ALJ Register Open

The register for the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) position is open. It will only stay open until midnight on the day upon which the 900th application is filed. Probably, the register will either close tomorrow night or Thursday night. Wednesday is a federal holiday. Apply as quickly as possible if you are interested in an ALJ position.

Two New Duties For Social Security In Health Care Bill

I have taken a look through the health care reform bill passed by the House of Representatives for the words "social security" to see what new responsibilities it assigns to the Social Security Administration. I only found two new responsibilities for the Social Security Administration. Social Security is to verify that Social Security numbers and names match -- in effect verifying citizenship -- for purposes of eligibility for the various forms of assistance available under the bill. This is a responsibility that Social Security does not want and should not have, but it appears that the agency is stuck with it and not just for health care. At least, Social Security is appropriated $30 million for this under the bill for doing this. Also, under the bill, Social Security is required to do outreach to identify individuals eligible for the low income prescription drug subsidy.

Union Calls For Astrue Ouster

From a press release issued by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents most Social Security employees:

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation's largest federal employee union, today called on the Obama Administration to remove Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue. The union says recent events involving H1N1 employee policy and a third party class action lawsuit indicate that Astrue has lost touch with employee rights and the impact his policies have on effective public service. The Social Security Administration’s chief negotiator for mid-term bargaining on abating H1N1 told AFGE members that H1N1 is not a serious communicable disease, contradicting the Centers for Disease Control and SSA’s own chief medical officer. In a direct challenge to SSA protocols, SSA managers – and its negotiator – have threatened disciplinary action if SSA employees refuse to take an interview with a member of the public that exhibits swine flu symptoms but wants a face-to-face interview. ...

AFGE also recently applauded the order of a federal judge in the Northern District of California to allow blind individuals an accommodation in the form of communications from the Social Security Administration, something which the SSA leadership has repeatedly fought against and claimed that it would be too burdensome to accommodate.

For more on this dispute, see the Washington Post article. By the way, although the President could make life difficult for Astrue, the President cannot fire him.

Updated Fee Payment Stats

Updated information on payments of fees to attorneys and others for representing Social Security claimants:

Fee Payments
Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-09	28,423	$101,128,880.69
Feb-09	31,352	$112,791,207.17
Mar-09	29,199	$104,155,187.96
Apr-09	30,963	$110,133,425.19
May-09	36,603	$126,725,262.45
June-09	31,799	$113,962,564.84
July-09	34,802	$124,621,068.71
August-09	28,218	$100,279,282.51
Sept-09	28,455	$100,918,402.40
Oct-09	36,729	$131,011,485.43

Social Security Advertises Chief Of Staff Position

The Social Security Administration is advertising an opening in the position of Chief of Staff. Here is the description of the job from the notice:

The Chief of Staff to the Commissioner of Social Security acts as personal advisor to the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Social Security covering the full range of the agency's mission. S/He is a key leader in setting and articulating the Commissioner's vision and strategic direction for the agency. Internally, the Chief of Staff oversees the tactical execution of the Commissioner's strategic vision among the agency's executive leadership. S/He represents the Commissioner in discussions with the White House, Members of Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Personnel Management, other Federal agencies, executives of State and local governments, and others who are interested in the policies and programs of the Social Security Administration.

Off Topic -- The Strangest Sports Video You've Ever Seen

I Thought This Was The U.S. Treasury's Job

Does anyone know what this presolicitation notice from Social Security means?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) located in Baltimore, MD has a requirement for an establishment where money is stored for saving or commercial purposes or is invested, supplied for loans or exchanged and is a FDIC member institution to provide banking services to implement and maintain a Third Party Payment System (TPPS) that will allow SSA to issue selected payments using payment instruments. Payment instruments mean drafts, checks or other similar negotiable instruments that will be printed and provided by the Government Printing Office. The contractor shall service up to 6,000 SSA cashiers in approximately 1,500 SSA offices worldwide. SSA expects to issue in fiscal year 2010 approximately 300,000 payments equaling an estimated $110,000,000. The SSA TPPS shall require 1 master account and 15 subsidiary accounts.

Thirty Options For Financing Social Security

The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) has released Fixing Social Security: Adequate Benefits, Adequate Financing, a report that outlines thirty options for putting the program's finances on a sound footing for the next 75 years.