"Paper Options" And Social Security

     From the Washington Post:

As the Obama administration pushes to do more business over the Internet, finally seeking to close the technology gap with the private sector, the digital makeover is running into a dogged opponent called Consumers for Paper Options.

The group is working the halls of Congress in closed-door meetings, underwriting research favorable to its position and mounting a news media campaign in an effort to preserve Washington as the capital of paper — and slow the move away from printed checks, forms and other paper communication.

The lobbying group has had some recent victories, including language tucked into last month’s budget deal that requires the government to plan for resuming paper delivery of annual Social Security earnings statements to some of the nation’s 150 million future retirees. And it’s been claiming these wins in the name of the elderly and low-income Americans the Internet has left behind.

Except Consumers for Paper Options is a creation of the paper industry.

A Poll

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Central Offices Opening Four Hours Late Today -- No, Not Opening At All

     Social Security's central offices in the Baltimore area are opening four hour late today due to snow.

    Update: Other federal offices in the Baltimore-Washington area are opening two hours late instead of four.
     Further update: On second thought, Social Security has decided to just close its central offices for the day instead of opening late.

Why Many Field Offices In The South Are Closed Today

 

This is a photo taken (not by me) in the Raleigh area yesterday afternoon.

Central Offices Closed But Who Knows About Field And Hearing Office Closings

     Social Security's central offices in the Baltimore-Washington area are closed today because of weather conditions. Many field and hearing offices along the East coast are also closed. Social Security has a website where these closings are supposed to be listed but this system has almost completely broken down. As an example, no office closings are shown in North Carolina, where I am, but I'm pretty sure that all field offices and hearing offices in the state are closed. It's obvious to me that there must be dozens of office closings in other states  that are also unlisted. Somebody needs to get this system working properly.

A Cluster In Birmingham?

     Alex Flowers, who had been a Claims Representative at Social Security's Birmingham field office, has been indicted on several federal charges alleging that he used his access to Social Security's databases to cause the issuance of several payments to accounts which he controlled. A different Birmingham Social Security employee had been indicted on similar charges late last year.

Unemployment Has Little Effect On Number Of Disability Claims

     From a press release issued by the Columbia Business School:

With millions of Americans' unemployment benefits expiring, and as the Social Security Administration comes under increasing pressure to reform its financially-troubled entitlement program, policymakers are asking whether a significant amount of Americans are bilking disability benefits from federal coffers. A new study from Columbia Business School sheds light on the answer. ...

"Contrary to the beliefs of many, even in policy circles, our research proves that the unemployed do not directly file for disability following the exhaustion of benefits," says Columbia Business School Professor Andreas Mueller, who helmed the study. "The evidence is just not there. As a matter of fact, fewer than 2% of workers whose unemployment benefits had expired actually applied for disability insurance."  ...

The research reveals that expiring unemployment insurance does not cause a spike in SSDI. In fact, all of the analyses show a 2% or smaller correlation between the number of workers whose unemployment benefits had been exhausted and the number of those who applied for disability insurance. Even in states that had a lengthy unemployment extension period, Mueller and his co-authors did not observe a significant drop in disability insurance applications. ...

"Although we cannot rule out small effects , the takeaway here is we can conclude that there is no convincing evidence that workers whose unemployment benefits have expired apply for disability insurance on a large scale," says Mueller. ...

     Many people envision disability as an either or thing that happens suddenly. Either you're disabled or you're not disabled and when it happens, you know right away. Most of the time, though, it's not that way. It's not a sudden stroke or automobile accident that disables a person but a slow deterioration, caused by something like diabetes or arthritis.  The worker keeps trudging in to work until he or she slowly comes to the conclusion that they just can't do it anymore. In this common situation, events and circumstances not directly related to the worker's health can affect the timing of the worker's exit from the labor market. The attitude of the employer can make a huge difference. Some employers try to accommodate their ailing employees. Some try to force them out.  If you think the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) made any real difference, you're naive. The ADA is beloved inside the Washington Beltway but a dead letter everywhere else.Of course, layoffs can make a difference at the margins. Some employees who are heading toward disability get laid off. The layoff may hasten disability claims or delay them by giving people an income from unemployment benefits. It's all at the margins and nothing to get excited about unless you're trying to make political points.

Submit All The Evidence Proposed Regs Clear OMB.

     The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has now cleared Social Security's proposal:

... to require claimants to inform us about or submit all evidence known to them that relates to their disability claim, subject generally to two exceptions for privileged communications and work product. This requirement would include the duty to submit all relevant evidence obtained from any source in its entirety, unless subject to an exception. We also propose to require a representative to help the claimant obtain the information or evidence that the claimant must submit under our regulations. 

     Some unspecified "change" was made while this was at OMB.
     Expect to see this in the Federal Register in the near future. It went through OMB on a fast track.
    Social Security must first publish this proposal in the Federal Register, allow comments, consider those comments and then publish final regulations, a process likely to take at least a year.