The Empire Justice Center of Rochester, NY has released its Newsletter for September. It is an excellent summary of recent developments in Social Security law.
Sep 22, 2006
Free Fillable PDF Social Security Forms
LegisIT has posted online a large number of fillable Social Security forms in PDF format -- and they are free!
Sep 21, 2006
More On Astrue's Political Contributions
Newsmeat was kind enough to send me a complete list of Michael Astrue's recent political contributions. What I had posted before was a "filtered" list. I do not know if Newsmeat looks through web posting for references to their service or if someone there is interested in this appointment, but I certainly appreciate their help.
| Astrue, Michael J. Mr. Belmont, MA 02478 Epix/CEO | STRAIGHT TALK AMERICA | $1,000 primary | 06/15/06 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02478 EPIX PHARMACEUTICALS/INTERIM CEO | HATCH, ORRIN G (R) Senate - UT HATCH ELECTION COMMITTEE INC | $1,000 primary | 02/27/06 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02478 EPIX./CEO | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE (R) | $5,000 primary | 01/18/06 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02478 EPIX./CEO | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE (R) | $5,000 primary | 08/10/05 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02478 EPIX./CEO | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE (R) | $1,000 primary | 07/15/03 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02178 Transkaryotic Therapies/Executive | VOLUNTEER PAC | $5,000 primary | 06/30/03 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J MR. BELMONT, MA 02478 TRANSKARYOTIC THERAPIES INC./PRESID | BUSH, GEORGE W (R) President BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC | $2,000 primary | 06/30/03 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL BELMONT, MA 02478 TRANSKARYOTIC THERAPIES | BURR, RICHARD M (R) Senate - NC RICHARD BURR COMMITTEE | $1,000 primary | 06/27/03 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 | HATCH, ORRIN G (R) Senate - UT HATCH ELECTION COMMITTEE INC | $500 primary | 11/04/02 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02478 TKT/Executive | MCCARTHY, CHARLES J JR (R) House (MA 05) MCCARTHY FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE | $500 primary | 09/06/02 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL BELMONT, MA 02178 TKT INC | COLLINS, SUSAN M (R) Senate - ME COLLINS FOR SENATOR | $1,000 primary | 01/14/02 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02178 Trans. Therapies &Boston Univ./Sr. | PORTMAN, ROBERT J (R) House (OH 02) PORTMAN FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE | $1,000 primary | 07/12/01 |
| Astrue, Michael Belmont, MA 02478 Transkaryotic Therapies Inc./Senior | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE (R) | $5,000 primary | 01/31/01 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL BELMONT, MA 02478 | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE (R) | $5,000 primary | 05/04/00 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN | FRIST, WILLIAM H (R) Senate - FRIST 2000 INC | $1,000 primary | 02/22/00 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN | FRIST, WILLIAM H (R) Senate - FRIST 2000 INC | $-500 primary | 02/22/00 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN | FRIST, WILLIAM H (R) Senate - FRIST 2000 INC | $500 general | 02/22/00 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02478 BROYEN INC | BUSH, GEORGE W (R) President BUSH FOR PRESIDENT INC. | $1,000 primary | 03/31/99 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02478 BIOGEN | FAIRCLOTH, DUNCAN M (R) Senate - NC FAIRCLOTH FOR SENATE COMMITTEE 2004 | $250 primary | 01/28/99 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN INC | AMORELLO, MATTHEW J (R) House (MA 03) AMORELLO FOR CONGRESS | $200 general | 09/29/98 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN | FRIST, WILLIAM H (R) Senate - FRIST 2000 INC | $500 primary | 04/10/97 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN INC | WELD, WILLIAM F (R) Senate - MA WELD FOR SENATE INC | $1,000 general | 09/27/96 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN | BLUTE, PETER I (R) House (MA 03) PETER BLUTE FOR CONGRESS | $250 primary | 06/27/96 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL BELMONT, MA 02178 BIOGEN INC | TEAGUE, EDWARD B (R) House (MA 10) TEAGUE FOR CONGRESS | $250 primary | 04/24/96 |
| ASTRUE, MICHAEL J BELMONT, MA 02178 BROGEN INC | DOLE, ROBERT J (R) President DOLE FOR PRESIDENT INC | $50 primary | 11/02/95 |
Astrue's Policital Contributions In 2005 and 2006
I have found another source, CampaignMoney.com, that lists Michael Astrue's political contributions in 2005 and 2006. He appears to have been a bit more generous to local Republicans lately, but the contributions still seem quite low for someone seeking a political appointment. See below.
