Collecting Social Security Overpayments From Federal Employees

Today's Federal Register contains a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making (NPRM) from Social Security that would provide for offsetting the salaries of federal employees to collect their overpayments from the Social Security Administration.

Social Security Issues Disability Report

The Social Security Administration has released its annual statistical report on the disability insurance program. Perhaps of most interest is the the percentage of all disability claims approved after all levels of review:

1999 61.4%
2000 62.6%
2001 63.0%
2002 59.8%
2003 53.3%

One major reason for the decrease in the percentage of claims allowed is a huge increase in technical denials, which went up from 104,330 in 1999 to 374,430 in 2003. This may be due to Social Security's staffing problems. More claimants with low intelligence levels or serious mental illness, who needed but did not get sympathetic help from Social Security, may have been denied for failure to cooperate.

You Can't "Withdraw" From Social Security

Social Security's Office of Regional Counsel felt the need to publish a written opinion that Social Security would ignore a "Notice of Revocation and a Notice of Mandatory Exertion of All Unalienable Rights" from a man who wished to withdraw from Social Security on the grounds that he was a sovereign citizen of Michigan, but not of the United States.

Study on Latinos and Social Security

HispanicBusiness.com reports that several universities will collaborate on a national research project on the impact of Social Security on the U.S. Latino population. Although labeled as a research project, it is apparent that educating Latinos about Social Security is also a major aim of the project.

Social Security Wins Technology Award

The Social Security Administration has been awarded the SHARE 2006 Award for Excellence in Technology. SHARE describes itself as"an independent, volunteer-run association providing IBM customers with user-focused education, professional networking, and a forum to influence the Information Technology (IT) industry." The award is sponsored by IBM. According to SHARE's press release:

The team from the Social Security Administration was honored with this award as a result of their innovation in network connectivity, which resulted in providing thousands of employees with a network that is significantly more resilient, reliable and scalable to better manage data regarding taxes, retirement, disability, family benefits, survivors and Medicare.

Robert Baulmer Has An Unusual Social Security Problem

Robert Baulmer was on Social Security disability benefits for 22 years, but now has a problem with Social Security. The agency will not let him withdraw his claim for Social Security disability benefits! Baulmer believes his Christian faith has healed him. He not only wants to drop his Social Security disability benefits, but to withdraw his claim altogether. Social Security is refusing his request, since Baulmer is able to repay only $22,000 of the $188, 670.30 he received from Social Security over the years.

Social Security Subcommittee Hearing

This set of hearings is beginning to sound a bit obsessive. This is an excerpt from the press release from the House Social Security Subcommittee:

Congressman Jim McCrery (R-LA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold the fourth in a series of Subcommittee hearings on Social Security number (SSN) high-risk issues. The hearing will examine expanding uses of the SSN card and measures to prevent SSN card fraud. The hearing will take place on Thursday, March 16, 2006 in room B‑318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Fee Payments Increase

Social Security has posted the statistics for January and February on payments of fees to attorneys and others entitled to direct payment of fees for representing claimants. Fees increased by 9% from January to February of this year. Here are the numbers:

Fee Payments
Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-06	18,752	$64,848,326.02
Feb-06	20,426	$70,312.586.15

Montana Woman Charged With Social Security Fraud

The Great Falls Tribune reports that a Glendive, MT woman has pleaded not guilty to Social Security fraud. She had received over $100,000 in dependent's benefits after she lost custody of the children for whom the benefits were being paid.

Bill Thomas to Retire

Bill Thomas, the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has announced his retirement from Congress at the end of this Congressional session. Thomas had been ineligible for another term as Chairman under House Republican rules. The current chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee of Ways and Means, Jim McCrery, is the leading candidate to succeed Thomas, if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives.