I Wish I Could Be Optimistic That This Will Work

Acting Commissioner Colvin is in a green top at the far end on the near side

     From a press release issued by the Senate Appropriations Committee:

Chairwoman Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), joined by Senator Tim Johnson (D. S.D.), Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, today announced the initial results of a roundtable discussion with senior Administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, and Internal Revenue Service Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support Beth Tucker, to seek to finally put an end to the claims backlog that has troubled the Department of Veterans Affairs for years.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Social Security Administration agreed to work together to break down the barriers between the Departments in order to end the gridlock. Specifically, the participants agreed:

1. Each agency will identify a single high level person whose sole focus is fixing problems, and who reports directly to the Secretary or Administrator.

2. Secretaries Hagel and Shinseki agreed to meet every 60 days as we progress toward ending the claims backlog.

3. A method of accountability to the Chairwoman and to the Committee, including a coordinated progress report to the Committee every 60 days.

Boom In Training For Social Security Consulting

     From a press release:

Premier Social Security Consulting, LLC of Cincinnati has experienced explosive growth since implementing its National Social Security Advisors (NSSA) training certification program nationwide in January. ...

The company provides two-day, Social Security advisor training class for CPAs, financial advisors, insurance agents, Enrolled Agents and other professional advisors so they can in turn counsel clients on the best way to access Social Security benefits in order to optimize lifetime income.

The number of Premier's NSSA presentations nationwide have increased rapidly and revenue for individual Social Security consulting, as well as NSSA training courses, is up 325 percent year to date compared to 2012.          

"Other former Social Security administrators are out there, but I believe we are the only one determined to set industry standards for consultation and education," said Premier partner Marc Kiner. ...

The NSSA course is being offered for $295 for training through May. Afterward, the course costs $995 for the two-day session. Both prices include a year of continuing support and monthly webinars with Premier on Social Security issues.

The National Underwriter Company (NUCO) will prepare and administer the NSSA exam. Certification is provided by the National Social Security Association.

     Two days of training? That's about enough time to learn how to be a positive menace to the people you're trying to advise.

Videos To Prove That Social Security Disability Fraud Exists -- But The Question Is How Much?

     From KMOV in St. Louis:

People who fake disabilities to get paid are part of an exploding entitlement program.

Here in St. Louis, the fakers contribute to the backlog, which forces people with real disabilities to wait up to two years to get approved.

In fact, the downtown St. Louis Social Security Administration office has the longest wait time for a disability ruling appeal in the country.

So the SSA is increasing efforts to bust the phonies. ...

Meanwhile the St. Louis CDI unit, of Cooperative Disability Investigations unit, is busting people like one man who applied for disability claiming constant pain, problems with sitting, standing and walking.

But he was caught on video walking his dogs, carrying an amplifier and guitar, and helping to push a woman into a truck.

Another man applied for disability claiming severe back and shoulder pain.

But later he was caught on video at football practice where he’s seen stretching, and throwing around the pigskin.

Online the SSA posts these videos and others showing the fraud.

People who applied for disability, like a man spotted wrestling in the ring, or a man who uses a cane inside the Social Security office lobby, but then seems fine when he’s loading furniture in a dumpster, or sweeping leaves off his roof.

     Those who actually adjudicate these claims or who represent these claimants know that fraud is a tiny part of the Social Security disability programs but those who want to believe otherwise will never listen.

New Children's Listings Proposed

     From today's Federal Register:

Several body systems in our Listing of Impairments (listings) contain listings for children based on impairment of linear growth or weight loss. We propose to replace those listings with new listings, add a listing to the genitourinary body system for children, and provide new introductory text for each listing explaining how to apply the new criteria.

Witness List For Social Security Subcommittee Hearing

     Here's the witness list for tomorrow's hearing before the House Social Security Subcommittee on "Bipartisan Entitlement Reform Proposals":

• Ed Lorenzen
  Executive Director, The Moment of Truth Project, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
• G. William Hoagland
  Senior Vice President, Bipartisan Policy Center
• Jason Fichtner, Ph.D.
  Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center
• Leticia Miranda
  Senior Policy Advisor, Economic Security Policy, National Council of La Raza
• Donald Fuerst
  Senior Pension Fellow, American Academy of Actuaries
• C. Eugene Steuerle, Ph.D.
  Institute Fellow, Urban Institute

    The "Moment of Truth Project" is basically Simpson-Bowles. It's a shame that Alan Simpson won't be testifying. The Bipartisan Policy Center is on record favoring "entitlement" cuts.   Mercatus is a Koch brothers front organization. La Raza and the Urban Institute can be expected to have a liberal attitude toward the budget. The Actuaries may be neutral, as in laying out the options. The Actuaries "Social Security Game" is still the best thing out there on Social Security's long term financing issues. Try it. You'll like it and probably learn from it.

It's Not A Good Idea To Mess With Social Security

     A false rumor about the demise of Social Security in Brazil led to a run on banks in that country.

Social Security Subcommittee Announces Hearing

     From a press release:

U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced the third in a series of hearings on the President’s and other bipartisan entitlement reform proposals.  This hearing will focus on proposed adjustments to Social Security benefits, as included in the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, the report by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and the report of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Debt Reduction Task Force.  The hearing will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2013, in B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Call Me Maybe?

     From a notice of final rule-making set to appear in the Federal Register tomorrow:

To address recent court cases, we are making final the rules that allow the ALJ to determine that a person other than the claimant or any other party to the hearing may appear at the hearing by telephone. In a recent Federal case, a District Court Judge held that we could not take a medical expert’s testimony by telephone without prior notice to the claimant, and over the claimant’s objections, unless we amended our regulations to allow witnesses to appear by telephone. Edwards v. Astrue, No. 3:10cv1017, 2011 WL 3490024 (D. Conn. Aug. 10, 2011). Other courts have made similar rulings. These final rules address concerns raised in Edwards and other cases.... 

Our final rules provide that the ALJ will determine how any person other than the claimant or any other party to the hearing will appear at the hearing, whether in person, by video teleconferencing, or by telephone. If the ALJ determines that any person will appear at the hearing by telephone, the ALJ will notify the claimant and any other party to the hearing in advance of the hearing. If th e claimant or any other party to the hearing objects to any other person appearing by video teleconferencing or by telephone, the ALJ will decide how that person will appear. Our final rules also clarify that the claimant or any other party to the hearing may request to appear at the hearing by telephone. The ALJ will allow the claimant or other party to appear by telephone if the ALJ determines that extraordinary circumstances exist which prevent the claimant or other party from appearing in person or by video teleconferencing.