Andrew Biggs Nominated Again!

Dow Jones is reporting that President Bush has re-nominated Andrew Biggs to become Deputy Commissioner of Social Security.

I do not understand. Just a short time ago, the Senate refused to consider Biggs' nomination for this position and Bush gave Biggs a recess appointment. The recess appointment would only be good until December 2008, while Biggs' term would extend to 2012 if he were confirmed. Why would Bush think that the Senate would be prepared to consider the nomination now?

Biometric Social Security Cards Proposed As Part Of Immigration Bill

From Wired News:

The Social Security card faces its first major upgrade in 70 years under two immigration-reform proposals slated for debate this week that would add biometric information to the card and finally complete its slow metamorphosis into a national ID.

The leading immigration proposal with traction in Congress would force employers to accept only a very limited range of approved documents as proof of work eligibility, including a driver's license that meets new federal Real ID standards, a high-tech temporary work visa or a U.S. passport with an RFID chip. A fourth option is the notional tamper-proof biometric Social Security card, which would replace the text-only design that's been issued to Americans almost without change for more than 70 years.

A second proposal under consideration would add high-tech features to the Social Security card allowing employers to scan it with specially equipped laptop computers. Under that proposal, called the "Bonner Plan," the revamped Social Security card would be the only legal form of identification for employment purposes.

Without a truly vast infusion of resources, the Social Security Administration is simply incapable of implementing any biometric Social Security card, whatever "biometric" means. Even with a vast infusion of resources, it might take several years before Social Security would be ready to implement this.

Social Security Budget Picture Not Looking So Good

Things are not going well on getting the Social Security Administration an adequate budegt for the next fiscal year (FY), which begins on October 1. See the attached letter signed by the Chairmen and Ranking Minority members of both the entire House Ways and Means Committee and its Social Security Subcommittee. This letter was sent to their counterparts on the House Appropriations Committee.

So what is the problem? At first glance, this just looks like a nice letter to help get a good budget for Social Security. Let us go back. The FY 2007 Social Security budget is $9.3 billion. The President's proposed FY 2008 budget is only $9.6 billion. Social Security's requested budget for FY 2008 is $10.4 billion. A few weeks ago, the House and Senate Budget Committees seemed to be agreeing on approximately $10.1 billion for Social Security. There is no final agreement on a budget resolution and the budget resolution provides only rough guidelines on what the actual appropriations will be, but things were looking fairly good just a short time ago.

It is the Appropriations Committees which reports out the actual hard numbers which determine how much money each agency gets. Judging by this letter and particularly by its next to last paragraph, it looks as if we are at the President's number of $9.6 billion and merely hoping to get to $10 billion, instead of at $10.1 billion and trying to go up. The Appropriations Committees seem less inclined to give Social Security additional money than the Budget Committees.

What happened? Commissioner Astrue has been meeting with Appropriations Committee members. I am told that he is asking only for the President's budget proposal of $9.6 billion, even though his own agency asked for $10.4 billion. Astrue seems to be discouraging additional money for his agency, even though his agency had earlier asked for the money. Everyone else is advocating for $10 billion and up, except for the Office of Management and Budget and the Commissioner of Social Security.

I begin to understand why the House Social Security Subcommittee was so hard on Commissioner Astrue at the May 1 hearing. Dealing with Social Security's backlogs and staffing shortages appears less important to Commissioner Astrue than fealty to the White House. There have been rumblings for some time that Social Security as an independent agency has been a failure. This is more proof that Social Security Commissioners are not independent. Commissioner Astrue may need to worry about being reorganized out of a job if there is a Democrat in the White House after the 2008 election.

Aren't There More Important Things For Disability Advocates To Worry About?

From the Patriot-News of Pennsylvania:

Heidi Notario-Smull cringes every day when she drives along Cameron Street and sees one of the signs posted along the busy corridor.

The sign marks Asylum Run, a creek that starts in Lower Paxton Twp. and winds through the grounds of the former Harrisburg State Hospital in Susquehanna Twp., eventually emptying into Paxton Creek.

But it's just not a sign for a creek -- the name perpetuates negative stereotypes of people who live with mental disabilities, said Notario-Smull, an advocate specialist with the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania.

Her agency and a dozen more like it have been trying to get the creek's name changed to Recovery Run, which Notario-Smull said better characterizes the focus of today's mental health care system.

Diversity In Social Security's Workforce

Reginald Wells, Social Security's Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources and Chief Human Capital Officer testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on the subject of workforce diversity at Social Security. His written statement included the following interesting table on race and ethnicity in Social Security's Senior Executive Service (SES) workforce:

Race/Etnicity	SSA†	Civilian Labor Force *
White	53.4%	72.5%
Black	28.2%	10.2%
Hispanic	12.9%	12.8%
Asian	4.2%	4.1%
American-Indian	1.2%	0.6%

† SSA workforce profile as of March 31, 2007

* CLF data based on 09/30/2005 OPM figures

Administrative Law Judge Pay

The Association of Administrative Law Judges has posted the current pay ranges for Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). Those applying for these positions may already know this, but those who are not may find it interesting. There are higher pay rates in some localities, but the following is the base ALJ pay:

AL-3/A	$97,100
AL-3/B	$104,400
AL-3/C	$112,000
AL-3/D	$119,400
AL-3/E	$126,900
AL-3/F	$134,200
AL-2	$141,900
AL-1	$145,400

Toledo Blade On Social Security Backlogs

Some excerpts from the Toledo Blade:

Far too often people with disability claims have petitioned the Social Security Administration only to wait more than a year for a hearing, and in some cases, much longer...

It's scandalous that there's such a backlog of cases. Nationwide more than 730,000 such claims are waiting for decisions, and 40,000 of them are right here in Ohio. The new commissioner of the agency, Michael Astrue, says at least another 160 administrative judges are needed to reduce the backlog. The additional judges would help him meet his goal of having the problem addressed "on my watch."

But Americans awaiting decisions are tired of empty promises. The last commissioner, Jo Anne Barnhart, also visited Ohio and promised to address the problem. That never happened, although the average length of time to get a hearing dropped slightly during her tenure, from 20.6 months in fiscal 2004 to 19.2 months last year.

Social Security Wants Good Production Values On Its Videos

From a notice posted by Social Security indicating the agency's intention to purchase a particular brand of video camera:

The Agency plans to award a commercial item Purchase Order for the purchase of one (1) Tiffen Steadicam Ultra 2 System, Model Number U2MZHORH8CPSG7.

The Steadicam Ultra System is necessary for SSA to continue a high quality of broadcasting and to prepare for the migration that is occurring as commercial and public broadcasting in the United States move to High Definition Television (HDTV). SSA is seeking to invest in technology upgrades that can support current work, while assuring a seamless move into HDTV when the time comes.

The purchase of a Steadicam system will provide a more fluid visual imagery for its recipients. The Steadicam system is a camera support system that will be worn by the camera operator, and will replace the traditional floor-standing fixed tripod or heavy dolly used in the past. This allows the camera operator to carry a full camera rig with excellent mobility and image steadiness, enabling shots that were difficult or impossible with older camera support technology.

I thought money was tight at Social Security, but, I guess there is always money available for "more fluid visual imagery."