ACUS Wants To Help

From a Request for Proposals issued by the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS):

The study should particularly address the following issues: ...

• The impact of SSA’s treating physician rules on the role of courts in reviewing SSA disability decisions. The study should consider measures that SSA could take to reduce the number of cases remanded to it by courts.
• The role of the SSA Appeals Council in reviewing cases to reduce any observed variances in ALJ’s decisional outcomes, hearing lengths, and application of agency policies. Legal and empirical consideration should be given to the efficacy of an expansion of the Appeals Council’s already existing authority to conduct more focused reviews of ALJ decisions; how the Appeals Council can select cases for review; when review should take place (i.e. pre- or post-effectuation); and the scope and manner of review. 
• Additional measures that SSA could take to identify and address issues posed by “outlier” ALJs, in order to reduce the observed variances, and to reduce other irregularities and improve quality in ALJ decisions. ... 

The Conference will provide a consulting fee of $15,000 for the study plus a budget for expenses.

The White Flag

This is from a notice that Social Security is posting in the Federal Register tomorrow:

We recently decided to eliminate our current procedures for questioning corporate officers’ and self-employed individuals’ allegations of retirement. We have found that, over the long term, questioning retirement allegations has made no significant difference in Trust Fund outlays. By eliminating our questionable retirement procedures, we will reduce the public burden, save our scarce administrative resources, and increase the efficiency of the retirement determination process.

Since we are eliminating our current procedures for questioning corporate officers’ and self-employed individuals’ retirement allegations, the SSRs that relate to those procedures are no longer needed. Therefore, we are rescinding SSR 66-18c and SSR 91-1c as obsolete.

 This is an open invitation to fraud. Self employed individuals between 62 and full retirement age can make completely transparent arrangements to pretend to be retired while continuing to work full time. Social Security will give them early retirement benefits without any questions. However, if you are an employee, forget it. You either retire for real or suffer major reductions in any early retirement benefits. I know it's been almost impossible to police this but completely giving up!

Quiz Answer

Question: How long does a claimant who has been overpaid by Social Security have to request waiver of the overpayment?

Potential answers:

• 20 days
• 60 days
• 180 days
• There is no time limit

Correct answer: There is no time limit. I can give no link to authority on this because no time limit is set by statute, regulation or otherwise. I cannot link to something that does not exist. There is a 60 day time limit to request reconsideration of the fact of the overpayment -- that is to challenge the existence or amount of the overpayment but that is separate from a waiver request.

Social Security On The Table

From Politico:

As a critical deadline for the supercommittee nears, Social Security appears to be on the negotiating table.

In private conversations, and now in public, the idea of changing the social program as part of a deficit-reduction deal is gaining some traction — a move that has been politically unthinkable for years....

In a speech Monday in Louisville, Ky., House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) appeared to raise the stakes on a grand bargain that would include major entitlement changes. ...

Asked specifically about Social Security, [Democratic Senator and Supercommittee Co-Chair Patty] Murray said, “Everything is on the table, and we’ve made no decisions.”

Quiz

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Post Piece On Social Security Draws Criticism

     A doom and gloom piece in the Washington Post about Social Security is drawing a lot of attention. R.J. Eskow has the most complete criticism of the piece. 

     If you think of the Washington Post as a left wing newspaper you are way behind the times or you are so far right that you think Fox News really is "fair and balanced."

Happy Halloween

NADE Newsletter

The National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), an organization of the personnel who make initial and reconsideration determinations on disability claims for the Social Security Administration, has released its Fall 2011 newsletter.

     The newsletter included the "Grading Daily Activities and Social Skills" table seen  above. This was handed out by Dr. Robert Brooks of California Disability Determination Services at a NADE event. I do not believe I have seen this before. Does this have even semi-official status?