Astrue Message On Death Of Robert Ball

This message went out today:

A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees

Subject: Death of Robert M. Ball

I am saddened to report that former Social Security Commissioner Robert M. Ball died late last night after a brief illness. He was 93.

Bob Ball was the longest-serving Commissioner in Social Security history, having served in that position from 1962-1973. Prior to being named Commissioner, he held many management positions, starting his SSA career in a field office in 1939. He served as Commissioner under three different Presidents. After leaving the agency, Mr. Ball continued his involvement with the Social Security program, helping to found the National Academy of Social Insurance in 1986.

On a personal note, I want to say that Bob Ball left an indelible mark on the Social Security programs and the agency in that he played a critical role in the establishment of Medicare. His commitment to Social Security was unequaled, and he will be remembered as a great leader.

If you would like to know more about former Commissioner Ball’s career, you can visit our History page at

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/bobball.html.

Michael J. Astrue

Commissioner

Death Of Robert Ball

From Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo:

You probably don't know his name. And you probably won't see any news of his passing outside of the obit section. But Bob Ball, who died last night at the age of 93, probably played a greater role in expanding and defending Social Security than anyone in the second half of the 20th century.

Ball became a Field Assistant in the Social Security Board's New Jersey field office in 1939. He became Assistant Director of the Bureau of Old Age and Survivors Insurance in 1949. Later he became Deputy Director and then Acting Director. In 1962, President Kennedy appointed Ball a Commissioner of Social Security, where he remained until 1973.

Probably most significant was Ball's advocacy of Social Security and social insurance more generally after his retirement. He was a key member of the Greenspan Commission which made the program solvent well into the middle of the 21st century. And he was around as a key behind the scenes player as recently as President Bush's failed 2005 effort to phase out Social Security and replace it with a system of private accounts.

Greenville, SC District Office Reopens

News Channel 7 in Greenville, SC reports that the Greenville District Office of the Social Security Administration will reopen tomorrow after being closed since last week by a flood. As dry as it is in this part of the world, I can just about guarantee that this temporary office closure was caused by a plumbing problem.

Allsup's Plans

From the Belleville News-Democrat of Southwestern Illinois:

Jim Allsup is at it again. Twenty-four years after founding his own business to provide representative services for those who are looking to get Social Security disability insurance, which had previously been unserved in the market, Allsup is now expanding with a broader range of services to assist clients with disability life planning and advisory in Medicare. ...

Jim Allsup recently talked with business reporter Will Buss about his business' new services:

Q: What is your new focus?

A: "Our focus these days is really aggressively going toward the disabled consumer.

"Our future really lies in being able to go directly to the disabled consumer to continue to grow the core Social Security service, but at the same time, we're expanding the portfolio of services that we provide to that disabled consumer so that we're providing a complete range of both financial and health-care services for the disabled consumer.

"The majority of our business in the past has been commercially based where we contract with large insurance carriers and Fortune 500 employers around the country to provide our services to their disabled employees and disabled insurers. And they pay the fee because they have a financial stake in the outcome of what we do. So our focus, up until now, our primary focus has been on companies that have employer-provided, long-term disability benefit plans. And the reason being is that these plans and Social Security, and every dollar we obtain from Social Security, reduces their liability by a dollar. However, only one out of every three employees are the U.S. is covered by an employer-provided, long-term disability plan, which means two out of three employees aren't. So we really have a concentrated focus now to go directly to the disabled consumer."

Astrue Partially Suspends Regulatory Proceedings

This does not begin to solve all the problems associated with the proposed rules. Click on each page to view full size. Ending reopening for new and material evidence is a major element of this proposal that remains, for instance. That may be the largest part of the $2 billion cost saving associated with this proposal.

Baucus Announces Economic Stimulus Plan

Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has announced his version of an economic stimulus plan. Baucus' plan would differ from the President's plan and the plan that the House of Representatives is working on in several important respects, but for our purposes the big difference is that recipients of Social Security benefits, presumably including disability benefits, would receive rebates of $500 each from the government.

If this happens, I wonder what the effect will be on those who also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. It would be cruel to give them a check for $500 -- but then reduce their SSI by $500.

All federal regulations must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is part of the White House. Even regulations issued by independent agencies like the Social Security Administration must be approved by OMB. This is one of the many reasons that Social Security's independence is more theoretical than real. OMB posts lists of regulations awaiting approval. Here is a new OMB filing from yesterday:

AGENCY: SSA	RIN: 0960-AG49
TITLE: Amendment to the Attorney Advisor Program (3398I)
STAGE: Final Rule No Material Change	ECONOMICALLY SIGNIFICANT: No
** RECEIVED DATE: 01/28/2008	LEGAL DEADLINE: None

Social Security In State Of The Union

An excerpt from last night's State of the Union address:

Every member in this chamber knows that spending on entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is growing faster than we can afford. And we all know the painful choices ahead if America stays on this path: massive tax increases, sudden and drastic cuts in benefits, or crippling deficits. I have laid out proposals to reform these programs. Now I ask members of Congress to offer your proposals and come up with a bipartisan solution to save these vital programs for our children and grandchildren.