From 1937

Congressman Thinks Definition Of Disability Is Too Subjective

     From West Virginia Metro News:

... Republican Congressman Jim Lankford (OK-5) said it will take years to fully implement the kinds of reforms [Social Security ] needs — especially when it comes to disability benefits. ...  Lankford — who met with the new Social Security leadership this week — serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements for the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In June, that committee released a report entitled “Systemic Waste and Abuse at the Social Security Administration.” ... 

Overall, Lankford said the definition of “disabled” has become subjective. “It should be a very clear cut thing. The definition of when you get Social Security disability is when you’re unable, due to medical reasons, unable to do any job in the economy. That’s a very clear definition — any job in the economy.” ...

The State Of Service At Social Security

     An e-mail I just got from an attorney at another firm:

Does anyone happen to have the fax # to the ______ District Office? 

Someone from our office has tried calling but they are closed & the 1-800 # reportedly has a 1hr & 10 min wait time. 

Thanks for any help on this one.

Off Topic: What's Up With Horse Head Masks?

     I'm in the mall the other day and there's some kid walking around wearing a horse head mask. Now I see a picture of the President shaking hands with some jackass wearing a horse head mask. I'm feeling old and out of the loop. This doesn't seem funny to me; just creepy. Can anyone explain what's going on? Épater la bourgeoisie?

UI Offset Under Consideration In Highway Bill

     From a letter sent by the Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee.  CCD is a major umbrella group of organizations serving disabled people:

The undersigned members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) write to express our opposition to proposals to eliminate or reduce concurrent Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits as a partial offset for funding the Highway Trust Fund under the Preserving American’s Transit and Highways Act (PATH Act).

The SSDI and UI programs were established for different purposes and largely serve different populations. Receiving UI and SSDI concurrently is legal and appropriate. This has been the long - standing position of the Social Security Administration and of the court.

"The Capital's Chief Scapegoat Wrangler"

     From Michael Hiltzik at the Los Angeles Times:

As we all know, the official animal of Washington, D.C., is the scapegoat. Today's example is Carolyn W. Colvin, the acting commissioner of Social Security.

Colvin recently was raked over the coals by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista [CA], the capital's chief scapegoat wrangler, for problems at Social Security that can largely be traced to its budget squeeze. In other words, to Congress.

In a letter to Colvin, who has been acting commissioner since February 2013 and has been nominated to take over the job officially, Issa blamed her for a backlog of disability reviews that dates back to before 2007 and that is directly related to Congress' failure to provide for enough administrative law judges to handle the workload.

Senator Brown Speaks Out In Support Of Social Security Disability Benefits

     From the Columbus Dispatch:

Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH] yesterday called on progressives to defend and “expand” both Social Security and Social Security’s disability insurance against what he assailed as right-wing critics.

In a speech at the Center for American Progress — a Democratic-leaning nonprofit organization in Washington — Brown, D-Ohio, said that “the debate over Social Security should not be how much we can cut from the program in order to balance the federal budget.”

Brown added, the “debate over Social Security should not be about raising the retirement age or limiting benefits. The debate over Social Security should be about retirement security.”

Speaking before a group of about 40 people, Brown said in order to help disabled and elderly Americans stay out of the streets, progressives must not “let one piece of Social Security be picked off.”

Senator Collins Wants To Keep Field Offices Open

     Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has authored an op ed for a Maine newspaper opposing office closings and the elimination of face to face contact at Social Security. However, she doesn't say anything about additional appropriations for the agency. Reading the piece, you get the impression that the only problem is foolish decisions made at the Social Security Administration. Republicans either actively deny that there's a link between appropriations and agency operations or they just ignore the issue altogether.

The Assault On The Colvin Nomination Has Begun In Earnest

    From the National Review:

Widespread abuses within the Social Security Administration’s disability system are becoming a point of contention as the Senate weighs the nomination of Carolyn Watts Colvin as the agency’s commissioner.

Some congressional Democrats have already taken issue with Colvin, who has served as the acting commissioner since February 2013, because she presided over staffing cuts and field-office closures. And earlier this week, Republican members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform wrote a letter harshly criticizing Colvin. “We’d expect that [Colvin] will be pressed on her track record, including the agency’s allowance of hundreds of [administrative-law judges] to rubber-stamp claimants onto disability over the past decade,” says Becca Glover Watkins, the communications director for the committee.

     I think we can now say that the right wing assault on Colvin's nomination has begun in earnest. There will be two major lines of attack. First, service at Social Security is terrible. Field offices are closing It must be Colvin's fault. The real problem is Social Security's operating budget, set by Congress but Colvin has already made the mistake of failing to really call out Congress on this, setting herself up to take the blame. Second, Social Security disability is full of fraud. It must be Colvin's fault. The attacks on Social Security disability are ridiculous but if you keep throwing mud at it, some of it sticks.

Senate Finance Committee Hearing On Disability Benefits Coming This Month

     From Greg Sargent, writing for the Washington Post:

Democrats are bracing for a new assault from Republicans on the safety net that could come as early as this month — in particular, on disability insurance. ...

Senator Orrin Hatch has requested a Finance Committee hearing into Social Social Security Disability Insurance — whose trust fund is set to be depleted soon — and Dems on the committee have agreed. It may take place this month, before the August recess. ...

Republicans such as Senator Tom Coburn have argued that the disability program is being “gamed” by “scalawags,” and that a third of claims are bogus, putting the program in financial trouble.