Contract For SoBran

From a press release:

SoBran, Inc., a leader in advanced warehousing support and services, today was awarded a multi-million dollar contract by the Social Security Administration (SSA), to manage three Maryland warehousing facilities -- shipping, receiving, inventory, distribution and administrative services for millions of pieces of critical information, spread throughout. ...

Using an innovative Radio Beacon Warehouse Management System (WMS), radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers, scan tunnels and portals, hand held wireless bar code scanners and related technologies, the team will oversee the movement and storage of benefit payment and services forms, publications and other information serving millions of Americans.

The SSA stores much of these materials and other assets in its main Supply Building warehouse, an 80,000-square-foot building at SSA headquarters in Baltimore, MD, and in two nearby supporting warehouses, a total of 380,000 square feet and more than 25,000 bin locations. The three locations process approximately 100,000 to 130,000 line items each year with an average daily volume of approximately 416 line items.

Things Are Very Different At The RRB

The New York Times is reporting that the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is approving 98% of the disability claims they review. The definition of disability is different, but still, that is stunning. I guess that is why I virtually never get a call asking for representation on an RRB case.

Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool

The Social Security Administration has created an online benefit eligibility screening tool. I have not checked it out exhaustively, but it was able to identify the possibility of a disabled adult child claim for an older widow or widower, a possibility that would be missed by the average Social Security employee (no offense, guys -- I was looking for something that would be hard to catch).

SSI Stats Released

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

Obama Ad On Social Security

Congress Passes ADA Restoration Act

The New York Times reports that Congress has passed and sent to the President the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Restoration Act. The Act explicitly overturns several Supreme Court decisions. The Act says that "Nothing in this Act alters the standards for determining eligibility for benefits under State worker’s compensation laws or under State and Federal disability benefit programs." I remain concerned about the long term effects of the ADARestoration Act upon the Social Security disability programs, particularly when the Social Security Administration finally deals with the obsolesence of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). There may be an effect even if all involved deny that there was an effect. There is a fair amount of hypocrisy in the world and even more self-delusion.

Pressure Works

From the St. Petersburg (FL) Times:

The head of the Social Security Administration has announced new steps to reduce the backlog of disability claims cases in the Tampa Bay area.

The South Florida office will serve some areas formerly handled by Tampa but are closer to Fort Lauderdale. In-person and video hearings will continue to be offered at the agency's Fort Myers and West Palm Beach remote sites.

Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue outlined the new procedures in a letter to Rep. Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat who introduced a bill on July 14 to address the national backlog of disability claims.

The bill would require that a hearing be held within 60 and 75 days from the date of the request, and that a final verdict be given no more than 15 days after a hearing. Rep. C.W. Bill Young is among the co-sponsors.

Indecent Exposure At Social Security Office

From the Rocky Mountain News:

Federal security officers responding to reports of a man exposing himself to a woman and her daughter in a Social Security office in Denver on Wednesday arrested an ex-convict on parole for attempted murder.

Federal Protective Service officers were alerted at the Social Security office near 16th and Champa streets about 1:05 p.m., said Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE oversees the protective service.

Officers took into custody Herbert L. Towery, 67, for investigation of indecent exposure, Rusnok said.