House Social Security Subcommittee Hearing Now Online

As of this hour, the House Social Security Subcommittee is streaming its hearing. The hearing has not started, but you can see the bald head of Michael Astrue sitting at the witness table.

Social Security Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda

Social Security has published its semi-annual regulatory agenda. It contains no surprises. The proposal to increase the age categories in the grid regulations by two years was not withdrawn. However, it has been placed in the "Long-Term Action" category with the date of final action listed as "To Be Determined."

NY Times Editorial On Social Security Funding

Some excerpts from a New York Times editorial:

Just about everyone who works pays taxes into the fund for federal disability benefits. ...

Those criteria [for getting on Social Security disability benefits] are tough but necessary to ensure that resources go to the neediest Americans. In the past several years, however, another hurdle has been erected, one that is unacceptable and inhumane. Processing delays, mounting since 2000, have left more than one million applicants languishing without help, some for years.

The most acute bottlenecks are at the appeals level, where the average processing time is now 515 days — compared with 274 days in 2000. Such delays are especially pernicious because slightly more than one-quarter of all approved claims are awarded after an appeal hearing, and nearly two-thirds of the people who appeal ultimately prevail. Without the benefits they are entitled to, far too many applicants get sicker and experience severe economic hardship, including foreclosures and even homelessness. Some applicants die before their appeals are heard.

The fault lies primarily with Congress. For many years, lawmakers have consistently cut into the budget for the Social Security Administration, which administers the disability program. Since 2000, the cumulative shortfall — the difference between what the agency has asked for and what Congress has appropriated — is $4.4 billion, with more than $2 billion of that in the last few years. ...

You get what you pay for. When it comes to helping disabled workers — as with so many other duties of government — recent Congresses have not been willing to pay for service that is prompt, professional and compassionate.

The agency generally gets high marks for productivity and efficiency, and estimates that it needs about $10.5 billion a year to be able to do its work adequately. The current Congress can begin to fix the disability program by providing the needed funds in the coming budget for 2008. ...

WCNC Story On Social Security Hearing Backlogs

The WCNC story on Social Security hearing backlogs finished last night with this segment.

Would you like to see stories like this on your local television station? Let me make a simple suggestion. Use your web browser to find one or more of your local television stations, look for an e-mail address to their investigative reporter or their assignment editor and send that person an e-mail with links to the Sunday and Monday night stories on WCNC. Tell them that the same type of problem exists in your community and that you would like to help get this story on the air locally. Television reporters need story ideas. While they like to be original, I doubt that they are completely averse to doing a local spin on a story reported elsewhere.

Witness List For Tomorrow's Hearing

Michael Astrue, the Commissioner of Social Security, and Linda Springer, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, will testify at the 11:00 hearing tomorrow at the House Social Security Subcommittee. There should be live streaming video of the hearing, but, thus far, the Ways and Means Committee has not posted the recordings of their hearings for later listening.

Poll On SSA As Employer

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Charlotte TV Station Reports On Hearing Backlogs

WCNC of Charlotte, NC has posted the first of a two part investigative report on the frustrations that Social Security disability claimants face with high denial rates at the initial and reconsideration levels and the long, long wait time for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings.

The TV station is running this during sweeps week, a time when they know that the Nielsen organization is looking at their viewership, in order to report on it to advertisers. This is the time of the year when TV stations make a special effort to run their most interesting material.

Results Of Last Week's Unscientific Survey

Social Security Hearing Backlog Poll
What sort of hearing backlog should Social Security be shooting for as an ULTIMATE GOAL?

0-3 months (15)	17%
3-6 months (34)	39%
6-9 months (17)	20%
9-12 months (9)	10%
12-18 months (12)	14%

Total Votes: 87