Reviewing Official Job Advertised

Social Security is now accepting applications for the Reviewing Official (RO) job that is a centerpiece of Commissioner Barnhart's plan to revamp the adjudication of disability claims. The job notice indicates that the positions will be in Falls Church, VA. No specific number of jobs is mentioned, only that there are "many vacancies." The job is at the GS 13 or GS 14 level and requires a fair amount of Social Security experience. Social Security is only accepting applications for the position through May 19.

Medicare Part D Implementation at SSA

Beatrice Disman, Chairman of Social Security's Medicare Planning and Implementation Task Force testified on May 3 to the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee. She spoke on Social Security's efforts to implement Part D of Medicare, the prescription drug benefit. Her prepared remarks did not contain any statement on whether she believes that the signup period for Part D should be extended past the current May 15 deadline.

Fee Payments Down In April

Payments of fees to attorneys and others who qualify for direct payment for representing claimants before the Social Security Administration were 13% lower in April than in March, 2006, as well as down 13% from April 2005, in figures released by Social Security.

Fee Payments
Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-06	18,752	$64,848,326.02
Feb-06	20,426	$70,312.586.15
Mar-06	26,227	$91,045,934.83
Apr-06	23,042	$79,714,961.76

Social Security Extends Digestive Listings

Social Security's listings of impairments are a significant factor in determining the outcome of disability benefits claims. Each listing has an expiration date. The expiration date for the digestive disorders listings was coming up in July 2006. Social Security has now published a statement in the Federal Register extending the expiration date to July 2, 2007. The statement indicates that Social Security intends to amend the listing before that date.

Social Security Subcommittee Hearing

The House Social Security Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for May 11 on service delivery challenges facing the Social Security Administration. The Chairman of the Subcommittee, Jim McCrery issued the following statement about the hearing:

Despite growing workloads and a number of service delivery challenges, including assisting the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes, the employees of the Social Security Administration press on, doing everything they can to effectively serve our Nation’s seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their families. The costs of providing these services are paid for by the hard-earned wages of American workers, and these workers expect and deserve responsive service. This hearing will highlight the degree to which that service is achieved, and at what cost.

NADR Referral Service

The National Association of Disability Representatives (NADR) now has a referral service for claimants who wish representation. NADR is an organization composed primarily of non-attorney representatives of Social Security disability claimants. NADR's referral service will be in competition with that of NOSSCR, the National Organization of Social Security Disability Representatives (NOSSCR), an organization composed primarily of attorneys who represent Social Security disability claimants.

Atlanta Regional Commissioner Receives Award

Paul Barnes, Social Security's Regional Commissioner for the Atlanta Region, has been awarded the 2005 Presidential Rank Award in recognition of personal leadership and achieving outstanding results. The award is conferred upon the top 1% of federal career executives.

More Litigation on Budget Reconciliation

The 2005 budget reconciliation bill, labeled as the "Deficit Reduction Act of 2005", was passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. It contains provisions affecting the Social Security Administration, primarily a new requirement for staged payments of back SSI benefits. The versions passed by the two houses of Congress were not identical, a fact that was known before the President signed the bill. Since the bill passed by the narrowest of margins in each house, Republican leaders have been very leery of a legislative correction to the problem, insisting that the bill became law despite the differences in the bills passed by the House and Senate. This brought about first a lawsuit in Alabama filed by a Republican lawyer and politican, then a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen, a Washington based public interest group, and now a lawsuit by eleven members of the House of Representatives, filed in Detroit. There may also be a lawsuit in Florida on the same issue. The matter is likely headed to the Supreme Court.