| $1,000 | 02/27/2006 | HATCH ELECTION COMMITTEE INC - Republican | ||
| $5,000 | 01/18/2006 | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE - Republican | ||
| $5,000 | 08/10/2005 | MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN STATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE - Republican |
SSAB Meeting Agenda
The Social Security Advisory Board has finally released the agenda for its meeting this afternoon. After looking at it, you will wonder why I took so long to produce this.
Social Security Advisory Board
Meeting Agenda
Thursday, September 21, 20061:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lisa de Soto, Deputy Commissioner for Disability
Adjudication and Review
The meeting will be held in the Board's conference room, Suite 625
400 Virginia Avenue, SW
Washington, DC
Bulk Claim Filing
The Request for Information below was posted by the Social Security Administration.
Purpose of RFI
The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather information on behalf of the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA is investigating new ways for people to file applications for SSA Retirement and Disability benefits. Among the options being considered is a process to collect bulk data from third parties who wish to assist claimants filing for SSA and/or other types of benefits. The goal of this RFI is to solicit input from potential third party providers to determine the need for and feasibility of SSA building a web service or other electronic means to obtain claims data in bulk from them.
The RFI results will enable SSA to project potential volumes, data quality, and other factors for a Cost Benefit Analysis of the concept. Ultimately, we will attempt to determine whether we can maximize the use of third party data to streamline the claims submittal process for both third parties and SSA, while ensuring there is sufficient data to constitute a claim for benefits upon which SSA can act.
Nothing in this document shall be construed as obligating the Government to issue a solicitation. NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED BASED ON RESPONSES TO THIS RFI.
Background
SSA currently has some limited processes in place to allow third party professionals to assist claimants in filing electronic disability reports (the i3368PRO) and submitting medical evidence (Electronic Records Express) in support of their claims for disability benefits, but these must be accessed one claim at a time.
Basic Functionality
SSA is interested in expanding the relationship with third parties by allowing the submission of claims-related data to SSA in bulk. SSA would like to leverage the data that third parties may already have in their records, without requiring the labor-intensive process of keying information into a web interface one claim at a time.
Integration
There is a need for an automated way to get large volumes of data from the third party’s electronic data store into SSA’s legacy systems, to enable us to process claims to completion, while still maintaining the integrity of the data.
Long Term Vision
The long term vision for this project is to eventually collect data for Title II and Title XVI initial claims and appeals, including required disability reports, available medical evidence and any other relevant data a third party may have. The premise is that the data, once uploaded to SSA, would be funneled to the appropriate SSA legacy systems for processing.
Contents of the Response
Respondents should address the following questions and are invited to provide any additional comments relevant to the subject of bulk data transfer. Responding to as many questions as possible will allow us to perform a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility of this concept. Please identify by Heading / Number each question to which you are responding.
Data Description
1 Elements - What kind of data elements related to Social Security claims do you have in your records? (List all individual elements, if possible, otherwise describe nature of data – i.e. identification, contact, disability/medical, income/resources, work history, etc.)
2 Currency - How current is the data you maintain? How often is it updated?
3 Volumes – For how many individuals do you have Social Security claims-related data?
4 How many individuals do you expect to assist with filing a claim for SSA benefits this year? Do you expect this number to grow, shrink, or remain relatively unchanged in the next 3 years; next 5 years?
5 Access - Can the data be changed/modified once collected and if so, by whom?
Intake Process
6 Do you collect evidence or copies of evidence, such as birth certificates? How is the evidence stored? What is the source of the evidence?
7 How do you verify the identity of the person providing the data/evidence?
8 How do you record an individual’s agreement with the information in your records?
9 If you update the data or otherwise change it, do you obtain the subject’s agreement with the changed data?
10 If yes, how do you document these agreements?
11 Are these agreements stored?
12 How do you collect client data? (e.g. in-person interview, telephone contact, form self-completion, etc.)
13 Methods –
·1 If data collected in interview:
a) What is the format of the interview?
b) Are questions asked in standard ways? (Provide questions)
·1 If data collected by self-completion of forms:
c) Is there any review for accuracy, completeness, consistency?
d) Is there any verification of data through other sources? Provide copies of any forms used.
