IRS To Do Rebates

There was an article three days ago suggesting that the Social Security Administration would process the rebate checks that are to be the centerpiece of the economic stimulus plan expected in the next few weeks, but the Associated Press is reporting today that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be doing the processing.

It is only a guess, but my guess is that the IRS was trying to pawn this job off on Social Security and Social Security said "No."

Altmire Raises Social Security Issues

From WTAE-TV:

The government might be denying Social Security disability benefits to hundreds of thousands of people who should be getting them. That's according to one local congressman, who said he believes the government is rejecting valid claims simply to save money.

Freshman Rep. Jason Altmire is reacting to a recent network news investigation highlighting the potential problem, and he compared it to another highly criticized policy involving military benefits.

Only after congressional intervention was an emotional Jean Sbaraglia, of Allison Park, able to get the Social Security disability benefits the government spent years denying her.

No, I do not think he is any relation to Arthur Altmeyer, a major figure in the history of Social Security in the United States and the man for whom the Altmeyer Building at Social Security headquarters is named. The name is spelled differently.

No Match Rule Imminent?

Greg Siskind's immigration blog is reporting that new "no match" rules are imminent. Last fall, a court order blocked the Social Security Administration from sending out a huge batch of letters informing employers of situations in which an employee's name did not match his or her Social Security number. New regulations are being issued to try to address the concerns that led to the court order blocking the "no match" letters. While there may be renewed efforts to block the "no match" letters, there is a good chance that they will go out in the near future.

"No match" letters had been sent for years, but there was no penalty for failing to clear up the situation. Mostly, employers ignored the letters. Sanctions are now threatened, so the new "no match" letters are potentially of considerable importance as an immigration enforcement measure. Unfortunately, there will be literally millions of U.S. citizens also affected by the "no match" letters and some percentage of those affected will be contacting the Social Security Administration.

No one has any idea what effect the new "no match" letters will have upon the Social Security Administration's workloads. This may be little more than a blip or it may be a tidal wave. The Social Security Administration has been quiet about the potential workload problems that may arise from this. I cannot help thinking that Michael Astrue has been afraid of saying anything, since the "no match" letters are a major part of the President's plan to deal with illegal immigration and illegal immigration is a major issue for Republicans, in particular. The sheer unpredictability of the situation would scare me if I were Michael Astrue.

Quick Disability Determinations

From the South Bend Tribune:

The Social Security Administration this week launched a quick way to qualify someone for disability benefits in Indiana. ...

More than 90 percent of the cases helped by the new process in other states so far involved people with cancer or kidney failure, and babies born with a low birth weight, said Carmen Moreno, spokeswoman for Social Security's regional office in Chicago. ...

In the Boston area, where the process was tested, 3 percent of the applicants qualified for "quick disability determination," as it's called, according to Social Security.

Can someone explain to me what is new here apart from the name?

SSI Stats

The Social Security Administration has released monthly statistics on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for December 2007.

Customer Service In Vero Beach

A letter to the editor of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches newspapers of Florida:

As a citizen, I wish to register a complaint. If the U.S. government can police the world by keeping troops all over it, it should be able to have more than one window in the local Social Security office.

I received two letters from the Social Security Administration concerning a reduction of my 2008 benefits. I wanted an explanation because these letters were very unclear, like most bureaucratic letters tend to be.

So, I went down to the Vero Beach office and was shocked to find out there was only one worker and one window to service everyone in town. I was asked to take a ball with a number on it from some uninformed worker at the entrance and to wait my turn. The room was full of people and I was not willing to wait that long for a few simple questions. I even went down a second time and had the exact same experience as before.

I heard that Vero Beach had more Social Security checks sent to it per capita than any other place in the United States. So exactly why would there be only one person to service such an area that would have a high demand for help from the local Social Security office?

As a person I have better things to do with my time than sit around a Social Security office waiting to be served. It is a shame that we waste so much money on things that aren’t important in this country instead of spending money on really helping out our taxpaying citizens. 

Edward R. McHenry Jr. 

Vero Beach 

The Vero Beach metropolitan area has a population of 130,100 according to Wikipedia.

Port Huron Field Office Moves To Bigger Quarters

While some Social Security offices close, others move to bigger quarters. From the Times Herald of Port Huron, MI:

After spending more than five decades in a cramped office at the federal building in Port Huron, the Social Security office is moving.

Starting Monday, the Social Security Administration will be at 2620 Krafft Road in Fort Gratiot. ..

The office at the federal building is 8,000 square feet compared to the 12,000 square feet available at the new building.

Stepping Stones Manual

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Center for Mental Health Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has written a 202 page manual entitled Stepping Stones to Recovery: A Case Manual for Assisting Adults Who Are Homeless With Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income Applications.

While it is a good manual, it does miss the crucial issue of how Social Security deals with cases in which it is impossible to tell what part of a claimant's limitations is due to drug abuse or alcoholism and what part is due to other mental illness. This is a common problem when one is trying to help substance abusers, who are a high percentage of the homeless population.

Would This Do Anything To The Social Security Disability Programs?

There are many people who already believe that the Americans with Disabilities Act somehow made disabled people far more able to work, despite abundant proof that the Americans with Disabilities Act has been almost useless. Would an Americans with Disabilities Act with teeth change things for disabled Americans? Should it change things at Social Security? We may have to answer those questions before long. From the Kiplinger Letter:

Employers should brace for an expansion of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing a bill that would broaden the reach of the ADA, the landmark 1990 federal law that prohibits discrimination against the disabled. Current law applies only to disabilities that "substantially limit a major life activity." Proposed legislation eliminates this qualifier, with the result that anyone with a physical or mental impairment would be covered. ...

Businesses can't count on a veto by President Bush to stop the measure. The original ADA was part of his father's legacy, and he may be reluctant to block an expansion. But the president, with backing from Senate Republicans, is likely to push for changes to make the legislation less onerous to employers. One possible compromise would include adding a list of diseases and conditions that would be covered by the ADA. It would not be an exhaustive list, but one designed to limit the scope of the bill.

Because of the short legislative calendar this election year, the bill may not make it through Congress in 2008. If it doesn't, it's a good bet for 2009. And if Democrats win the White House and expand their majorities in the House and Senate, the eventual bill will be tougher on employers than if Republicans can force a compromise this year.

SSA Role In Economic Stimulus?

From the McClatchy newspaper chain (emphasis added):

As Congress and the White House craft an economic stimulus package, there’s growing concern that it can’t be enacted and implemented quickly enough to forestall a recession. ...

The Internal Revenue Service has already begun processing 2007 tax returns, and it’s reprogramming its computers to comply with changes in tax law that Congress passed late last year, which means that the IRS probably couldn’t begin mailing any rebate checks before late spring. Short-term payroll tax holidays would be even harder for the IRS to process quickly. It would take the Social Security Administration, which has an outdated computer system, at least six weeks to begin distributing additional money to retirees. ...

The Social Security Administration sends out nearly 50 million checks per month, but its computer systems have needed updating for many years.

Nevertheless, Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael J. Astrue said supplement checks could be processed and distributed in about six weeks.

And what would processing economic stimulus checks do to ordinary workloads at Social Security?