MSN Money is reporting that the changes that Social Security has recently made in its Death Master File will be a bonanza for life insurers.
Feb 5, 2012
Feb 4, 2012
White House Conferences On Disability
From the UCP Washington Wire:
White House to Hold Series of Disability Conferences
The White House will be holding a series of regional, multi-agency disability conferences between March and July. The final list of cities and dates include:
Columbus, OH - March 14
Austin, TX - March 28
Los Angeles, CA - April 12
Denver, CO - April 25
Atlanta, GA - May 11
Boston, MA - May 23
Minneapolis, MN - June 6
Orlando, FL - June 15
Kansas City, MO - July 11
Social Security will certainly be involved to some extent. I hope that people begin to realize that while wheelchair access to buildings is important, it is only a minor aspect of the entire spectrum. of disability issues. Adjudicating claims for disability benefits on a timely basis is crucial.
Feb 3, 2012
New 1695 Procedure
I don't know that it will make a significant difference but Social Security is changing its procedures for processing the form 1695 which it receives from attorneys and others who represent Social Security claimants. The form 1695 includes the Social Security number of the person representing the claimant. What is supposed to happen in the future is that the form will end up in the claimant's file but the Social Security number will be blacked out. Previously, the form was supposed to be shredded after the information was entered in Social Security's database.
Claimants are not supposed to see their attorney's Social Security number. Only those Social Security employees who need to see the attorney's Social Security number are supposed to see it.
I know that it is strictly prohibited but what are the odds that no Social Security employee has gotten my Social Security number off a 1695 and looked up my earnings record just to satisfy their own curiosity? Can it really be prevented?
A $1 Trillion Difference?
From Investors Business Daily:
The outlook for Social Security's trust fund has deteriorated to an astonishing degree over the past year, new Congressional Budget Office [CBO] projections show.
The nonpartisan budget scorekeeper released the estimates Tuesday as part of broader economic and budget forecasts. CBO expects the trust fund to peak in 2018 and decline to $2.7 trillion in 2022 — a full $1 trillion less than Social Security's own actuaries predicted last year. ...
CBO was moderately more pessimistic than SSA a year ago, but has grown much more so, guided by incoming economic data.This kind of gap between the two projections makes no sense to me even when we're talking about a ten year period.
USA Today Says Something Is Wrong
McPaper is running an editorial about Social Security's disability programs. As is generally the case with USA Today editorials, it's hard to say exactly what the point of the editorial is. I suppose that it says that there is something terribly wrong with the disability programs and something must be done to make it harder to get on Social Security disability benefits but it really does not identify what that something is.
The editorial repeats the canard that attorneys delay Social Security disability claims. It's simple. I make money by closing files, not by keeping them open. Extra fees from keeping a file open longer are unlikely to make up for the extra costs of keeping the file open longer. Not only is delaying benefits to a client unethical; it makes no business sense. Are there attorneys who end up delaying their clients ultimate success? Sure, but it's not because they're trying to increases their fees. It's because they're incompetent. There are incompetents in any line of work.
Chuck Martin, the President of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR), contributed an opposing piece.
By the way, who buys USA Today? Does anyone actually subscribe to it? I never read it except when I'm staying at a hotel that gives it to me for free. It's just so bland.
Feb 2, 2012
Death Master File Hearing
The written statements of the witnesses at today's House Social Security Subcommittee hearing on Social Security's Death Master File have been posted. Don't tell anyone that they posted them a few minutes early. They're embargoed until 9:00 a.m.
Feb 1, 2012
Changes At Appeals Council
Some changes have been made at the Appeals Council. Effective January 9 Branches 11-19 were disbanded. Pending cases and staff were transferred. See below for the new Appeals Council lineup.
