ALJ Dodds Passes

     I regret to report that Administrative Law Judge Ralph Dodds of Raleigh has passed away.

ERE Down

     I have received multiple reports that Social Security's Electronic Records Express service is down this morning. It was supposed to have been down for repairs until 5:00 a.m. Come on, guys -- most of the country doesn't take off for Columbus Day!

Updated Fee Payment Numbers

     Below are updated numbers on payments of fees to attorneys and others for representing Social Security claimants, primarily disability claimants. These fees are processed by the Social Security Administration but come out of the back benefits of the claimants involved. The attorneys and others who receive the fees pay a user fee for the costs of withholding and paying these fees.

Fee Payments
Month/Year	Volume	Amount
Jan-12	29,926	89,749,312.99
Feb-12	43,946	134,207,416.10
Mar-12	47,376	139,571,577.57
Apr-12	38,239	113,225,483.07
May-12	37,648	112,446,283.39
June-12	43,816	128,559,225.66
July-12	33,342	97,458,955.82
Aug-12	41,441	119,484,061.59
Sept-12	38,393	115,676,630.23

Social Security Checks Stolen From The Mail?

    According to a Memphis television station, a group of Social Security checks has been stolen from the U.S. Postal Service. Not delayed or misplaced but stolen. The report is that the Postal Inspector General is saying that it does not yet know what happened to the checks and is investigating.

I Don't Think What The President Said Is Close To Being Accurate

    President Obama, speaking at Wednesday nights' Presidential debate:

You know, I suspect that, on Social Security, we've got a somewhat similar position. Social Security is structurally sound. It's going to have to be tweaked the way it was by Ronald Reagan and Speaker -- Democratic Speaker Tip O'Neill. But it is -- the basic structure is sound.

     Social Security supporters reactions included words and phrases such as "very distressing", "serious damage", "jaw dropped" and "dumbfounded."

Further Reductions In Field Office Hours

     From the Federal Times:

Social Security Administration field offices are again trimming the hours they are open to the public due to tight budgets, a top administrator told employees in a Wednesday email.

Starting Nov. 19, all 1,233 offices will close to customers 30 minutes earlier, Mary Glenn-Croft, deputy SSA commissioner for operations, said in the email. As of Jan. 2, the offices will close to the public at noon on Wednesdays, she said.

This is the second time the agency has been forced to trim office hours because of budget considerations. SSA trimmed public office hours at its offices by 30 minutes in August 2011. ...

SSA spokeswoman Kia Green said the shift is “part of normal operations” under the six-month continuing resolution signed last week by President Obama. That stop-gap spending bill leaves SSA operating with “significantly” less money than either the agency or the Obama administration requested, Green said.

What Does Interfund Borrowing Do To The Retirement And Survivor's Trust Fund?

     The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a report on Social Security's finances. It's old news but I did see an answer to a question that I've had. Under current law the Disability Trust Fund will run out of money in 2016. The solution to this problem is simple and inevitable. Congress will allow borrowing between the Retirement and Survivor's Trust Fund and the Disability Trust Fund. It's been done before. It would only be temporary since the problem is temporary. Once the baby boom population ages a bit further, the problem goes away. There may or may not be changes in disability benefits to accompany interfund borrowing but interfund borrowing is going to happen. My question has been what does interfund borrowing do to the date that the Retirement and Survivor's Trust Fund runs out of money. The answer is that it changes that projected date from 2038 to 2034.

Core Identity Discrepancy

     This is an e-mail I received this morning from an employee at my law firm:

I just got off the phone with _______ of the Raleigh DO [District Office].  Ms. _____ called because she had just been assigned this claimant’s case, and he has a core identity discrepancy that falls within a new nationwide SSA policy that went into effect this week.

The new nationwide policy says that core identity discrepancies have to be resolved by the claimant within 45 days of notification, or SSA must deny the claim, even if the claimant is medically approved in the meantime. 

Ms. Harris said she has attempted to contact Mr. ____ on 3 occasions to advise that the date of birth he has reported is different from what his SSA record shows.  Ms. Harris has mailed him a letter detailing what must be done and enclosing an application for Social Security card to be completed.  Within 45 days from today, Mr. ____ must return to her the fully completed form that she mailed him, and produce an unexpired driver license and certified copy of his birth certificate to correct the discrepancy.  Should he fail to meet the deadline, she says his claim will be dismissed.

      Certainly, this man needs to respond but Social Security disability claimants are often difficult to hunt down. Many are homeless. This claimant isn't homeless but he's quite confused. As we know, there are many errors in Social Security's databases and there are many people who lack photo I.D. This policy could cause a lot of problems. Is fraudulent misrepresentation of identity really a problem for Social Security? If there is a problem, will this new policy really do anything to solve the problem?