Social Security Uses Stimulus Money To Hire Deaf Man As Claims Representative

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

In the case of one area resident, federal stimulus money directed toward reducing the unemployment rate in Florida has made a big difference.

Through a pilot program of the Social Security Administration and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Lee Lefkowitz was recently hired as a claims representative with the Gainesville Social Security office.

Lefkowitz has profound hearing loss and relies heavily on reading lips to communicate.

Government Mistakes Have Consequences

From the Baltimore Sun:

Eschol Amelia Studnitz lost her $58,000 accounting job July 31 because a government background check deemed her "unsuitable" for a low-level security clearance. She was stunned. She had no criminal record. ...

Her shock was warranted: Her firing was based on a mistake. And within days, her employer, Corporate Mailing Services of Arbutus, heard from the Social Security Administration that she could, in fact, work on a new contract handling mail for the agency.

But three bewildering months after her dismissal, Studnitz has not been rehired or found other work in this tight job market. ...

"This is a horrible injustice to her," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. But Coney said she was not surprised the error involved the FBI's National Crime Information Center database.

ALJ Register To Reopen

An announcement from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management today announced it will open the Administrative Law Judge Examination to interested applicants in the near future by posting a notice on USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov).

Due to the overwhelming volume of applications OPM expects to receive, the number of applications the agency will accept for processing will be determined on the basis of projected government-wide hiring needs. OPM will announce the limit at the time the examination opens to applicants. Completed applications will be accepted in the order they are received until 11:59 p.m. (EST) the day in which the limit has been reached.

Individuals who are interested in applying are urged to closely monitor the USAJOBS web site in the coming weeks. When OPM last opened the ALJ Examination in July 2008, it received its target of 600 completed applications within two days.

I urge those who want to become Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to study this notice carefully and to monitor the OPM website closely. The last time the register was opened, it only stayed open for a few days. Many who were interested in becoming ALJs failed to apply in time. Many people were bitter because they thought the system was set up to exclude them since they did not hear about the register opening in time to apply.

Mentally Ill Rally Against Furloughs Of DDS Employees In Massachusetts

From the Boston Herald:

Disabled Bay State residents may now face even more cuts to the services they urgently need, advocates said.

As Gov. Deval Patrick prepares to narrow the $600 million budget shortfall, mentally ill residents and their advocates say they are bracing for slow processing of disability claims, as well as cuts that could eliminate services.

About 800 mental health advocates and mentally ill adults gathered in front of the State House yesterday, demanding the governor’s support to keep their clubhouses - facilities that provide job training, education and employment.

There are 32 Massachusetts clubhouse facilities across the state, which serve 15,000 adults.

The cuts come as the governor also looks at furloughs for employees at Massachusetts Disability Determination Services, a move that could stall processing for disability claims - worsening the services they provide - even as increasing numbers of people file for their Social Security disability payments.

Results Of Yesterday's Unscientific Poll

Which Team Do You Want To Win The World Series?

Philadelphia Phillies (37)	49%
New York Yankees (16)	21%
I Don't Care (22)	29%

Total Votes: 75

You can still vote in this poll.

Astrue Criticizes Massachusetts Governor

From the Boston Herald:

A top federal official rapped Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday for a belt-tightening move that could worsen a Social Security backlog, leaving tens of thousands of disabled citizens desperately waiting for benefits.

“We’ve got a rapidly increasing number of (disability) applicants. It tends to go up in bad economic times,” said Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue.

Astrue called Patrick’s plans to furlough workers and possibly cap staffing at the Massachusetts Disability Determination Services offices “inappropriate and counter-productive.”

This is ultimately an indefensible policy.”

Even though the DDS office is federally funded, employees are technically state workers subject to state Civil Service rules.

The governor’s press office had no comment on Astrue’s comments. ...

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User Fee To Remain At $83 In 2010

Social Security will publish a notice in the Federal Register tomorrow saying, among other things, that the cap on the user fee charged to attorneys and others who receive direct payment of fees for representing Social Security claimants will remain at $83 in 2010.