Branch | Circuit Jurisdiction* | Branch Chief | Branch Telephone Number | Branch Fax Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9th & 10th (00-16) | Ilselore Passalacqua | (703) 605-7150 | (703) 605-7151 |
2 | 9th & 10th (17-33) | Merina Floyd | (703) 605-7180 | (703) 605-7131 |
3 | 9th & 10th (34-49) | Judy Salveson | (703) 605-7210 | (703) 605-7011 |
4 | 9th & 10th (50-66) | David Isaac | (703) 605-7240 | (703) 605-7211 |
5 | 9th & 10th (67-83) | Tommie Smith | (703) 605-7270 | (703) 605-7411 |
6 | 9th & 10th (84-99) | Marie Cousins | (703) 605-7300 | (703) 605-7301 |
7 | 2nd & 3rd (00-24) | Deborah Johnson | (703) 605-7330 | (703) 605-7331 |
8 | 2nd & 3rd (25-49) | Maxine Smith | (703) 605-7450 | (703) 605-7451 |
9 | 2nd & 3rd (50-74) | Cecil Haithcock | (703) 605-7390 | (703) 605-7391 |
10 | 2nd & 3rd (75-99) | Chris Johnson | (703) 605-7420 | (703) 605-7421 |
23 | 5th & 7th (WI only) (00-19) | Dennis Ohlhaver | (410) 965-2703 | (410) 597-0796 |
24 | 5th & 7th (WI only) (20-39) | Sandy Belin | (410) 965-2704 | (410) 594-2181 |
25 | 5th & 7th (WI only) (40-59) | Dara Tunstall | (410) 966-4913 | (410) 594-2182 |
26 | 5th & 7th (WI only) (60-79) | Brad Wilder | (410) 966-4914 | (410) 597-0198 |
27 | 5th & 7th (WI only) (80-99) | Vacant | (410) 966-4931 | (410) 597-0199 |
28 | 4th & 7th (IL & IN only) (00-19) | Donna Sasser | (410) 966-8759 | (410) 965-8639 |
29 | 4th & 7th (IL & IN only) (20-39) | Vacant | (410) 966-8766 | (410) 965-7909 |
30 | 4th & 7th (IL & IN only) (40-59) | Larry Singh | (410) 966-8783 | (410) 965-7921 |
31 | 4th & 7th (IL & IN only) (60-79) | Patricia McManus | (410) 966-8810 | (410) 966-3457 |
32 | 4th & 7th (IL & IN only) (80-99) | Pamela Baird | (410) 966-8823 | (410) 966-3451 |
33 | 11th (00-24) | Denise Canada | (410) 966-8826 | (410) 965-4488 |
34 | 11th (25-49) | Christina Garner | (410) 966-4500 | (410) 965-9171 |
35 | 11th (50-74) | LaQuitta Moultrie | (410) 966-4710 | (410) 965-4488 |
36 | 11th (75-99) | Darl Daniels | (410) 966-4717 | (410) 966-3465 |
38 | 1st, 8th & DC (00-24) | LaVone Gray | (703) 306-5100 | (703) 306-5111 |
39 | 1st, 8th & DC (25-49) | Edward Sommer III | (703) 306-5110 | (703) 306-5101 |
40 | 1st, 8th & DC (50-74) | Jamie Platt | (703) 306-5120 | (703) 306-5121 |
41 | 1st, 8th & DC (75-99) | Brenda Kimberlin | (703) 306-5130 | (703) 306-5131 |
42 | 6th (00-19) | Glen Squire | (703) 306-5140 | (703) 306-5201 |
43 | 6th (20-39) | Carlene Jones | (703) 306-5200 | (703) 306-5211 |
44 | 6th (40-59) | Robin Noyes | (703) 306-5210 | (703) 306-5221 |
45 | 6th (60-79) | Jimmy Hale | (703) 306-5220 | (703) 306-5231 |
46 | 6th (80-99) | Kathy Hartt | (703) 306-5230 | (703) 306-5241 |
The Retirement and Survivors Insurance and SSI (RSI) Branch handles all non-disability cases. Their telephone number is (703) 605-7711 and the Fax number is (703) 605-7141. Roxie Nicoll is the Branch Chief.
The CCPRBs handle the civil action workload.
Branch | Circuit Jurisdiction | Branch Chief | Branch Telephone Number | Branch Fax Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CCPRB – 1 | 7th & 9th Circuits | Robert Weigel | TBD | (703) 605-7441 |
CCPRB - 2 | 1st, 3rd, 4th & 10th Circuits | James Jones | TBD | (703) 605-7861 |
CCPRB - 3 | DC, Foreign Claims, 6th & 11th Circuits | Patrick Herbst | TBD | (703) 605-7581 |
CCPRB - 4 | 2nd, 5th & 8th Circuits | Marian Jones | TBD | (703) 605-7621 |
Jan 31, 2012
Autism Spectrum May Be Narrowed In New DSM
From the New York Times:
Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and might make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new analysis suggests.
The definition is now being reassessed by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, which is completing work on the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the first major revision in 17 years. The D.S.M., as the manual is known, is the standard reference for mental disorders, driving research, treatment and insurance decisions....
The proposed changes would probably exclude people with a diagnosis who were higher functioning. ...
The revisions are about 90 percent complete and will be final by December, according to Dr. David J. Kupfer, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and chairman of the task force making the revisions. ...
In the new analysis, Dr. Volkmar, along with Brian Reichow and James McPartland, both at Yale, used data from a large 1993 study that served as the basis for the current criteria. They focused on 372 children and adults who were among the highest functioning and found that overall, only 45 percent of them would qualify for the proposed autism spectrum diagnosis now under review.
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