Nightline Story On OIG Investigations

    ABC's Nightline ran a report either Thursday or Friday night on the work that Social Security's Office of Inspector  General (OIG) does in pursuing those who lie to obtain or to continue receiving Social Security disability benefits. No grand schemes are revealed, just the sort of behavior that's inevitable whenever money is involved. 

     I do have a couple of complaints about the written version of the story. First, the number of disability claims being filed is going down, not up as the story claims. Second and probably more important in this kind of story, there's nothing illegal about working while trying to go on Social Security disability benefits or trying to stay on those benefits. You get in trouble when you fail to reveal that work. They want disabled people to try to work. There are complex rules about work activity and Social Security disability benefits. Many people legitimately receive Social Security disability benefits while working.  No one should assume that there is something illegal going on when a person receiving Social Security disability benefits is working. There's nothing illegal going on in most cases.

Harry Clay Ballantyne Passes

     Harry Clay Ballantyne, Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration from 1982 to 2000, passed away on May 2.

Most Popular Baby Names

     From the Social Security Administration, the most popular baby names for 2013:

Boys:

Noah Liam Jacob Mason William Ethan Michael Alexander Jayden Daniel

Girls:

Sophia Emma Olivia Isabella Ava Mia Emily Abigail Madison Elizabeth

Creating A Catch 22 Leading To Loss Of Benefits And Voter Suppression?

     From an e-mail I received:

I am a ... SSA [Social Security Administration] field office employee in Ohio. SSA has initiated the process of deny[ing] numident printouts to individuals (A numident printout is a computer extract of information that is taken from the original application for a Social Security card).

Individuals need these printouts in order to get state ID or Driver license. Additionally individuals use these for HEAP [Home Energy Assistance Program] or Food stamps among other benefits. Individuals now must present photo ID this year [to] SSA to obtain the paper verification. Prior to this year all an individual would do is answer personal identifiable information to the SSA employee to obtain the copy. 

This has created a catch 22 where local motor vehicle bureau require the numident to get an ID but SSA requires a gov't photo ID to get a numident.  The public and field office employees are frustrated by the process.  More cynically, this process will aid in voter suppression, in particular to the urban poor. ...

The urban centers of Ohio delivered the votes for the 2012 election.  New voter restriction/suppression will be directly assisted by numident issuance and office closing. These changes will greatly affect the electorate in Ohio and elsewhere.

Fast Tracking For Immigrants

     From the Forum for Expatriate Management:

Nonimmigrants eligible for Social Security numbers are no longer required to wait two weeks after arrival in the United States before applying. 

According to a liaison meeting between the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Social Security Administration last month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is no longer enforcing a 10 day hold period between the time an eligible applicant enters the country and the time when he or she can apply for a Social Security number. The waiting period was meant to accommodate the time it took for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to enter information into shared computer systems. However, with the introduction of automated I-94 cards last May, arrival information is now entered within 24 to 48 hours. As a result, the SSA has removed the 10-day hold policy, except for when an applicant for a Social Security number submits a Certificate of Naturalization (DHS Form N-550/N-570) or a Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560/N-561).

Representative Elijah Cummings Speaking At Social Security Headquarters For Public Service Recognition Week

More On Plan To Close Field Offices

     The Baltimore Sun is running an article on the plan, if it can be called that, to substitute online services for Social Security's field offices. If this happens, and I strongly doubt it will, it will destroy the Social Security Administration's ability to handle disability claims and Supplemental Security Income claims. This is being presented as if it were simply a labor-management issue, as if the only thing at stake was the jobs of union members. I'm not part of any union. I wish the field office employees well but that's not my concern here. My concern is service to the public. My strong opinion is that any attempt to implement this scheme will result in chaos.

Daugherty Faces Bar Disciplinary Charges

     Retired Administrative Law Judge David Daugherty faces disciplinary charges before the West Virginia Lawyer Disciplinary Board. It is alleged that he approved claims that didn't meet government guidelines, falsified time sheets and improperly assigned attorney Eric Conn's cases to himself. So far, despite considerable publicity given to the case, Daugherty has not been charged with any crime. 

     The ethics charge of falsifying time sheets strongly suggests the involvement of Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG). How would the West Virginia bar know about that otherwise? It also suggests to me that the evidence on the other charges may not be that strong. Why bring what sounds like a jaywalking charge if you've got the evidence to convict on a felony charge? The allegations against Daugherty and Conn are serious but OIG is acting like they're not sure they have the evidence to prove the allegations. Also, how is the West Virginia Lawyer Disciplinary Board supposed to decide that Daugherty approved claims that didn't meet government guidelines and how is that an ethics offense?

David B. Daugherty