A press release from Senator Kent Conrad announces that the Dickinson, ND Social Security Field Office will stay open. The office had been threatened with closure. Note that this office is in the District of Representative Pomeroy, a member of the Social Security Subcommittee.
Oct 3, 2007
Politics In Office Closures?
Here is a list of recent Social Security Field office closures I know about with the names and party affiliation of the representatives of those cities in Congress:
- Auburn, NY -- Senators Schumer (D) and Clinton (D), Representative Arcuri (D)
- Bristol, CT -- Senators Dodd (D) and Lieberman (I, but caucuses with Democrats), Reprentatives Larson (D) and Murphy (D)
- Carbondale, PA -- Senators Spector (R, but increasingly acting in an independent manner) and Casey (D), Representative Carney (D)
- Dickinson, ND -- probable closure, but nothing definite -- Senators Conrad (D) and Dorgan (D), Representative Pomeroy (D -- member of Social Security Subcommittee who talked about how he had been lied to by former Commissioner Barnhart and how the ALJ hiring situation at Social Security was a "god-damned outrage")
- San Pedro, CA -- Senators Feinstein (D) and Boxer (D), Representatives Harman (D) and Rohrabacher (R)
- Slidell, LA -- Senators Landrieu (D) and Vitter (R), Representative Jindal (R) (This office closure was probably inevitable due to the population loss in the area following the hurricane.)
I do not want to seem paranoid, but I think I see a pattern here.
Some caveats are in order. I am only reporting the office closures that resulted in newspaper articles that I can access online. It is certainly possible that some office closures have not been covered by local newspapers. Many of these newspaper articles have been generated by a Congressman's office calling a local newspaper to get coverage of the Congressman's efforts to keep a Social Security field office open. Republican Congressmen may be less likely to make the effort to keep a Social Security field office open or to publicize that effort, leading to fewer stories. Also, not all newspapers are accessible online.
Still, if I were a Democratic Congressman whose local Social Security field office were threatened with closure, I would really like to see a list of all the offices that have been or will be closed. I would also like to know the criteria used in making these decisions. I would also like to know whether the the Social Security Commissioner's liaison to the White House has been involved in these decisions.
Some caveats are in order. I am only reporting the office closures that resulted in newspaper articles that I can access online. It is certainly possible that some office closures have not been covered by local newspapers. Many of these newspaper articles have been generated by a Congressman's office calling a local newspaper to get coverage of the Congressman's efforts to keep a Social Security field office open. Republican Congressmen may be less likely to make the effort to keep a Social Security field office open or to publicize that effort, leading to fewer stories. Also, not all newspapers are accessible online.
Still, if I were a Democratic Congressman whose local Social Security field office were threatened with closure, I would really like to see a list of all the offices that have been or will be closed. I would also like to know the criteria used in making these decisions. I would also like to know whether the the Social Security Commissioner's liaison to the White House has been involved in these decisions.
OIG And Washington Times On Overpayments And Administrative Finality
From The Washington Times, a right wing paper:
The Social Security Administration is resisting proposed rule changes aimed at fixing longstanding errors that have resulted in tens of millions of dollars in erroneous overpayments to beneficiaries.
More than 44,000 people have received approximately $140 million in extra, undeserved payments because of clerical and other errors by the Social Security Administration (SSA), according to recent estimates by the agency's inspector general.
What's more, the SSA has continued making overpayments even after learning of errors because of an internal rule known as "administrative finality."
Under the policy, the SSA cannot reduce benefits for disability and other beneficiaries after four years except in cases of fraud, even if they later learn that incorrect calculations are responsible for the overpayments.
"We believe that when SSA discovers errors in the payments to beneficiaries, the agency should correct them rather than continuing the errors in future benefit payments," Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr., inspector general for the SSA, wrote in a report sent to Congress and SSA officials last week.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) study is available online. Carroll has seemed to be very much more hard line right wing than anyone else working at the Social Security Administration. We cannot know if he was the one to call the Washington Times, but that seems awfully likely. Certainly, he has not called the Washington Times about other studies OIG has done showing the underpayments to Social Security claimants.
In considering this study, I am reminded that on many occasions the idea has been proposed at Social Security to charge interest on overpayments owed to the Social Security Administration. Every time this comes up some alert person in the room always says, "But if we charge interest on the money they owe us, don't we have to pay interest on the money we owe them?" The idea always dies immediately after this question, since it is obvious that Social Security owes far more money than is owed to it. If Social Security does away with its administrative finality rules it will ultimately have to pay out far more than it will collect.
25% Hike In Disability Pay?
