Some Reasonable Questions

Here is a slightly edited version of a comment that was posted below:

Can someone please explain how Compassionate Allowances work and for which medical conditions they are used?

Even after reading Social Security's material, I don't think I fully understand how Quick Disability Determination (QDD) and Compassionate Allowance (CA) differ.

I am a Capitol Hill staffer and I might have to answer questions about these initiatives, so I'd like a deeper understanding.

Many thanks.

Anyone want to take a stab at answering these questions?

Tanner Votes For Economic Stimulus Bill

John Tanner, the Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee, who is very much a Blue Dog Democrat, voted for the President's economic stimulus bill, which passed the House of Representatives yesterday. There were 11 Democrats in the House who voted against the bill. No Republicans voted for the bill.

Senate Appropriations Committee Wants To Give $893 Million To Social Security -- But Nothing To Reduce Backlogs

From the bill just reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee (page 149):

For an additional amount for ‘‘Limitation on Administrative Expenses’’ [which is the technical term for Social Security's operating budget] , $890,000,000 shall be available as follows:

(1) $750,000,000 shall remain available until expended for necessary expenses of the replacement of the National Computer Center and the information technology costs associated with such Center: Provided, That the Commissioner of Social Security shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate not later than 10 days prior to each public notice soliciting bids related to site selection and construction: Provided further, That unobligated balances of funds not needed for this purpose may be used as described in subparagraph (2); and

(2) $140,000,000 shall be available through September 30, 2010 for information technology acquisitions and research, which may include research and activities to facilitate the adoption of electronic medical records in disability claims and the transfer of funds to ‘‘Supplemental Security Income’’ to carry out activities under section 1110 of the Social Security Act: Provided further, That not later than 10 days prior to the obligation of such funds, the Commissioner shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate an operating plan describing the planned uses of such funds.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

For an additional amount for the ‘‘Office of Inspector General’’, $3,000,000, which shall remain available through September 30, 2012, for salaries and expenses necessary for oversight and audit of programs, projects, and activities funded in this Act and administered by the Social Security Administration.

There is far more funding for the new National Computer Center in this bill than in the bill that will be passing the House of Representatives today. In fact, I have a hard time seeing how Social Security can spend this much money this quickly on a national computer center. It takes time to design and construct such a building. I would be surprised if Social Security is anywhere near ready to go on this. They do not need to spend $750 million on architects and engineers. $140 million for information technology?

The big thing is no additional funding for reducing the backlogs at Social Security. I find that surprising and disappointing.

At least the amount in the Senate bill is almost identical to the amount in the House bill. The difference is how the money will be spent, which is an important difference, but this sort of thing can get sorted out in later stages of the process.

By the way, notice that the Senate Appropriations Committee seems to want to keep Michael Astrue on a short leash? He would have to notify them before taking bids and notify them promptly of operating plans. I have not studied the bill, but I doubt that other agencies are being subjected to such scrutiny.

A Press Release

A press release from Social Security:

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced today that improvements to the agency’s computer modeling system have increased the number of claimants receiving expedited approvals for disability benefits. Social Security’s two-track system -- the Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process and Compassionate Allowances -- is now fast-tracking about 4 percent of all disability cases, a sharp increase from the 2.7 percent of cases fast-tracked last year.

"In practical terms, this means that this year 100,000 to 125,000 disabled Americans -- those with the most severe disabilities -- will be approved for benefits in about 10 days instead of waiting the three to four months it typically takes for an initial decision," Commissioner Astrue said. "These initiatives are truly a lifeline for those who need it most."

Under QDD, a predictive computer model analyzes specific data within the electronic file to identify cases where there is a high potential that the claimant is disabled and where Social Security can quickly obtain evidence of the person's allegations. Through Compassionate Allowances, Social Security expedites the processing of disability claims for applicants with medical conditions so severe that their conditions by definition meet Social Security's standards. These fast-track systems increase the efficiency of the disability process and also help free up resources so the agency can better cope with an increase of about 250,000 cases resulting from the current economic downturn.

"During these tough economic times, getting Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability benefits quickly to Americans who are unable to work helps them and strengthens our economy. For SSI recipients, expedited approvals also ensure they immediately get the vital medical coverage they need," Commissioner Astrue said. "It is critical that we continue to embrace innovative technologies in order to improve the services we provide to the public."

