Jan 8, 2006

Fraud Conviction in Massachusetts

A New Bedford, MA man has been sentenced to three years probation for Social Security fraud, according to a press release from the US Attorney's office. James Stewart had started drawing Social Security disability benefits but continued to work for eleven years under a different Social Security number. Surprisingly, the fraud involved only $30,796.

Jan 7, 2006

SSA Leases Space Near BWI

The Social Security Administration has leased 144,000 square feet of what is described as "office/warehouse space" on Magellan Drive in Hanover, MD near the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and the National Security Agency.

Jan 6, 2006

Cut Social Security For National Security?

The TPM Cafe reports today that Tom Friedman is arguing in today's NY Times that the increasing amounts of money that must be spent for Social Security and Medicare for baby boomers will take money away from national defense and weaken America's national security. His proposed solution is to cut Medicare and Social Security for baby boomers. According to Friedman "Either Social Security and Medicare shrink or the Pentagon shrinks."

Comments on Age Proposal

Social Security is posting many of the comments received in the final days that the comment period was open on the proposal to increase the age categories of the grid regulations by two years. Here are some interesting or significant comments:
  1. AARP
  2. Otto Lukert
  3. ARC and UCP
  4. Protection and Advocacy, Inc.
  5. American Public Human Services Association
  6. AFL-CIO

User Fee Stays at 6.3%

To no one's surprise, SSA today announced that the user fee charged for withholding fees for attorneys and qualifying non-attorney representatives of Social Security claimants will stay at 6.3% in 2006. The user fee is now subject to a $75 cap.

Jan 5, 2006

Weird Fraud Story

This is only marginally related to Social Security, but it is hard to resist posting a link to a newspaper article entitled Cross-Dressing IRS Agent Pleads Guilty to Fraud.

Additional Meeting -- Salt Lake City

The Tenth Circuit Social Security Claimants’ Representatives group will have a Continuining Legal education (CLE) seminar in Salt Lake City on February 11, 2006. For more information, contact Julie Byassee at jbyassee@troutmanlaw.com or by phone at (918) 587-0050. Registration is limited to 50, so sign up as soon as possible. I wonder if there would be opportunities for skiing in the area before or after the conference.

All the Social Security Stats You Could Want

Social Security has published its annual Statistical Supplement. This is an enormous compendium of Social Security statistical information.