Apr 17, 2008

Emergency Message On Social Security Debit Cards

The Social Security Administration has sent out an "emergency message" on the new debit cards to be issued for Social Security benefits. Here is the message:
Direct Express is a debit card sponsored by the Department of the Treasury that will be made available to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients through Comerica Bank. The Direct Express card allows individuals who do not have a bank account to access their funds with a debit card. The debit card can be used to make purchases from participating merchants, get money back from a point-of-sale transaction, and get cash at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and financial institutions (FIs) across the country. Representative payees for individuals may sign up for the Direct Express debit card, but it is not intended for use by organizational representative payees. Treasury will enclose an insert with information about the Direct Express program with the April 23, 2008, Social Security benefit payments mailed to 75,000 beneficiaries residing in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama. These are the first in a series of inserts that will be used to promote the program to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries nationwide.

NOTE: Enrollment for the Direct Express debit card is not limited to these states. Individuals from any states who inquire about the debit card can also enroll in the debit card program.

Action

When handling inquiries involving Direct Express take the appropriate action as explained in the following chart.

IF the individual…THEN…
would like to sign up for Direct Express
OR
advise him/her to call the Direct Express enrollment line at 1-877-212-9991 or visit the website: www.USDirectExpress.com. This website will be available on April 23, 2008.
obtain more information (e.g., fee schedule, how to manage card activity to reduce or eliminate their costs, etc.) about the program
has signed up for the Direct Express card and wants to know the status of his/her account (e.g., did not receive the card, etc.)tell him/her to call the Direct Express enrollment line at 1-877-212-9991.
has received his/her Direct Express card and has customer service questions about the programadvise him/her to call the toll-free customer service number on the back of his/her Direct Express card.
has questions about Direct Express that cannot be answered using the information in this Administrative Messagetell him/her to call the Direct Express enrollment line at 1-877-212-9991
reports a missing payment and indicates that he/she receives benefit payments through Direct Express
  • check the MBR/SSR to ensure that the payment was sent
  • Other than confirming that the RTN is the one that Comerica Bank is using for Direct Express no other verification is required of the RTN/DAN
  • If the MBR/SSR shows the payment was sent to the Direct Express RTN then we should process the nonreceipt based on the beneficiary's allegation
  • Follow routine procedures regarding when to input the non-receipt.

NOTE: The RTN database will be updated in May 2008 to include the newly activated RTN and will have the following statement in the remarks: "Direct Express Debit Card".
Contact your RO or PSC if you need assistance determining whether nonreceipt should be transmitted
Direct all program–related and technical questions to your RO support staff or PSC OA staff. RO support staff or PSC OA staff may refer questions or problems to their Central Office contacts.

Bandwidth Or Server Problems At Social Security?

This is just a little speculation based upon a couple of things. First, I have noticed recently that it often takes a long time to access Social Security web pages. The problem seems to be getting worse. Second, I am hearing a lot of complaints that while Social Security is encouraging use of Electronic Records Express (ERE) to upload medical records to the agency, that a lot of the time ERE is unavailable.

Could these two problems be linked by inadequate bandwidth or inadequate network servers at Social Security, basically inadequate computer infrastructure? If so, the Social Security Administration is going to have to address the issue pronto or stop promoting the use of the internet to do business with the agency. But these may be no more than temporary blips.

Senator Kohl Introduces Bill To Stop Illegal Garnishment

From the Small Business Times of Wisconsin:

U.S. Senators Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) have introduced the Illegal Garnishment Prevention Act, a bill that would prevent the U.S. Department of Treasury from promoting the use of direct deposit for Social Security beneficiaries until they put a stop to the illegal garnishment of government benefits from the bank accounts of private citizens.

With increasing frequency, financial institutions are garnishing or freezing funds on behalf of creditors from bank accounts into which Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veterans benefits are electronically deposited, despite clear protections in federal law against the garnishment of such benefits, Kohl said.

Senator Clinton On Backlogs

A press release from Senator Clinton's office:
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today joined Congressman Brian Higgins in calling on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to answer questions regarding excessive delays in appeal hearings that have been caused by a lack of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) who are charged with hearing those cases. In a letter sent today to SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue, Senator Clinton expressed her concerns regarding the excessive delays that have been reported in the Buffalo Hearing Office, which affects Social Security recipients in Erie, Chautauqua, Niagara, Genesee, Ontario, Monroe, and Cattaraugus counties. She also called for an explanation of how the agency determines the allocation of ALJs throughout their offices. Congressman Higgins brought this matter to the forefront on Monday when he singled out the delays affecting the Western New York region, and called for additional ALJs to be assigned to the Buffalo Hearing Office.

“It is unacceptable that people in Western New York are forced to wait almost two years before they can expect the SSA to hear their appeals,” said Senator Clinton. “People can’t be expected to put their lives on hold indefinitely. If the SSA is aware that certain offices have a track record of experiencing excessive delays, the agency should take a thorough look at how they are allocating the judges charged with hearing those cases.”

“This is a matter of basic human dignity,” Higgins said. “No one should have their life put on hold for years to find out whether they will receive social security disability benefits, but this has become the frustrating reality for thousands of Western New Yorkers. I thank Senator Clinton for partnering with me to advocate for getting these people the service they deserve.”

Apr 16, 2008

Monthly SSI Stats

The Social Security Administration has released its monthly statistical package for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

Treasury Won't Give Up On Privatization

No else one is paying attention any more, so maybe I shouldn't, but the Department of the Treasury has released its Issue Brief No. 4 promoting privatization of Social Security. The paper aspires to an above the fray tone, basically by assuming that everyone agrees that we should privatize Social Security and that the only dispute is on how to do it. That is a ridiculous assumption, of course. Here is a small excerpt:
The institutional reforms considered in this issue brief, including several variants of personal accounts, are discussed solely in terms of the contribution they make to ensuring that attempts to pre-fund Social Security actually result in an accumulation of resources to fund future benefits. Accordingly, elements of these reforms that do not directly bear on the question of pre-funding—for example, the inheritability of personal accounts—are not discussed. In addition, it should be emphasized at the outset that none of the mechanisms for pre-funding considered here involve the privatization of any function of Social Security.
Yeah, right. Personal accounts and privatization are two completely separate things. Why would anyone think they were the same thing?

Advance Notice On Cardiovascular Disorders Listings

As mentioned yesterday, the Social Security Administration has published advance notice that it is considering changes in its listings for cardiovascular impairments. The agency is not giving an idea of what it is considering, only asking what the public thinks should be in the new regulations.

Council Bluffs Man Charged With Fraud

I love the name of this newspaper. From the Daily Nonpareil of Council Bluffs, Iowa:
Council Bluffs police officers served an arrest warrant on John B. Wilcox, 57, for first-degree theft Thursday. Reports indicated a special agent with the Social Security Administration told Council Bluffs police Wilcox received $10,867.50 in Social Security aid between January and June 2007.

Reports stated the money was meant for Wilcox because of a disability, but the report alleged he continued to work.