What Do You Mean "We", Kemo Sabe?

From KTKA News:

On Tuesday, the head of the Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue arrived in Topeka to mark the opening of the state’s newest hearing office. The Topeka office is expected to cut down on the amount of time people must wait for a judge to hear their disability case. Next week, the office will start hearing cases.

“In the short term, this office allows times in Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas to start dropping very dramatically. Also, in the bigger picture, it is a great sign for the future of the agency we started 75 years ago, SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue said.

Yes, I realize that the "we" may be a reference to we as a nation but it still sounds odd coming from a Republican. The reporter may not have gotten the quote exactly right since she thought that Social Security was only given $500,000 in the Recovery Act to use in working down backlogs!

ALJ Employment Offers Being Made

There are reports that Social Security is making calls today offering jobs to some applicants for Administrative Law Judge positions. This is causing great excitement among the applicants.

Pomeroy's Plan Plays Well At Home

Congressman Earl Pomeroy's plan to give Social Security recipients a one time $250 payment if there is no cost of living adjustment in Social Security this year is playing well in his district in North Dakota. Pomeroy, the chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee, is in tough re-election battle.

Social Security's Chief Actuary Questions Raising Normal Retirement Age

Stephen Goss, Social Security's Chief Actuary, has written an article for an issue of the Social Security Bulletin. Goss' article is worth reading in whole. Indeed most of this issue of the Social Security Bulletin, which is devoted to Social Security's impending 75th anniversary, is worth reading. Goss' most important point is that the primary cause of Social Security's long term funding problem is the decreased rate of fertility, that is, the average number of children born to the average American woman, rather than increased life expectancy. Goss throws in this paragraph towards the end of the article:

Because the large shift in the cost of the OASDI [Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance] program over the next 20 years is not due to increasing life expectancy, it is not clear that increasing the NRA [Normal Retirement Age] should be the principal approach for restoring long-term solvency. Increasing the unreduced retirement age beyond 67 is one option that may be considered, given that the population may be healthier in the future and able to work to an older average age. However, this raises the question of the adequacy of monthly benefit levels. After the NRA reaches 67, those persons claiming benefits at age 62 will receive only 70 percent of the unreduced benefit level. Further increase in the NRA would decrease the adequacy of monthly benefits at age 62, and at all other ages, even further.

Raising the normal retirement age has been the favorite plan of many on the right for "fixing" Social Security. My opinion is that increasing the normal retirement age to 67 was a bad idea and that increasing it to 70 is a horrible idea. Raising the normal retirement age to 70 would be terrific way to decrease public support for Social Security, which is exactly why those on the right promote the idea.

Types Of Illnesses That Are Approved For Social Security Disability

From the Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2009
Disabled-worker awards, by selected diagnostic group, 2009

National Hearing Center In St. Louis

From a press release:

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today opened in St. Louis, Missouri the agency’s fifth National Hearing Center (NHC). The St. Louis NHC is the largest in the nation and is co-located with two other new Social Security facilities -- the National Case Assistance Center (NCAC) and the Midwest Training Center. Together these three facilities will bring over 200 new federal jobs to St. Louis. The project, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was completed in just ten months and is the fastest the General Services Administration has ever delivered a project of this size, quality, and type.

“The St. Louis NHC will help us reduce the backlog of disability cases in those areas of the country where citizens with disabilities are currently waiting far too long for a hearing decision,” Commissioner Astrue said. “For the City of St. Louis and the State of Missouri, these facilities will bring new permanent federal jobs.”

The St. Louis NHC will be staffed by 100 people -- 18 Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) and 82 support staff. The NHC uses state-of-the-art electronic video technology to hold disability hearings remotely throughout the country to reduce backlogs. St. Louis initially will hear disability cases for Cleveland, Ohio and Minneapolis, Minnesota – cities with two of the most backlogged hearing offices in the nation. Social Security has additional NHCs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Baltimore, Maryland, Falls Church, Virginia, and Chicago, Illinois.

The NCAC and Midwest Training Center will employ 102 people. The NCAC will provide decision-writing assistance to backlogged hearing offices throughout the U.S. The Midwest Training Center will enable the agency to train Midwest and western employees closer to home – saving taxpayers money by reducing the travel costs associated with employee training.

“The new Social Security facilities in St. Louis are prime examples of Recovery Act dollars at work,” said Commissioner Astrue. “I applaud the General Services Administration and the Social Security staff who worked tirelessly to open these new facilities in record time. The result will be better service for disabled Americans and increased job opportunities for residents of the St. Louis area.”

$250 Payment Bill Gathering Co-Sponsors

The bill that Earl Pomeroy, the Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee, just introduced, which would give Social Security recipients a special $250 payment in the likely event that there is no cost of living adjustment to Social Security this year, has already garnered the following 84 co-sponsors:

• Rep Arcuri, Michael A. [NY-24] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Becerra, Xavier [CA-31] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Boren, Dan [OK-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Bright, Bobby [AL-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-11] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Costa, Jim [CA-20] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Costello, Jerry F. [IL-12] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Critz, Mark S. [PA-12] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Dahlkemper, Kathleen A. [PA-3] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 7/30/2010
• Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Driehaus, Steve [OH-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Edwards, Donna F. [MD-4] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Garamendi, John [CA-10] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-8] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Hall, John J. [NY-19] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Kirkpatrick, Ann [AZ-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Kissell, Larry [NC-8] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Klein, Ron [FL-22] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Kosmas, Suzanne M. [FL-24] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Levin, Sander M. [MI-12] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] - 7/30/2010
• Rep McIntyre, Mike [NC-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Meek, Kendrick B. [FL-17] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Perriello, Thomas S.P. [VA-5] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Peters, Gary C. [MI-9] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Richardson, Laura [CA-37] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Rodriguez, Ciro D. [TX-23] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho [MP] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Schauer, Mark H. [MI-7] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Scott, David [GA-13] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Titus, Dina [NV-3] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Wilson, Charles A. [OH-6] - 7/30/2010
• Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3] - 7/30/2010

Appropriations Bill Reported Out In Senate

The Senate Appropriations Committee has reported out the appropriations bill that covers Social Security. The amount approved in Committee is the same amount recommended by the President, $12.379 million. This now goes to the floor of the Senate.