14 Do you record the method of collection if more than one method is used?
15 Do you require consent from individuals to share personal data?
16 How do you document consent and maintain this documentation?
Utilization
17 Do you collect data for any other purposes?
18 Do you exchange data with any other government (federal, state, local) agencies? Which agencies?
19 If you exchange bulk data with other agencies, what is the process?
20 Do you use any commercial software to collect data or transfer data to other agencies?
21 If you already submit claims for Social Security benefits or supporting information for claims, how many do you submit per year?
22 What methods do you use, or have you used, to provide data to SSA in the past? If you produce SSA forms, which forms do you produce (e.g. SSA-1, SSA-16, SSA-8000, SSA-3368, SSA-3441, SSA-827, SSA-821, SSA-1696, etc.)?
23 Do you currently have any processes or interfaces with any Social Security field offices in place (formal or informal)? If so, describe in full, including how you exchange or transfer information to SSA; provide the name, office address and phone number of your current SSA contacts.
24 Do you have a preferred method of providing bulk electronic claims-related data (i.e on more than one individual at a time) to SSA?
25 If there was information, needed by Social Security to file a claim for benefits that you do not already have, would you be willing to collect it?
26 Please provide any further information you consider relevant to the subject of bulk electronic data submission to SSA.
Technical Issues
27 What is the format of the data you store?
28 How is your data stored?
29 Who has access to the data you collect?
30 Describe your data security systems and procedures (physical and logical)
Submission of Responses to the RFI
We encourage those third parties who respond to provide SSA with as much information as possible about the kind and amount of data they can provide, and how they envision the data transmission process. We appreciate your efforts on this important initiative.
Send any questions and your responses by 10/31/2006 by email to the following mailbox: 3PBulkData@ssa.gov
Please include a name and phone number of whom to contact in the event there are questions regarding your submission.
Note: This is not a Request for Proposals. A contract will not be awarded based on submissions.
Baucus and Reid Warn President On Prizatization
The Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus, have written the president to warn him against a renewed effort to privatize Social Security. The president's recent nomination of Michael Astrue to become Commissioner of Social Security and appointment of two ardent proponents of privatization to the Social Security Advisory Board may explain the timing of this letter. The text of the letter is below:
September 20, 2006 Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to express our deep concern about your recent statements that you remain committed to privatizing Social Security and will make privatization a top priority after this year's congressional elections.
We understand that you and most Republicans genuinely believe in privatization and remain strongly committed to pursuing this approach. However, we want to make clear that Democrats are just as adamantly opposed to privatization and remain strongly committed to defeating this seriously misguided proposal. We believe the American people are on our side in this debate, and for good reason.
Cutting Social Security's funding by diverting payroll taxes into privatized accounts, as you have proposed, would require deep cuts in guaranteed benefits and lead to a massive increase in borrowing. This would weaken Social Security, not strengthen it. The resulting benefit cuts would harm all seniors in the future, even those who prefer not to open a privatized account. Meanwhile, the massive new federal borrowing would weaken our economy, saddle future generations of Americans with trillions of additional debt and increase our economic dependence on China, Japan and other foreign nations.
Our country faces serious economic problems, including a tightening squeeze on the middle class, rising prices for gas, health care and college and a troubling long-term budget shortfall. We want to work with you on a bipartisan basis to address these challenges. However, we would strongly resist the privatization of Social Security, which would only make our fiscal problems worse and jeopardize Americans' retirement security. Therefore, as you develop your agenda for the post- election period, we strongly urge you to reject privatization and instead focus on bipartisan solutions to the most serious problems facing our nation.
Sincerely,
Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Democratic Leader
Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee
GAO Report On Social Security Indexing
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on different ways that Social Security benefits might be indexed for inflation. Basically, the report concerns the possibility of using a different formula that would reduce cost of living adjustments of current or future beneficiaries in order to save money. This report is a sign of the continued interest of Republicans in the Congress and the Executive Branch in reducing Social Security expenditures.
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