This is Social Security News, not VA News, but if this happens, there is bound to be some fallout for Social Security. From the Army Times:
A presidential commission will call Wednesday for an immediate 25 percent increase in veterans’ disability compensation while awaiting a larger overhaul of disability and transition benefits. ...
With the Bush administration already balking at the $4 billion increase in veterans’ health care and benefits programs being pushed by Congress, it is unlikely that administration officials would support further increases. ...
The commission comes down squarely on the side of veterans on several controversial issues. For example, it supports allowing disabled retirees to receive full veterans’ disability compensation and military retired pay when they are eligible for both, and to allow survivors to receive their full veterans’ and military survivors’ benefits.
Resistance Is Futile!
Results of last week's poll:
Who do think will be win the Democratic nomination for President in 2008?
Total Votes: 119
Who do think will be win the Democratic nomination for President in 2008?
| Joe Biden (0) | 0% |  | |
| Hillary Clinton (77) | 65% |
| |
| Chris Dodd (4) | 3% |
| |
| John Edwards (13) | 11% |
| |
| Mike Gravel (3) | 3% |
| |
| Dennis Kucinich (2) | 2% |
| |
| Barack Obama (10) | 8% |
| |
| Bill Richardson (2) | 2% |
| |
| None of the above (2) | 2% |
| |
| Don't know (6) | 5% |
|
Total Votes: 119
Fraud In Sacramento
From the Sacramento Bee:
A 73-year-old Sacramento woman pled guilty in federal court Monday to stealing more than $91,000 in Social Security funds.
Margaret Williams admitted to federal prosecutors that for nearly 35 years, she collected disability benefits under her true Social Security number while working under a fraudulent Social Security number, according to a news release by the office of U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott.
In 1953, Williams was assigned a legitimate Social Security number that she used to work and then to collect disability benefits with until 1988. In 1971, a second Social Security number was issued to Williams, who obtained it using a different name, false birthplace, false parent names and false birthdate. She began working under the fraudulent Social Security number in 1973, the release states.
New Security Features On Social Security Cards
A Fact Sheet from the Social Security Administration:
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), P.L. 108-458, was signed into law on December 17, 2004. Section 7213(b)(1) of the law requires the Commissioner of Social Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to form an interagency Task Force to establish requirements for further improving the security of Social Security cards and numbers; and, for the Commissioner to provide for implementation of those requirements.The Task Force was formed in January 2006 and issued its recommendations in May 2006.Status of ChangesChanges Implemented in April 2007:
As a result of the Interagency Task Force, SSA plans to include several new security features to the Social Security Card. Some of these new features are overt and are listed below. SSA has already implemented two overt features and will implement the other four on October 1, 2007.• The card issuance date was added to the front of each card. This date reflects the date that SSA processed the application for that particular card. Information about the issuance date was also added to the perforated attachment to the card.• Signing instructions were added to the perforated card attachment. The instructions state “ADULTS: Sign this card in ink immediately. CHILDREN: Do not sign until age 18 or your first job, whichever is earlier.”Changes to be Implemented on October 1, 2007:
• A guilloche background pattern, which is a unique non-repeating spiral design, will replace the existing marbleized pattern. The new pattern is very similar in color to the current background and will continue to have the security feature of being erasable. This background is computer generated and very difficult to duplicate.
• A latent image has been added to the SSN card face. This feature, a text image, is visible only when the document is viewed at specific angle or angles.
• A split fountain production method was added which produces a unique ink color mixture on the press that then transfers to the paper. The colors on the background of the card flow from blue to aqua.
• Color shifting inks were added to the face of the card. These inks have a multilayer light interference ink pigment imbedded that creates a noticeable color shift when moved in front of a light source. This feature is also used in currency.
Additional Change
In addition to the above IRTPA changes, SSA implemented a change in response to requests from employer groups to distinguish the last name of the individual on the card. As a result, beginning on September 8, 2007, the individual’s last name was displayed on a separate line on the card directly below the first and middle name.
Prior Versions of the Social Security Card
• There are different versions of the Social Security card in circulation and all prior versions of the card are valid.
• Individuals do not have to request a new Social Security Card.
• Because all prior versions of the cards are valid, employers can select to use the free, Social Security Number (SSN) verification services offered by SSA to verify that their employees’ names and SSNs match our records.
Oct 2, 2007
Budget Cuts And Service
From the New York Times:
Two weeks before the Social Security Commissioner told Congress that personnel cuts proposed by the White House would have no impact on her agency's services, she said in an internal memorandum that the services would in fact ''deteriorate all over the country'' if the cuts were carried out.
Thanks to an anonymous poster for this one. This is from 1999. The Social Security Commissioner was Dorcas Hardy and the President was Ronald Reagan.
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