News Conference On Transferring Cases -- And More About Night Court

I had posted earlier about Social Security disability cases awaiting hearings being transferred from Charlotte to Seattle. My post was in relation to plans to hold hearings beginning as late as 8:00 p.m. on the East Coast.

The Charlotte Observer now has an article up about this transfer of 300 cases. The article was prompted by a news conference held by Representative Sue Myrick, a Republican. With the election coming, it looks like everyone in Congress wants to get on the right side of this issue, or at least appear to be on the right side.

Here is a little excerpt from the article suggesting that night court may become common, possibly in places other than North Carolina:

Officials said Monday's announcement could represent a permanent solution. Nancy Griswold, a Social Security Administration deputy chief administrative law judge, also said working with an office on the west coast essentially extends Charlotte's operating hours. There is a three-hour time difference between Seattle and Charlotte.

"Blood And Destruction" Blamed on Social Security And Congress

Congresswoman Kathy Castor's bill to impose time limits for holding hearings on Social Security disability claims has generated a good deal of media interest. Here are some excerpts from a story in the St. Petersburg Times:

The tens of thousands of people stuck in the national backlog for Social Security disability benefits might disagree, but the agency's top official argues progress is being made in ending the crisis.

The progress is hard to see in the Tampa Bay area, however, where the caseload is among the highest in the nation and an office sits empty awaiting the hiring of a much-needed judge.

The most recent figures indicate that 761,042 people are waiting across the country for hearings to address their claims. In the Tampa hearing office, the number is 14,524, the highest in the state.

The situation prompted Rep. Kathy Castor, a Tampa democrat, to propose legislation this week to break the backlog. Castor's bill would require that a hearing be held between 60 and 75 days from the date it is requested, and that a final verdict be given no more than 15 days after the hearing. ...

"Hiring new judges is a step in the right direction, but you still have to hire the staff in order to help them," said Robert Gutierrez, a South Florida lawyer who has been representing disability clients for 16 years. ...

Linda Fullerton, co-founder of a national grass roots organization called the Social Security Disability Coalition, is not impressed.

Fullerton, who lives in Rochester, N.Y., said she waited for a year and a half to get her benefits. When the wait devastated her finances, she got angry enough to start a cyberspace group that now numbers 3,000 members, she said.

"There is blood and destruction on the hands of both the Social Security Administration and Congress," she said in an e-mail to the Times. "Both have been systematically killing and devastating the lives of the most vulnerable citizens of this nation for decades."

Social Security Earnings Estimator

The Social Security Administration has added a new feature to its online services, an "earnings estimator." I do not understand the name "earnings estimator" since what is estimated is not what I would call "earnings" but what I would call benefits. The agency must be proud of it, since I got about five e-mails about it. Unfortunately, the service is painfully slow, at least this morning.

Union Newsletter

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 220, which represents many Social Security employees, has issued its July 2008 newsletter. No breaking news, but worth reading.

Waiting In Ohio

From the Columbus Dispatch:

A 57-year-old man has waited three years and counting for a Social Security disability determination because of his failing heart, vascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis ...

Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue doesn't gloss over the problem with his federal agency. He has told Congress that the jumbo-sized backlog stems from an increasing baby boomer caseload, years of underfunding and an increase in Social Security's responsibilities coupled with a 5 percent staff reduction from 2003 to 2007.

Astrue, who took the top job in February 2007, said that while "everything is focused on moving in the right direction … there is no one magic bullet" to cut through the backlog, stemming from years of the "system being out of whack."

"It's hard if you are on the waiting end," Astrue said. "We are making progress … (But) it is a lot of detail, and it is hundreds of things we have to focus on."

Astrue is sending 13 new disability judges to Ohio this year, two of them to Columbus.

He wants to cut the 761,000-case national backlog by about 60,000 a year.

Jim Allsup, a former administration employee whose company handles rejected disability claims, says, "The whole thing is completely broken" and that the disability benefits process is "so woefully out of date that it has to be totally overhauled and streamlined."

White House Liaison?

I no longer see anyone listed on Social Security's organizational chart as being White House Liaison. This position was created by Commissioner Astrue, as best I can tell. The position may still exist, but just not be shown on the organizational chart, which does not seem as detailed as I remember it. Can anyone enlighten me on whether this position still exists?

New Regulations In Final Months Of Bush Administration

With the end of the Bush Administration in sight and several possible regulatory changes in the pipe at Social Security, it is a good time to review what the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is telling federal agencies. What OMB says matters since OMB has to approve any proposed regulations before they go in the Federal Register. Here is an excerpt from a recent memo from OMB to federal agencies:

Every regulatory agency and department has a responsibility for continuing to ensure regulations issued in this final year are in the best interests of the Alnerican public. To the extent pennitted by law, the heads of executive departments and agencies should continue to minilnize costs and maxilnize benefits for each of their upcoming regulations, and should avoid issuing regulations that are unnecessary. Except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this Administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than November 1, 2008.

Results Of Unscientific Poll

What is your general impression of the job that Social Security does in deciding upon disability claims?

It's way too easy to get on disability benefits. They're approving a lot of phonies. (5)	6%
Social Security is a bit lax . Some people are getting on benefits who shouldn't. (10)	11%
Social Securtiy does as good a job of deciding who is disabled and who isn't as you could reasonably expect. (11)	12%
Social Security makes it a bit too tough. Some people are being denied who should be approved. (10)	11%
They make it far too tough. Many people who are way too sick to work are being denied. (8)	9%
It's a bit of a mess. They approve some people who should be denied and deny some people who should be approved. (22)	24%
It's a total mess. There's little consistency. You can never tell who is going to be approved and who is going to be denied. (24)	27%

Total Votes: 90