Astrue: "Our Field Office Structure Is Under Siege"

From a Federal Times article about backlogs and staffing problems at federal agencies (and note the use of "Democrat" rather than "Democratic", which Democratic Senators and Representatives would find annoying, as Astrue well knows, but apparently forgot while doing this interview, or maybe he just does not care):

Years of tight budgets have also hurt agencies. Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue described his agency as a victim of its own “reputation for competence”: Congress appropriated less than the president’s budget request for 12 of the last 14 years.

That has forced the agency to reduce its staff of administrative law judges, who adjudicate claims for disability benefits. The agency is down from 1,200 such judges to almost 1,000, almost as low as during the mid-’90s.

“It wasn’t a Republican thing or a Democrat thing. … It was easy to bleed us dry when they were fixing a problem someplace else,” Astrue said. “And our field office structure is under siege. We’ve maintained the same number of field offices, but the population [needing our services] has gone up, and Congress adds a significant new workload every year.”

Among the recent new additions to the agency’s workload: processing claims under Medicare’s Part B insurance program and Part D drug plan, and verifying immigrants’ status through Social Security numbers.

Quick Disability Determination

After television station KATU in Portland, OR ran a story on two local individuals who were suffering through the long wait for a hearing on their Social Security disability claims, both were suddenly approved. See the story.

It's Bad In Kansas And Getting Worse

From the Lawrence, Kansas Journal-World & News:

Thursday’s sleet and snow didn’t stop Glenda Endriss from having her day in court.

She had waited too long — more than two years — to stay at home.

Endriss is among the thousands of Kansans whose Social Security disability case has taken years — not months — to decide. Unable to work and without an income, the wait for the Social Security Administration to rule on a disability case can leave applicants struggling. ...

In August, Kansas was named the worst state in the country for its backlog of disability cases. Since then, the time it takes to get a hearing by a Social Security administrative law judge has increased.

As of January, the average wait for a hearing in Kansas City was 686 days — about two months shy of two years. It is a month and half longer than what the wait was in August.

For Wichita, it takes 529 days — almost a year and half — and more than a month longer than what the wait was in August.

Ohio Congressman On Disability Backlogs

Charlie Wilson, a Democratic Congressman from Ohio, has held a news conference and issued a press release on the Social Security Administration's disability backlog problems.

Wilson is not a member of any committee having jurisdiction over the Social Security Administration.

It will be interesting to see whether other Congressman choose to publicize their stand on this issue as we head to the election.

CNN Doing Social Security Disability Story

Linda Fullerton reports on the Social Security Disability Coalition board that CNN is doing a story on Social Security disability and is seeking to talk with people who have suffered great financial distress while waiting for Social Security or to the survivors of those who died while waiting on Social Security.

Astrue Misses Missoula Event

Michael Astrue, Social Security's Commissioner, got stuck in Arkansas and did not make the public meeting scheduled in Missoula, MO with Senator Max Baucus, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Nancy Berryhill, Social Security's Denver Regional Commissioner substituted for him.

The Missoulian reports that Charles Drinhill, the father of a Social Security disability claimant, and the son's attorney, Susan Gobbs, showed up to express their frustration with delays in adjudicating Social Security disability claims. In response Berryhill talked of her pride in Social Security's internet presence. That did not satisfy Drinhill or Gibbs.

Social Security Working With Wal-Mart

The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas reports that the Social Security Administration is working with Wal-Mart to get more people signed up for Part D of Medicare, the prescription drug benefit.

Congresswoman Criticizes "Culture Of Denial"

From the Tuscon Citizen:

After Randall Burger's lifelong epilepsy became uncontrollable, the Oro Valley man applied for Social Security disability payments.

His claim was denied.

The federal agency turns down 64 percent of initial claims for disability, said U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

Her office stepped in to help Burger and his application was approved on appeal.

Giffords, in Tucson Tuesday to talk about the issue, said she is concerned about the "bureaucratic red tape" and what appears to be a "culture of denial" in the Social Security Administration.