Psychiatrist Writes Guide To Social Security Disability

Dr. Samuel Okpaku, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt, has written "Psychiatric Disability: A Step-by-Step Guide to Assessment and Determination" for Psychiatric Times. It will be of help to clinicians.

Off Topic -- Depressing Medical News

From the New England Journal of Medicine:

The average person will spend about 5 years suffering from the common cold, and 1 year of that time will be spent with a cold that is severe enough to require bed rest.

Average Processing Time At Hearing Offices

This is from the newsletter of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR).

Compare the average processing time as it has changed over time:

• January 25, 2007 -- 508 days
• May 25, 2007 -- 523 days
• July 28, 2007 -- 528 days
• August 31, 2007 -- 523 days
• November 30, 2007 -- 500 days
• February 29, 2008 -- 511 days
• May 30, 2008 -- 523 days
• June 27, 2008 -- 529 days
• July 31, 2008 -- 530 days
  
• September 3, 2008 -- 532 days
• November 5, 2008 -- 476 days
  
• December 3, 2008 -- 480 days
• March 8, 2009 -- 499 days
• April 24, 2009 -- 505 days
  

ALJs Have A Beef

Alyssa Rosenberg reports on FedBlog that federal Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are unhappy that a decision of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prevents them from accumulating sick leave at the same rate as other senior-level federal employees. The ALJs are seeking legistlation to resolve the dispute. The vast majority of federal ALJs work for the Social Security Administration.

AFGE On Air

From an American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) press release:

A myriad of problems facing the Social Security Administration (SSA), including underfunding and eroding leadership, will be addressed this week on AFGE's "Inside Government" radio show. The show will air on Friday, June 12 at 10 a.m. EDT nationwide on Federal News Radio at www.federalnewsradio.com and 1500 AM in the Washington, D.C., area.

Two leaders from AFGE's National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals, President Witold Skwierczynski and Legislative Chair Dana Duggins, will break down the agency's issues. Skwierczynski will start by detailing efforts to remove Commissioner Michael Astrue, including a vote of "no confidence" by the union and a scathing report by the Government Accountability Office. Duggins then will expand upon a gag order instructing employees to stop assisting claimants as they had in the past.

Proposed Rules On Military Pay And SSI

From today's Federal Register:

We propose to revise our rules to clarify that, for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) purposes, we do not consider any combat-related military pay as income when we determine whether spouses and children of members of the uniformed services are eligible for SSI.

One In Seven To Face Cuts In Benefits

From a press release issued by The Senior Citizens League:

Close to seven million seniors -- one in every seven -- will receive a smaller Social Security check next year... Millions of other seniors who do not have their Medicare premiums automatically deducted from their checks will also have fewer Social Security dollars leftover next year.

These seniors will be affected because their Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is forecast to be zero next year, while their Medicare Part B (doctors' visits, tests, and outpatient hospital care), Part C (Medicare Advantage) and/or Part D (prescription drugs) premiums are forecast to rise.

Affected seniors generally fall into one of two groups, if not both:

1. MEDICARE PART B: HOLD HARMLESS PROVISION: Approximately three million seniors will endure cuts because they are not protected by a "hold harmless" provision that prevents the vast majority of beneficiaries from receiving smaller Social Security checks in years when Medicare Part B premiums exceed the COLA. Two groups of seniors will not receive hold harmless protection in 2010:
   1. MEANS TESTING: 2,121,500 beneficiaries who pay higher premiums due to Part B "means testing." Individuals with adjusted gross incomes (AGI) above $85,000 and couples over $170,000 are affected.
   2. NEW ENROLLEES: 848,000 new enrollees will pay the 2010 premium rate, forecast by Medicare's Trustees to be $104.20 per month, instead of the current rate of $96.40 per month that tens of millions of seniors will continue to pay next year due to hold harmless.
2. MEDICARE PARTS C & D: More than 3.8 million other seniors will see smaller Social Security checks next year due solely to likely increases in Medicare Parts C and D, for which no hold harmless provision exists. Note: Millions of other seniors will also be affected, as our estimate includes just those who will have automatic reductions to their Social Security checks. Additional millions of seniors who pay plans directly will also have fewer Social Security dollars leftover next year.

SSI Stats By County

Social Security has released the 2008 edition of its report on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients by state and county. The disparities between rich and poor counties in my state, North Carolina, are stunning. One of 18 residents of Robeson County, NC is on SSI. Only one of 87 residents of Wake County, NC is on SSI.