Disability Hearing Backlog Remains High

     From the Arizona Republic:

Adria Howard doesn't understand why her application for Social Security disability payments was denied without explanation.

The mother of two from Tolleson, Ariz., had worked until recently, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to her back, and the pain made her job impossible. Now, she is preparing an appeal, and statistics show it could take nearly a year to get a hearing with an administrative-law judge. Meanwhile, her bills stack up. ...

In Arizona, about 8,900 people are waiting for a hearing to determine if they will receive benefits. Nationally, about 750,000 await a hearing. ...

"It seems the system is set up to require a lot of people to appeal," said Amina Kruck, vice president of advocacy programs at Arizona Bridge to Independent Living, a non-profit organization run by people with disabilities that assists other people with disabilities. ...

Financial struggles are common as the benefits application process drags on. Typically, those who are sick have lost all of their income, which can force them to rely on family help or other social services.

Suspect In Custody In Arizona Bombing

Abdul Latif Aldosary

     A suspect is in custody in connection with the bombing Friday at the Social Security field office in Casa Grande, AZ. He is Abdul Latif Aldosary, a 47 year old refugee from Iraq. A neighbor reports that he does not attend mosque and that "he hasn't any problems against America; he's very thankful he got to be a refuge somewhere." However, Aldosary has a history of imprisonment for communicating threats against an employer by mail and telephone.

A Counter-Offer -- Reduce The COLA

     From the Los Angeles Times:

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, provided the first GOP counter-offer to President Obama’s push for higher taxes on the wealthy. McConnell said his party would like to increase the Medicare eligibility age and ask wealthier Americans to pay higher Medicare premiums. He also suggested paring back the cost-of-living increases given to Social Security beneficiaries ...

     And McConnelll is up for re-election in two years but he's more worried about re-nomination at the moment.

Explain Why This Would Work

     Dick Durbin, the Senate Democratic Whip is floating the idea of a new bipartisan commission to keep Social Security solvent for the next 75 years.

Former Manager Charged With Identity Theft

      From the Associated Press:

A former manager at the Social Security Administration has been charged with stealing another man's identity and using it to make off with more than $160,000 worth of stocks. 

Randolph Hurst, of West Warwick [RI], was indicted Thursday. He appeared before a magistrate in U.S. District Court in Providence on Friday but did not enter a plea. ... 

Prosecutors say he spent all the money, including $60,000 for gold coins.

     Update: As a reader pointed out, it appears that Mr. Hurst has been trying his hand at representing Social Security claimants since retiring from Social Security.  I wonder about this statement at his website:

For part of my career, I decided whether or not someone qualified for disability benefits.  Any approval that I made was considered a final decision of the Social Security Administration.  I was trained to understand and perform the work of the disability examiners on the State medical board for initial and first appeal cases.  I was trained as well as to understand and perform the work of the Administrative Law Judges for the final appeal for previously denied claims for disability benefits.

That's the sort of statement that would get an attorney in trouble since, at best, it contains great exaggeration but Hurst wasn't an attorney. Of course, if you believe the testimonials on his website (and they look awfully suspicious to me) Hurst helped a postal service employee get the money he deserved from a lawsuit. If he did, he was clearly practicing law without a license.

Explosion At Arizona Social Security Office

     From the Associated Press: 

Authorities say they’re investigating a small explosion that happened at the back entrance of a Social Security Administration office in a small town about 50 miles south of Phoenix.

Casa Grande Fire Marshal Barbara Rice says the explosion was reported just before 8:30 a.m. Friday and no one was injured.

White House Proposes Extending Payroll Tax Cut

     From TPM (emphasis added):

In a Capitol meeting with House Speaker John Boehner Thursday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner submitted the Obama administration’s proposal for addressing medium term deficits, and avoiding across the board tax increases and spending cuts at the end of the year.

Republicans called the proposal outlandish and brushed it aside as unserious. But it’s almost entirely comprised of policies Obama campaigned on and included in his budget for the current fiscal year....

The administration asked Republicans to boost the economy, too, by either extending the payroll tax cut, or replace the holiday with a similar stimulus, such as the Making Work Pay tax credit in the Recovery Act. 

Commissioner Tours Storm Ravaged Areas

     From the Staten Islander:

The Social Security Administration is warning that Social Security beneficiaries have recently been the intended targets of an identity theft scheme.

During a tour of the storm ravaged parts of the state Wednesday that began in Staten Island, the commissioner of the federal agency reminded borough residents to be extra vigilant.

"I urge all Staten Islanders to take precautions when asked for personal information," said Commissioner Michael J. Astrue. "You should never provide your Social Security number, bank account numbers, or other personal information unless you are extremely confident about the identity of the person to whom you are providing the information.