Staying In The Workforce

From Science Daily:

The decline in the generosity of Social Security benefits for workers who recently reached their 60s has been the leading cause of the trend toward delayed retirement of older men, a new national study suggests.

Between the periods of 1988-1992 and 2001-2005, there was a 4.7 percentage point increase in the number of men aged 55 to 69 in the workforce.

The new study found that between 25 and 50 percent of that increase can be explained by declining Social Security benefits, said David Blau, co-author of the study and professor of economics at Ohio State University. ...

The study identified two Social Security changes in particular that have led older men to work longer: the increase in the full retirement age beyond age 65, and the financial incentives offered to older workers to delay retirement even beyond the full retirement age.

OIG On EAA

Social Security's recent relations with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents most of its employees have been frosty, to say the least. One of the major flashpoints in this relationship has been the union-run Employees' Activity Association (EAA) at Social Security's central offices. At the request of Senator Charles Grassley Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently investigated, to some extent, this relationship. I will not try to summarize the report since I do not understand the issues. I have a feeling that there will be some comments on this matter, however.

NADE Isues Newsletter

The National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), a voluntary group composed of personnel who make initial and reconsideration determinations on Social Security disability claims, has issued its Spring 2010 newsletter.

NADE's response to the recent Federal Register item requesting comments on Social Security's drug abuse and alcoholism policies is in the newsletter. NADE seems satisfied with the current policies. They only want clarification although they do not seem to have much idea about how things could be clarified. NADE opposes considering tobacco use as a drug addiction.

Generic AP Story On Backlogs

From the Associated Press:

Nearly 2 million people are waiting to find out if they qualify for Social Security disability benefits. It will be a long wait for most, even if they eventually win their cases.

The Social Security system is so overwhelmed by applications for disability benefits that many people are waiting more than two years for their first payment. In Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and other states, the wait can be even longer.

Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue says the delays are unacceptable, particularly for people who have paid payroll taxes for years to support the system and now are unable to work because of debilitating medical problems. Astrue has had some success in reducing a case backlog that has plagued the system for years. But a spike in new applications, linked to the economic recession, threatens to swamp the system again.

Fee Payments Increase

Here is an updated report on the fees paid to attorneys and others for representing Social Security claimants.

Fee Payments
Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-10	32,227	$111,440,046.23
Feb-10	29,914	$105,708,101.59
Mar-10	34,983	$122,874,426.87
Apr-10	44,740	$153,478,589.32

Union Official On Radio

Witold Skwierczynski, the leader of the union local that represents most Social Security employees, was interviewed by Federal News Radio yesterday. You can hear the interview online.

Most Popular Baby Names

From Social Security, here are the most popular baby names for 2009:

Boys:	1) Jacob	Girls:	1) Isabella
	2) Ethan		2) Emma
	3) Michael		3) Olivia
	4) Alexander		4) Sophia
	5) William		5) Ava
	6) Joshua		6) Emily
	7) Daniel		7) Madison
	8) Jayden		8) Abigail
	9) Noah		9) Chloe
	10)Anthony		10)Mia

Social Security Employees Recognized

The Partnership for Public Service, a private nonprofit group, has announced the names of 32 finalists for Service to America Medals awarded to outstanding federal employees. Social Security employees Shane Kelley and Eva Ristow are finalists for the medal presented for social services. Here is some information on their achievements:

Position: Director, Center for Automation (Kelley) and Project Manager (Ristow)

Agency: Social Security Administration, Denver Region

Location: Denver, Colorado

Residence: Commerce City, Colorado (Kelley) and Westminster, Colorado (Ristow)

Achievement: Improved the delivery of Social Security benefits to citizens living in impoverished and remote locations through an innovative two-way video service.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has found it difficult to serve Americans living in remote and poor regions of the country, particularly on Indian reservations in the West where disabled and elderly citizens often have failed to take advantage of benefits that they desperately need.

Shane Kelley and Eva Ristow have helped bridge this gap, linking difficult-to-serve Indian communities in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah to Social Security claims officials hundreds of miles away through an Internet-based two-way video conferencing system called Video Service Delivery (VSD).

“VSD’s greatest impact is its ability to bridge distances to help government reach the customer rather than expecting the customer to reach government,” said Kelley.

This vast six-state geographic area is home to 29 Indian reservations, where life can be difficult. The two million acre Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, for example, contains three of the poorest counties in the United States. Infant mortality is five times the national average, the adolescent suicide rate is four times the national average and unemployment hovers around 80 percent. Additionally, life expectancy is about 50 years, and 49 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty line.

The delivery of Social Security services to such poor, remote locations is a challenge. Although connected by telephone and periodic visits, Social Security representatives have not always been able to achieve the consistent “visual” communications essential in establishing an understanding of benefit programs. As a result, many applicants missed their scheduled interviews, leading to incomplete claims.

Social Security beneficiaries in these areas can now go to designated local libraries, public health clinics or other facilities close to home and get service “on demand” via the two-way video connection. Thanks to this added accessibility, VSD has increased the number of benefit applications by nearly 80 percent among Native Americans at some of the reservations.

“Some of these individuals have an average annual income of $3,000. Helping them receive disability or retirement benefits has had a huge impact,” said Jan Foushee, a senior executive program specialist with Social Security. “The money they receive can help support entire families and has an impact on the communities as well.”

The program has grown from a handful of units to hook-ups in about 70 locations in the Western states. The agency has now begun implementation of the system in the nine other Social Security regions around the country, with about 180 VSD units having been deployed so far.

Nancy Berryhill, the Social Security regional commissioner in Denver, said the concept was first tested in 2003, before Kelley came on board, by connecting the Minot Social Security Office in North Dakota to the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Nation.

But she said he took over the slow moving project in 2007, handled key technical details, found suitable sites for installation, promoted it to regional commissioners around the country and made it a model that now has unlimited possibilities to improve service.

“Without Shane’s leadership and vision, this would not have become a reality,” said Berryhill. “There was really no road map, but Shane is a problem solver. For him there are no problems, just opportunity.”

One recent successful connection has linked Hawaii with its remote satellite office in American Samoa. Social Security also has linked VSD units in high-traffic offices in New York City to locations in upstate New York. The upstate claims representatives now assist the beneficiaries in the city through the video service.

In addition, Social Security is planning to extend the video claims service, in cooperation with the State Department, to reach Americans living in Canada and possibly Europe, and is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on a project called “VA Connect” to assist disabled veterans returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Besides receiving VA benefits, veterans can be connected via VSD to Social Security officers who can help them get the assistance they need. The first SSA/VA Connect claim came from a veteran undergoing treatment for stage four colon cancer and it was approved in just two days.

Kelley led the VSD effort for three years until a recent promotion, and has since worked alongside his colleague, Ristow, the current VSD project manager.

Kelley said he realized early on that they would need to prove to Social Security colleagues and the public that the equipment was secure, cost-effective and able to improve the delivery of services. He initiated a program in several Wyoming libraries, and the success of these efforts led to rapid expansion.

“As soon as I saw how clear the video connections were, I knew VSD would greatly enhance the way SSA delivers service to the public,” he said

Martha Lambie, Social Security deputy regional commissioner in Denver, said the project never would have materialized into anything substantial without Kelley. “He took a concept and made it a reality,” she said.