Senate Finance Committee Reports Out The $300 Bonus Checks For Social Security Recipients

We do not yet know exactly what the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out today, but the Senate Finance Committee reported out a $300 bonus for each recipient of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits.

No Money For SSA In Senate Bill?

The Senate Appropriations Committee has released an updated summary of their version of the President's economic stimulus bill. There is still no mention of Social Security in the summary. The House version has $902 million for Social Security.

Update: This has now been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and there is still no sign of money for the Social Security Administration.

Further update: The Federal Times says that the actual bill will be posted on the Committee website Wednesday.

ODAR Productivity Pressures -- What Is Your Experience?

I hear more and more frequent references to employees of Social Security's Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR), which is where Social Security's Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) work, being subjected to greater productivity pressures than in the past. To a point, productivity pressure is a good thing. The public is suffering because of backlogs at Social Security. Public servants should be encouraged to work hard to deal with those backlogs. The other side of the coin is that excessive pressure can have adverse consequences -- higher error rates, employees taking inappropriate shortcuts (such as giving priority to quick, easy cases) and frustrated, discouraged employees.

If you work at ODAR, what has been your recent experience with productivity pressure? Post your comment below. I am not looking for employees of other parts of the Social Security Administration to say that it is much worse where they are than it can possibly be at ODAR. or that ODAR employees are lazy. That may or may not be true, but if you have not worked at both places, you really cannot know and that is not the sort of information I am trying to gather anyway. Also, I am not looking for ODAR employees to say that while they and others doing their job are being subjected to terrible pressure and are working very, very hard, some other group of employees at ODAR has it easy. Tell us about what you are experiencing, rather than trying to blame someone else.

NADE Newsletter

The National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), an organization of people who work at the state disability determination services around the country, has posted its Winter 2009 newsletter. It does not contain anything new of much significance, but it is always interesting to read people writing from a different perspective.

I note that the newsletter shows Jeffrey Price to be NADE's Legislative Director. Mr. Price has an unusual history for someone in such a position. Yes, it is the same Jeffrey Price.

NCSSMA Newsletter -- And One Of My Pet Peeves

The National Council of Social Security Management Associations (NCSSMA) has issued its January 2009 Newsletter. Of some interest to me were the articles on Social Security's new VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) project and Teleservice Center operation.

The newsletter also has a timely article about the importance of Social Security during a recession, which includes the chart shown above. Click on the chart to see it full size. The article says that this chart proves that disability claims go up during a recession. You can see no more than a tiny bit of proof for that proposition in the chart. There is simply no evidence in this chart or elsewhere that disability claims soar when economic times are bad. No recession has ever caused more than a slight bump in Social Security disability claims filed in the United States. Disability claims are certainly going up now, but this surge in claims was predictable decades ago. It is due to the aging of the baby boomer population.

There is one thing that has previously caused significant increases in disability claims filed -- making it less difficult to get on Social Security disability benefits.

GAO Says Disability Programs Still "High Risk"

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued its 2009 report on what it considers the "high risk" areas of the federal government and Social Security's disability programs are on the list.

Apparently, GAO still has fondness for former Commissioner Barnhart's grand Disability Service Improvement (DSI) plan, which was in the process of failing utterly when Barnhart's replacement, Michael Astrue, suspended it. Here is what GAO has to say (on page 89):

SSA continues to struggle to keep pace with growing numbers of disability applications, leading to large claims backlogs and long waits for claimants. In 2006, it introduced a comprehensive set of reforms to improve the efficiency of the disability determination process and the accuracy and timeliness of decisions. Tight time frames, poor communication, and a lack of financial planning hampered implementation of these reforms, and by 2008 most had been superseded by more focused efforts to fully implement electronic case processing and eliminate the growing claims backlog at the hearings level. Whether concentration on fewer, more immediate issues will better position SSA to meet the challenges it faces remains to be seen. ...

Agencies have taken steps to modernize their programs, such as revising eligibility criteria. However, the revisions to eligibility criteria fall short of fully incorporating a modern understanding of how technology and labor market changes could affect eligibility for disability benefits. More importantly, steps have not been taken to develop a set of agreed-upon desired outcomes for disability policies and programs and the processes to achieve them.

I cannot imagine a more effective way to establish that one lacks any insight into the Social Security disability programs than to express nostalgia for DSI. Maybe GAO ought to investigate why our government is wasting money on GAO!