One Big Reason Why Field Office Closures Matter

I have gotten many comments wondering why I keep focusing upon the closure or threatened closure of a few small Social Security field offices. I do not know if Michael Astrue was trying to surreptitiously put pressure on Congress to increase his agency's budget by threatening to close Social Security field offices at the same time as he stuck closely to the Bush Administration party line of opposing any increase in the Social Security administrative budget, but that was clearly the effect. Here is an excerpt from the Carlsbad, NM Current Argus on two Senators' motivation for trying to increase Social Security's budget:

[Senator] Bingaman also added an amendment to the FY2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill calling for a $150 million increase in Social Security administration.

"So they can deal with the enormous backlog of cases that are pending there in people applying for disability benefits," Bingaman told the Senate. "The average wait is 523 days now. If a person filed today for a hearing in Social Security, they would expect to get that hearing in June of 2009. That is unacceptable. We need to do better."

Maria Najera, a spokeswoman for Bingaman's office, said the senator is concerned with communities like Carlsbad.

"We want to use that money to fix problems like in Carlsbad where they are having staff problems," Najera said. Carlsbad officials are presently fighting to keep the Social Security Administration office here open, and the office has been understaffed for several years.

Domenici supported Bingaman's amendment.

"For citizens who are on disability to have to wait two years on an appeal, as the Senator said, is unacceptable," Domenici told the Senate. "The money this is providing will take care of that."

Senate Finance Committee Hearing

The Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for November 6 at 2:30 on "GPO [Government Pension Offset] and WEP [Windfall Elimination Provision]: Policies Affecting Pensions from Work Not Covered be Social Security." Senator John Kerry is the Chairman of the Subcommittee.

OPM News Release On ALJ Register

From the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management today established a new register of candidates from which federal benefits and regulatory agencies may draw in filling Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) vacancies.

The new register is the result of OPM's administration of the new ALJ examination, which began in May of this year. Historically, OPM has revised the ALJ examination from time to time to take advantage of new knowledge and capabilities in the examining field. Pursuant to that practice, and concurrent with revising the rules for the ALJ program, OPM conducted a revision of the ALJ examination to ensure the agency continues to measure the key competencies necessary to identify those applicants who would be successful as ALJs. By using USA Staffing, which allows applicants to apply on-line, OPM incorporated new examining technology into the examination process.

The federal government's approximately 1,400 ALJs serve as independent and impartial arbiters of fact in formal proceedings requiring a decision on the record. The Social Security Administration employs the largest number of ALJs, who are located across the country. Social Security Administration ALJs rule on individuals' benefits eligibility.

Individuals were placed on the new ALJ register following a multi-part assessment of their qualifications. The process began with each candidate supplying a written Accomplishment of Record; those who scored among the highest group of applicants advanced to a Written Demonstration and Structured Interview. Applicants who successfully completed all parts of the ALJ examination were issued a final numerical rating, which included Veterans' Preference, as applicable.

The previous ALJ register has been terminated. As required by law, individuals on that register were invited to participate in the new examination for inclusion on the new register.

Results Of Last Week's Unscientific Poll

The best current The Daily Show correspondent/contributor is...

Samantha Bee (5) 19%

Lewis Black (5) 19%

John Hodgman (4) 15%

Jason Jones (0) 0%

Aasif Mandvi (1) 4%

John Oliver (3) 11%

Rob Riggle (8) 30%

Larry Wilmore (1) 4%

And one write in vote for Demetri Martin.

I detect the possibility of some poll skewing. Rob Riggle?

I am glad to know that someone likes Demetri Martin's jokes. The nervous, uncomfortable laughter I hear from the studio audience on those rare occasions when Martin appears suggests that I am not the only one who is unable to appreciate his brand of humor.

Beta Test Of Electronic Submission Of Disability Claims By Third Parties

From an announcement by the Social Security Administration:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is pleased to announce that, in 2008, the agency will develop and implement a Beta test of a web service which will allow the submission of Initial-level claims, including Disability applications and Adult Disability Reports, from companies who assist the public with filing for benefits.

In 2008, SSA plans to develop the web service to initially collect data on the Internet Social Security Benefit Application and Disability Report. Note that when a third party submits an application, SSA must contact the claimant before it is considered valid. In the initial phase, organizations will be able to submit claims data in bulk and receive a confirmation of receipt of the submitted data. In subsequent phases, the systems interface will also include the ability for organizations to check on the status of previously submitted claims information.

SSA would like to extend an invitation to companies who assist individuals with their Social Security benefit applications, to participate in this web service claims data exchange Beta test. The Beta test is structured to use the "consolidator" model, where the participating company serves as a conduit to receive claims data from their client base and electronically transfer the data to SSA.

After the initial disability claims data collection effort in 2008 is evaluated, SSA will add functional capabilities in future years to collect data on electronic appeal forms and integrated claims applications. This multi-year initiative will provide a comprehensive systems interface for companies to send claims data (including Title II Retirement and Spouse application data, disability data, and medical evidence) to SSA on behalf of their clients. The envisioned long-range solution beyond 2008 is a web service that will facilitate the collection of data through the entire life-cycle of Internet applications, including Title II and Title XVI initial claims and appeals.

New ALJ Register Finally

According to numerous anonymous posts on the ALJ Discussion Forum and the ALJ Improvement Board, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has barely beaten the gun and produced a "register", or list of candidates from which the Social Security Administration (SSA) may select new Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). OPM was under great pressure from Congress to produce a new register by the end of this month.

The problem now is that SSA cannot hire any ALJs until it gets an appropriation. Currently, the agency is working under a continuing funding resolution and has no money to hire new employees. It may be next year before an appropriation is signed by the President and some time after that before new ALJs are hired.

Status Of Social Security Appropriations

From the Capitol Insider put out by the Disability Policy Collaboration:

House and Senate conferees are expected to resolve the differences ($1.9 billion) in spending for the FY 2008 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill [which includes Social Security]. This bill could be the first (out of twelve) FY [fiscal year] 2008 appropriations bill sent to the White House for action by the President. The President has continued to send out strong veto threats on this bill since it spends more than the Administration budget request for these three departments. The bill might be sent as a single bill or combined with another appropriations bill (e.g. Veterans Administration and Military Construction) that the President wants to sign into law.

Effect Of Proposed Procedural Changes

The procedural changes proposed by the Social Security Administration yesterday will cause significantly fewer disability claims to be approved. That is not my assessment, but the Social Security Administration's assessment. The regulatory proposal contains an estimate of the expected effect upon the Social Security trust fund. The estimate is that the savings peak in 2012 with a $215 million reduction in benefit payments and that the total savings in benefits paid over ten years are $1.531 billion. That is a lot of claimants whose cases who would be denied as a result of this proposal, probably thousands each year.