

MI, Livonia, Bonnie M. Donahue

MI, Novi, Jennifer L. Eliassen

MI, West Bloomfield, Melissa A. Gries

MI, Novi, Denise S. Kamisar

MI, Farmington Hills, Cynthia V. Lachowski

MI, West Bloomfield, Patrice Ladd

MI, Ann Arbor, Elizabeth Struble

MN, Cook, Dennis G. Teachout

MO, Marshall, Robin D. Cox

MO, St. Louis, Lindsay Howell

MS, Tupelo, James L. Bryan

MS, Raynham, Debra M. Emerick

MS, Jackson, Wesley Hutchen

MS, Cleveland, Vassie M. Pegues

NC, Greensboro, David Allen

NC, Raleigh, Jonathan C. Brookshire

NC, Winston Salem, Virginia B. Campbell

NC, Greensboro, Donald P. Martin

NC, Timberlake, Don M. Narensky

NC, Wilmington, Northrope D. Rice

NJ, Magnolia, Leo Hamilton

NM, Albuquerque, Estanislao M. Gomez

NY, New York, Daniel S. Jones

NY, Rochester, Anne L. Lang

NY, West Leyden, Kimberly G. MacDougall

NY, Rochester, Mary D. Wilcox-Perry

OH, Cleveland , Stephanie D. Lucky

OK, Tulsa, Christopher G. Carr

OR, Elgin, Katherine M. Harrison

PA, Pittsburgh, Marcy L. Pitts

SC, Charleston, Charles N. Straney

SC, Hilton Head Island, Eleanor K. Swierk

SC, Shaw AFB, Rosemary Z. Wessendorf

TN, East Ridge, Robert M. Rasbury

TX, Wake Village, Valerie K. DePriest

TX, Austin, Kate Fiorillo

TX, Austin, David W. Gibbs

TX, Weslaco, Braulio Gonzales

TX, San Antonio, Peter C. Higgins

TX, Austin, Jeanne S. List

TX, Odessa, Marc K. Powell

TX, Fort Worth, David E. Price

TX, Midland, Norma G. Revilla

TX, Lubbock, Daniel Rey

TX, San Antonio, Jimmy W. Shepherd

TX, Waxahachie, Betty J. Square Jefferson

TX, Lubbock, Connie L. Vance

VA, Portsmouth, Herman W. Bates

VA, Abingdon, Eric G. Reese

VT, Waterbury, Michael F. Milne

WA, Bremerton, Matthew P. Moreno

WA, Puyallup, David S. Simonson

WY, Cheyenne, Lori L. Martin