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I think I have resolved the technical problems. We will see over the next few days.

Fraud In Granite City

From the Edwardsville [IL] Journal:

A Granite City man has been sentenced to five months in prison for defrauding the Social Security Administration.

Steven Ray Stevenson, 37, of the 2700 block of Mockingbird Lane, was convicted on federal charges of conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration, concealment of information from the Social Security Administration, and making false statements to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ...

In October 2002, Stevenson returned to work for an extermination company and received "payment under the table," the report stated.

Stevenson worked as an exterminator from 2002 through 2006. In June 2004, Stevenson lied on an application for food stamps, stating that he was unable to work, the report stated.

The case was investigated by SSA, Office of the Inspector General, The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Wednesday Closing Open Forum

I have just posted news articles about Social Security field offices either closing early or being closed altogether on Wednesdays in three areas of the country, but I guess that this is happening or will happen in other areas.

Let me set this up as an open forum. Do you know of other areas in the country where this is happening? Has some written directive been issued to Social Security's Regional Offices about this? What do you think about it, both in terms of the effect upon Social Security employees and the effect upon those doing business with the Social Security Administration.

Just hit the comment button below to chime in. You can do this anonymously.

COLAs, But Not For Attorneys

The Federal Register notice about Social Security cost of living adjustments is out and there is no increase in the fee cap for representing Social Security claimants. It has been stuck at $5,300 for more than five years. If it had been adjusted for inflation, it would be about $6,100 by now. However, the cap on the user fee for having fees withheld by the Social Security Administration went up to $79. Somehow it does not seem fair that attorney fees go down because of inflation. Here is the entire list:

(1) A 2.3 percent cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (the Act), effective for December 2007;
(2) An increase in the Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) monthly benefit amounts under title XVI of the Act for 2008 to $637 for an eligible individual, $956 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, and $319 for an essential person;
(3) The student earned income exclusion to be $1,550 per month in 2008 but not more than $6,240 in all of 2008;
(4) The dollar fee limit for services performed as a representative payee to be $35 per month ($68 per month in the case of a beneficiary who is disabled and has an alcoholism or drug addiction condition that leaves him or her incapable of managing benefits) in 2008;
(5) The dollar limit on the administrative-cost assessment charged to attorneys representing claimants to be $79 in 2008;
(6) The national average wage index for 2006 to be $38,651.41;
(7) The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) contribution and benefit base to be $102,000 for remuneration paid in 2008 and self-employment income earned in taxable years beginning in 2008;
(8) The monthly exempt amounts under the Social Security retirement earnings test for taxable years ending in calendar year 2008 to be $1,130 and $3,010;
(9) The dollar amounts (``bend points'') used in the primary insurance amount benefit formula for workers who become eligible for benefits, or who die before becoming eligible, in 2008 to be $711 and $4,288;
(10) The dollar amounts (``bend points'') used in the formula for computing maximum family benefits for workers who become eligible for benefits, or who die before becoming eligible, in 2008 to be $909, $1,312, and $1,711;
(11) The amount of taxable earnings a person must have to be credited with a quarter of coverage in 2008 to be $1,050;
(12) The ``old-law'' contribution and benefit base to be $75,900 for 2008;
(13) The monthly amount deemed to constitute substantial gainful activity for statutorily blind individuals in 2008 to be $1,570, and the corresponding amount for non-blind disabled persons to be $940;
(14) The earnings threshold establishing a month as a part of a trial work period to be $670 for 2008; and
(15) Coverage thresholds for 2008 to be $1,600 for domestic workers and $1,400 for election workers.

Kansas Field Offices To Close On Wednesdays

From the Lawrence, Kansas Journal-World:

Faced with the worst backlog of disability claims in the country, Kansas congressional leaders are saying thanks, but no thanks to a Social Security Administration pilot program.

In an effort to boost efficiency, Social Security offices in five cities could cut back the hours they are open to the public during part of the work week. ...

Under the proposal, they would be closed on Wednesdays.
...

“It makes no sense to me, and it is just counterintuitive that when there is a study that shows that Kansas has the biggest backlog of claims pending that they would pick Kansas to do an experiment,” said U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan.

The reduction in office hours originally was slated to start in November. SSA agreed to push the launch to March after Congress asked for more time to come up with funding, SSA regional spokesman John Garlinger said. ...

But Garlinger said the proposal could be a way to do more work faster. With rising claims and added responsibilities, Garlinger said SSA has the heaviest workload ever with fewer employees than the agency had 30 years ago.

“People the most affected by this are very excited about the possibility to move work more efficiently and effectively,” Garlinger said.

Buffalo Offices To Close Early On Wednesdays

From The Buffalo News:

Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-Clarence, is criticizing the Social Security Administration for proposing a pilot project that, beginning in March, would close the agency’s Buffaloarea offices to the public three hours early every Wednesday afternoon.

The agency says the program is under consideration as a possible way for office workers to catch up on the mounting backlog of work — growing larger with baby boomers beginning to sign up for retirement benefits and call volume threatening to surpass staffing limitations.

“I understand concerns about having insufficient staff to adequately handle the agency’s current workload, but I assure you that limiting access to the public will not solve that problem and will only create further backlogs, confusion and dissatisfaction among the members of the public whom your agency serves,” Reynolds said in a letter to Michael J. Astrue, Social Security commissioner.

Reynolds said the plan could backfire and adversely affect senior citizens and disabled people.

New Hours For Social Security Field Office

Who cares what the hours are for a Social Security field office? If you are reading this, you should, because announcements of this sort are a sign of the acute understaffing problems at Social Security's field offices. See this article from The Examiner of Jackson County, Missouri:

Effective Nov. 5, Social Security offices in the metropolitan area will have the following new hours: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Offices are closed to the public on Wednesdays.

The Social Security Administration says it is testing changes in office hours "to determine whether doing so will allow employees to more efficiently handle the large volume of work that needs to be done after visitors leave the office, to ensure they receive timely and accurate service." The test is scheduled to last a minimum of six months.

Interesting OGC Opinion On Pardoned Prisoners

Here is an excerpt from an interesting opinion from Social Security's Office of General Counsel (OGC). At least I find it interesting.

QUESTION

You have asked whether a convicted felon who was pardoned by the Governor of Florida and released from confinement in prison is entitled to Social Security benefits for the time he was confined in prison.

ANSWER

We conclude the applicant is not entitled to re-payment of benefits suspended during his confinement in prison.