NPRM On Use Of Payroll Data Provider Info

     From a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making (NPRM) that the Social Security Administration will publish in the Federal Register tomorrow:

... We are proposing these rules ... for implementing the access to and use of the information held by payroll data providers. ...

We use wage and employment information to decide who can receive OASDI [Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance] disability benefits and SSI payments. We also use it to determine SSI payment amounts. Receiving complete, accurate, and timely wage and employment information allows us to administer our programs efficiently and to avoid improper payments that can occur when we do not have such information. Reviews of post-entitlement cases show that substantial gainful activity (SGA)4 continues to be the leading cause of overpayments in the OASDI disability program. In fact, SGA-related overpayments in the OASDI program averaged approximately $500 million annually as of fiscal year 2022.5 Further, wage discrepancies, which reached an annual average of approximately $1.4 billion in improper payments as of fiscal year 2022, have been a leading cause of improper payments in the SSI program for more than a decade. ...

A Less Colorful Waterfall Chart With CDR Numbers

 

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The Waterfall Chart For 2023

 

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Another Super Bowl Poll

 

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A Poll

 

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Problems With Retirement Earnings Test

     From The Social Security Administration’s Enforcement of the Earnings Test, a report by Social Security's Office of Inspector General:

The earnings test is a provision of the Social Security Act that requires that SSA withhold payments from beneficiaries who are under full retirement age (FRA) if their earnings exceed a certain limit. ...

SSA did not accurately or timely pay beneficiaries subject to the earnings test. As a result, we estimate SSA:

• inaccurately calculated approximately 47,000 of the 294,000 earnings-test overpayments established in FY 2021, totaling more than $148 million;
• inaccurately paid approximately 9,000 beneficiaries approximately $29 million based on estimated earnings that were more or less than their actual earnings; and
• did not timely pay approximately 176,000 beneficiaries approximately $81 million in monthly benefit increases. ...

    And to think that the retirement earnings test used to apply to all retirees regardless of age.

Overdue

    From Joe Davidson at the Washington Post:

The Democratic chairman of a powerful Senate committee on Wednesday called on President Biden to fire the lead watchdog for the Social Security Administration, pointing to stalled investigations and plunging staff morale.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the White House, Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said promises by Inspector General Gail Ennis to “establish a culture that welcomes debate, collaboration, and transparency … appear to have been hollow.”

“I urge you to remove her,” Wyden wrote. ...

Monthly OHO Report

 

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An Interesting Employee Benefit

     From a contracting notice posted by the Social Security Administration:

... The Contractor shall administer a reimbursement process for employees who choose to utilize SSA’s Pick Your Own Provider emergency backup dependent care program for temporary or short-term services for employees who are scheduled to work, and their regular care arrangements are disrupted. This will allow employees to continue working knowing that their dependents are being cared for in a safe environment. When employees use the Pick Your Own Provider program, they are required to locate their own provider and pay for all costs. The contractor will administer a process to reimburse employees a $100 flat fee for each day of emergency backup care provided.  Employees can utilize the Pick Your Own Provider program for a maximum of 5 days of emergency backup dependent care per contract period. ...

Headcount Inches Up

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has finally posted updated numbers showing the headcount of employees at each agency as of the second and third quarters on 2023. Note that these numbers do not tell the whole story. They don't account for part time employees nor for overtime. Overtime is a huge part of the story at Social Security. A Full Time Equivalent (FTE) report would cover that but we seldom see FTE reports.  Here are Social Security's numbers as of September with earlier headcount numbers for comparison:

• September, 2023 61,410
  
• June, 2023 60,726
  
• March, 2023  59,400
• December, 2022 58,916
  
• September, 2022 57,754
  
• June, 2022 58,332
  
• March, 2022 59,257
  
• December, 2021 60,422
  
• December 2020 61,816
  
• December 2019 61,969
  
• December 2018 62,946
  
• December 2017 62,777
• December 2016 63,364
• December 2015 65,518
• December 2014 65,430
• December 2013 61,957
• December 2012 64,538
• December 2010 70,270
• December 2009 67,486
• December 2008 63,733