By the way, this appears to be another story generated by Allsup.Dana Smith waited three years for a judge to agree she qualifies for Social Security disability payments.
Had she lived in a state other than Indiana, the wait could have been much shorter.
That's because Indiana has one of the worst records in the country for processing the disability claims of people unable to work because of medical or psychiatric reasons. ...
For a determination at the Indianapolis offices for Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income, the average applicant waits 749 days from the time of filing until a hearing before an administrative judge, the step necessary if claims are denied -- and most are.
Most Americans wait 505 days, the Social Security Administration estimates. ...
Nationwide, the Social Security Administration has 10 percent fewer judges to hear case appeals than it did a decade ago, while the number of cases has increased by more than 176 percent, said Carmen Moreno, regional communications director for the Social Security Administration's Chicago region, which includes Indiana.
Jul 6, 2008
Waiting In Indiana
Jul 4, 2008
Jul 3, 2008
Binder And Binder Lawsuit
Because of technical limitations in Blogger, these federal court filings are spread over several posts and you must click on each page separately to view it full size. There is no simple way for a reader to download the whole thing, unless you have a Pacer account, in which case you can download all the papers filed with the Court.
Jul 2, 2008
ALJ Register To Reopen
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management today [July 2] announced it will re-open the Administrative Law Judge examination to refresh the list of eligible candidates who serve as impartial arbiters at regulatory and benefits-granting federal agencies.OPM will officially announce the 2008 ALJ examination on its USAJOBS website (www.usajobs.gov) in the near future. The application filing period will be made public at that time; the application limit will factor-in future agency hiring needs.
OPM Director Linda M. Springer said the new examination advances the agency's strategy of maintaining a sufficient number of qualified ALJ candidates to serve as arbiters of fact in formal proceedings requiring a decision on the record.
"From time to time, we must re-open the exam to ensure federal agencies have access to ALJ candidates who will serve the interests of America's citizens expeditiously and in accordance with law," said Springer. "Additionally, we are giving professional men and women the opportunity to serve their country in an important capacity."
New Entitlements Commission Proposed
During consideration [of] the FY 2009 appropriations for the Financial Services bill, an amendment to create a commission to examine the cost of entitlement programs (such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare) and limiting their growth failed by a vote of 31-32. House Majority leaders are concerned that this approach would limit Congressional responsibility and give too much power to the Executive Branch.
Jul 1, 2008
A Suggestion For Video Hearings
Jun 30, 2008
More On Social Security's Search For Updated Occupational Data
The Social Security Administration has now posted some answers to questions posed by entities considering Social Security's solicitation. Here is one important one (emphasis added):
Question 3.
Section 2.1 (A) (13) allows for “unlimited use” of the data. Again, it may be inferred that the data may only be used in the context of the evaluation, but we would appreciate clarification that SSA/IE’s use is for evaluative purposes only.
The OIC shall permit SSA to test and validate the occupational information and periodic updates in all manners deemed necessary by SSA. SSA will not use the occupational information for claims adjudication or other business process purposes.
Employment Levels At Social Security
- December 2007 61,822
- September 2007 62,407
- June 2007 62,530
- March 2007 61,867
- December 2006 63,410
- September 2006 63,647
- September 2005 66,147
- September 2004 65,258
- September 2003 64,903
- September 2002 64,648
- September 2001 65,377
- September 2000 64,521
- September 1999 63,957
- September 1998 65,629
Jun 29, 2008
And I Thought They Were Done
The essential assumption of these "Issue Briefs" is that there is it is already abundantly clear to all that Social Security must be, at least, partially privatized. The only issue left is exactly how we go about doing this. This "Issue Brief" deals with the ticklish subject of how do we cut benefits. Even though it would not be nearly enough to eliminate Social Security's long term financing problems even under current law, the "Issue Brief" advocates adjustments in inflation indexing to reduce benefits payments in future years. However, even this painful adjustment would be nowhere near enough money to finance even the most modest effort to divert Social Security taxes into private accounts.