$700,000 Social Security Fraud

     A press release issued by Social Security's Office of Inspector General:

Thervil Alcinor, 34, of Miami, pled guilty to one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft ...

Alcinor was involved in the use of personal identifying information ... to file fraudulent applications for Social Security Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) and Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB), and to file fraudulent income tax returns with the IRS claiming false refunds.

Court documents state that Alcinor was involved in establishing online accounts on the Social Security Administration website, MySSA.gov, for already-existing RIB or DIB beneficiaries to redirect RIB and DIB payments to accounts (often prepaid debit card accounts) controlled by him. Law enforcement identified 945 fraudulently established MySSA accounts, all with similarly concocted fraudulent email addresses. The fraudulent claims resulted in $700,462 in fraudulent RIB and DIB payments.

This Happens Thousands Of Times Each Year All Across The Country

     Why mistakes in Social Security's death master file are a big deal.

Biographical Information On Deputy Commissioner Nominee

     From the White House:

Andrew LaMont Eanes, Nominee for Deputy Commissioner of Social Security, Social Security Administration
Andrew LaMont Eanes has been the Vice President of Agile Government Services Incorporated since 2012.  From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Eanes was the Chief Operating Officer of Dynis. Previously, Mr. Eanes was Chief Operations Officer of BT Conferencing from 2006 to 2010.  He was the Executive Vice President of IT/Services Operations with Premiere Global Services from 2004 to 2006. From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Eanes held various positions at Sprint, Inc., including Vice President and General Manager.  Mr. Eanes was the Vice President and General Manager for Sprint/United Telephone Florida from 1992 to 1994 and the Director of Network and Facilities Operations for Sprint United Management Company from 1989 to 1992.  Mr. Eanes received a B.A. from Ohio Northern University and an M.B.A. from Baldwin Wallace College.

Video CEs Now Authorized

     The Social Security Administration has recently posted instructions in its manual on ordering video consultative examinations (CEs). CEs are ordered by the Social Security Administration to use in determining disability. The instructions indicate this is only for psychiatric and some psychological examinations. This is supposed to be for rural areas and for areas where it's hard for the agency to get CEs done. The claimant is supposed to be able to object to a video CE but what will be done then? Just deny the claim for lack of evidence? Social Security will limit this to psychiatrists and psychologist licensed in the state where the claimant is located but adds that this limitation is only "at this time."

Not Fading Away

     The controversy over seizing tax refunds to satisfy thirty and forty year old debts to the Social Security Administration isn't going away.

Nominee For Deputy Commissioner

     The President has nominated Andrew LaMont Eanes, of Kansas, to be Deputy Commissioner of Social Security. If confirmed his term would run through January 19, 2019. I'm trying to find biographical information on Eanes but having no success so far.

Differing Media Takes On Social Security

     The New Republic has a piece on the politics of Social Security disability. Meanwhile, Forbes is running a weird piece that puffs one company's Social Security software while telling us that Social Security is riddled with inequities and doomed to fail. And there's a Newsmax piece which includes these gems:

[T]he public should demand to know why 8.9 million people are collecting disability. It’s inconceivable that so many — more than the population of New York City — are truly incapacitated. Americans are healthier than ever before, and jobs require less physical exertion.

The answer to that riddle is that the Social Security administrators encourage all comers. ...

Desire to work. If you don‘t have that, you may qualify....

And get ready for even more claims, now that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has just defined pregnancy as a “disability.”

Smooth Sailing For Colvin

     From the Baltimore Sun:

Criticism of President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Social Security Administration appeared to evaporate Thursday at a confirmation hearing that featured few questions about controversial service cuts and recent allegations of mismanagement. 

Carolyn W. Colvin's hearing before the Senate Finance Committee — which took place hours ahead of a scheduled monthlong recess — drew only two Republicans and lasted less than an hour, an indication the Maryland native might face an easier path to the job than initially expected.