ACUS Re-Established

The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) was established by statute in 1964 as a federal advisory committee to promote better administration of federal agencies. After Republicans took control of Congress in 1995, ACUS was defunded. Although the authority for ACUS remained on the books, ACUS received no appropriation and ceased to operate. ACUS finally received renewed funding in this fiscal year and resumed operations in March. Michael Astrue, as Commissioner of Social Security, is a member of ACUS.

I do not recall any ACUS report on Social Security that had any useful effect. It was and is now composed primarily of law school professors and attorneys at large Washington, D.C. law firm, none of whom have any particular knowledge or experience with Social Security. This is unfortunate since the Social Security Administration simply does more administrative law than all other federal agencies combined. Nevertheless, it is good to see ACUS back in operation. I hope that any studies they do of Social Security are done after consultation with people who do have Social Security experience.

I never understood what the Republicans had against ACUS other than their desire to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.

Bob Bynum

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 12:54 PM
To: Undisclosed recipients
Subject: COMMISSIONER’S BROADCAST--10/26/10

A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees

Subject: Robert (Bob) Bynum

I am sad to report the passing of Bob Bynum on October 16, 2010, at the age of 89. Bob began his 32-year career in 1948 as a Field Assistant in Montgomery, Alabama and retired in 1980 as the Deputy Commissioner for Programs. Bob also served as the first District Manager in Selma, Alabama, the Associate Commissioner for Program Operations, and the Regional Commissioner for Atlanta. After retirement, Bob continued to serve through volunteer work.

To learn more about his legacy, see the transcript of a 1996 interview by visiting http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/orals/bynum.html. An obituary is available at http://obits.al.com/obituaries/birmingham/obituary.aspx?n=robert-paul-bynum-bob&pid=146070218.

Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner

Jackson Teleservice Center

From a press release:

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today joined Congressman John Tanner and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency’s new teleservice center (TSC) in Jackson, Tennessee. The Jackson TSC will be the first new call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade. When completed, it will create almost 200 new jobs for residents in the Jackson area. ...

The Jackson call center ... is expected to open by late 2011.

Little Rock Punitive Damages A First

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is saying that the punitive damages awarded in arbitration to a Social Security employee in Little Rock is a first for the agency. $100,000 in punitive damages were awarded for a wrongful termination. The $100,000 in punitive damages were in addition to $100,000 in compensatory damages.

No COLA On Anything

Social Security made the official announcement in the Federal Register today that there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) on anything this year. Contrary to an earlier rumor, there will be no adjustment in the "bend points" used in benefit computation.

Mob Scene In Port St. Lucie

From "TC Palm", one of the many newspapers that goes out of its way to keep its true name off its internet edition:

The grand opening Monday of the new Social Security Administration building at 6810 S. U.S. 1 resembled a “mob scene” at the shopping malls the day after Thanksgiving, as one resident described.

People lined up outside the building at 8 a.m., but the doors didn’t open until 10 a.m.

“It was like Black Friday at Best Buy,” said Port St. Lucie resident Peggie Nattutat. “When the door started to open, people came down on it like it was the flood.”

Daniel Borello, Social Security Administration district manager, said the administration moved into the new 14,000-square-foot building Friday and encountered a few glitches Monday, but now everything is OK.

Social Security Employees To Get Extra Day Off At Thanksgiving

From Government Executive:

Social Security Administration employees this year will receive an extra day off to celebrate Thanksgiving, according to a report from Federal News Radio's Mike Causey.

SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue told nonemergency employees they do not have to report to work on Nov. 26, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thursday is a federal holiday. Friday won't be considered a holiday for pay and leave purposes, but workers will receive their normal pay, according to Astrue.

According to Causey's report, Astrue said SSA employees have "faced unprecedented workloads and unprecedented hostility from an increasingly stressed public. While many government agencies understandably have moved backward in this climate, you have moved forward."

It's not clear yet whether other agencies and departments will follow SSA's example.

The day after Thanksgiving AND Columbus Day AND President's Day?

Social Security Loses A Big One In Little Rock

Social Security just suffered a big arbitration loss in Little Rock, Arkansas. (I uploaded this to Yousendit. It can only be downloaded 100 times.) The American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents most Social Security employees, had requested the arbitration over the firing of a union member. The employee was alleged to have engaged in misconduct in approving the use of Social Security's Critical Payment System for a $57,354 fraudulent payment made to another Social Security employee. The actions of the employee involved in this arbitration in approving the payment were only alleged to have been negligent. The employee involved in this arbitration was not alleged to have profited from her mistake. Another employee was guilty of fraudulent conduct and did profit from their fraud. That employee faced criminal charges.

Inconsistency in Social Security's treatment of its employees involved in this matter was a major issue raised by the union. One huge problem for Social Security was that the agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) had investigated what had happened in Little Rock but the agency refused to disclose the entire OIG file, leading the arbitrator to presume that the agency was hiding exculpatory information.

The end result in this arbitration was that the employee was ordered restored to her job and was given $100,000 in compensatory damages and another $100,000 in punitive damages. I am not familiar with this sort of thing. Does it get worse than this for an agency?