The National Council of Social Security Management Associations (NCSSMA), an organization of SSA managers, has posted the minutes of its December teleconference. The prospects for what Congress would do with Social Security's Limitation on Administrative Expenditures (LAE), the term of art for Social Security's administrative budget, was the most important focus for the teleconference. Anyone dealing with SSA has to also be concerned about the LAE.
Jan 10, 2006
Social Security Death Index For Free
Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter reports that free copies of Social Security's death index are available from Progeny Software.
Jan 9, 2006
A Sad and Disturbing Blog By A Social Security Disability Recipient
The title of Penny Sue Scheff's blog, to the extent it has a title, is Penny Sue Scheff's Blog. I am not dead, I am on Social Security disability. In her blog, Ms. Scheff relates the details of her difficult day to day struggle with schizoaffective disorder. Ms. Scheff is terribly impaired by mental illness and may end up in a long term care facility eventually. The blog is a very disturbing read. It would be a good place to send someone who doubts the reality of "mental illness." I put quotes around the word "mental illness" since that is often done by those who think that psychiatric illness is simply a manifestation of a lack of willpower.
Many Comments on Age NPRM
Although the time has passed to comment on the proposal to add two years to the age categories of the grid regulations, Social Security continues to post comments on its website that were received before the deadline passed.
Today, there is a comment opposed to the proposal from Congressmen Charles Rangel, Sander Levin and Jim McDermott. Rangel is the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives. Levin is the ranking Democrat on the Social Security Subcommittee and McDermott is the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Human Resources. No Republicans joined in their opposition to the proposal.
The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has posted its comments opposing the proposal. The CCD is an umbrella group of many non-profit organizations dealing with disability issues.
Somewhat surprisingly, the West Virginia Disability Determination Service has also written in to express opposition to the proposal. On the other hand, Florida DDS has written to support the proposal, although they recommend that "that SSA conduct an independent study to determine the number of unskilled jobs at each exertional level that realistically exist today since that is a critical underlying premise of the vocational rules." They do not explain why it would not be best to do such a study before making the change.
Expressing opposition were:
Today, there is a comment opposed to the proposal from Congressmen Charles Rangel, Sander Levin and Jim McDermott. Rangel is the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives. Levin is the ranking Democrat on the Social Security Subcommittee and McDermott is the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Human Resources. No Republicans joined in their opposition to the proposal.
The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has posted its comments opposing the proposal. The CCD is an umbrella group of many non-profit organizations dealing with disability issues.
Somewhat surprisingly, the West Virginia Disability Determination Service has also written in to express opposition to the proposal. On the other hand, Florida DDS has written to support the proposal, although they recommend that "that SSA conduct an independent study to determine the number of unskilled jobs at each exertional level that realistically exist today since that is a critical underlying premise of the vocational rules." They do not explain why it would not be best to do such a study before making the change.
Expressing opposition were:
- American Council of the Blind
- National Council of La Raza
- Epilpesy Foundation
- Paralyzed Veterans of America
Jan 8, 2006
Fraud Conviction in Massachusetts
A New Bedford, MA man has been sentenced to three years probation for Social Security fraud, according to a press release from the US Attorney's office. James Stewart had started drawing Social Security disability benefits but continued to work for eleven years under a different Social Security number. Surprisingly, the fraud involved only $30,796.
Jan 7, 2006
SSA Leases Space Near BWI
The Social Security Administration has leased 144,000 square feet of what is described as "office/warehouse space" on Magellan Drive in Hanover, MD near the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and the National Security Agency.
Jan 6, 2006
Cut Social Security For National Security?
The TPM Cafe reports today that Tom Friedman is arguing in today's NY Times that the increasing amounts of money that must be spent for Social Security and Medicare for baby boomers will take money away from national defense and weaken America's national security. His proposed solution is to cut Medicare and Social Security for baby boomers. According to Friedman "Either Social Security and Medicare shrink or the Pentagon shrinks."
Comments on Age Proposal
Social Security is posting many of the comments received in the final days that the comment period was open on the proposal to increase the age categories of the grid regulations by two years. Here are some interesting or significant comments:
User Fee Stays at 6.3%
To no one's surprise, SSA today announced that the user fee charged for withholding fees for attorneys and qualifying non-attorney representatives of Social Security claimants will stay at 6.3% in 2006. The user fee is now subject to a $75 cap.
Jan 5, 2006
Weird Fraud Story
This is only marginally related to Social Security, but it is hard to resist posting a link to a newspaper article entitled Cross-Dressing IRS Agent Pleads Guilty to Fraud.
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