Visiting Offices In New Jersey

 

Rulings Rescinded

      From a notice posted by Social Security in the Federal Register:

By this notice we are rescinding the following [Social Security Rulings]:

• SSR 83-33: Titles II and XVI: Determining Whether Work Is  Substantial Gainful Activity--Employees;
• SSR 83-34: Titles II and XVI: Determining Whether Work Is  Substantial Gainful Activity--Self-Employed Persons;
• SSR 83-35: Titles II and XVI: Averaging of Earnings in Determining Whether Work Is Substantial Gainful Activity;
• SSR 84-25: Titles II and XVI: Determination of Substantial  Gainful Activity If Substantial Work Activity Is Discontinued or Reduced--Unsuccessful Work Attempt; and
• SSR 84-26: Titles II and XVI: Deducting Impairment-Related Work Expenses From Earnings In Determinations As To Substantial Gainful Activity Under Titles II And XVI And As To Countable Earned Income Under Title XVI. ….

     The stated reason for rescinding the SSRs is that subsequent regulations have superseded them. 

Dudek Pens Op Ed

      Former Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek has written an Op Ed for the New York Post about the “media’s Social Security hysteria”. It’s about what you’d expect.

Memorial Day 2025

 

South And Midwest Rely More On Social Security

     From Southern and Midwestern districts are the most vulnerable to Social Security cuts and disruptions posted by the Economic Policy Institute (click on image to view full size):

 

Recording Of A Small Part Of Bisignano’s Talk To Staff Surfaces

     If this was the worst issue with Bisignano I wouldn’t be concerned but here’s the part where Bisignano talks about googling his new job. There are worse things than sounding a bit goofy. I’m afraid we’ll see those worse things.

Here’s An Idea For The Commissioner

      From Social Security’s Office of Inspector

 While SSA has made progress implementing corrective actions for both the OASDI and SSI programs, the Agency did not demonstrate improvements to payment integrity or achieve its tolerable improper payment rate for the SSI program. The SSI improper payment rate increased from 9.41 percent (approximately $5.3 billion) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to 10.62 percent (approximately $6.5 billion) in FY 2023.

According to SSA, the Agency’s reliance on self-reporting by beneficiaries, recipients, and their representative payees—who are required to notify SSA when a change occurs affecting their SSI eligibility or payment amounts—leads to many improper payments.  Failure to report these changes continues to be a primary cause of overpayments. 

One of the leading causes of overpayments to SSI recipients is recipients’ unreported resources in financial accounts that exceed allowable amounts. SSA has tools, such as the Access to Financial Institutions (AFI) program, to help identify excess resources.  Using AFI, SSA verifies alleged bank account balances with financial institutions and searches for undisclosed accounts at geographically relevant locations.  SSA uses AFI when it processes initial SSI applications and periodic eligibility redeterminations.

However, according to SSA, in FY 2023, 89 percent of overpayments resulting from excess resources in financial accounts occurred because of recipients’ changes after SSA approved their initial SSI applications or completed eligibility redeterminations. 

OIG estimates SSA could have prevented approximately $2 billion in overpayments in FY 2023 had it performed AFI searches between approving recipients’ initial applications and completing redeterminations.

OIG previously recommended SSA conduct a study to expand the use of AFI.  SSA has not implemented this recommendation.

     The problem with implementing this is probably the delay it would cause but, hey, it’s only SSI so it wouldn’t matter to a Republican if the benefits are never paid! 

Bisignano Doesn't Like Leaks But They're Sure Happening

     ABC News has obtained an audio recording of the meeting that Frank Bisignano had with Social Security staff yesterday. They have posted excerpts. It sounds like it was a rambling performance. I'll offer a few quotes here but if you weren't part of that meeting you probably want to look at the whole ABC piece.

... "So, I get a phone call and it's about Social Security. And I'm really, I'm really not, I swear I'm not looking for a job," Bisignano said, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by ABC News. "And I'm like, 'Well, what am I going to do?' So, I'm Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I'm one of the great Googlers on the East Coast."

"I'm like, 'What the heck's the commissioner of Social Security?'" said Bisignano, who now oversees one of the largest federal agencies that's responsible for distributing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans.

"Put that as the headline for the Post: 'Great Googler in Chief. Chief in Googler' or whatever," said Bisignano, who throughout the meeting repeatedly bemoaned media leaks from within the agency. ...

 "Are we having fun yet? Are we OK?" he asked those on the call. ...

Bisignano told the managers that they needed to believe that DOGE was "helping to make things better" even if "it may not feel that way." ...

"Did you guys know there was a protest against me? Who knows there was a protest against me?" he said. "I like that protest -- I want to prove them so wrong, man, this is going to be most fun I ever had." ...

     By the way, does anyone know whether Bisignano had any briefings from career people at Social Security between the time he was nominated and confirmed? I don't have any experience with these things. I would like to think that would be standard but Bisignano sounds like he came into the job cold.