The newsletter of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR) (not available online) says that over 220,000 claimants opted out of video hearings when they were given the chance in October and November of 2014. That's more than one in five pending requests for hearing. I'm surprised that the number opting out isn't even higher. Some claimants and attorneys are more willing than others to tolerate video hearings but nobody likes them.
Jan 29, 2015
Jan 28, 2015
New Layout And Colors
I'm sure that regular readers of this blog know that I've been adjusting the layout and colors for the blog. I'm not finished yet but I'm getting there. Please share your opinions.
Just below the blog title is a line for you to enter your e-mail address. If you do that and hit enter, you'll start getting blog posts by e-mail. So far, I've been unable to get Blogger to properly label this gadget but that's what it's for.
SSA Employees Like Their Jobs
The Social Security Administration ranks 6th on the list of best places to work among federal agencies.
Jan 27, 2015
Final 2014 Numbers On Disability Insurance Trust Fund: What Do They Portend?
| Assets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar year |
Total receipts |
Total expenditures |
Net increase during year |
Assets at end of year |
| 1957 | $709 | $59 | $649 | $649 |
| 1958 | 991 | 261 | 729 | 1,379 |
| 1959 | 931 | 485 | 447 | 1,825 |
| 1960 | 1,063 | 600 | 464 | 2,289 |
| 1961 | 1,104 | 956 | 148 | 2,437 |
| 1962 | 1,114 | 1,183 | -69 | 2,368 |
| 1963 | 1,165 | 1,297 | -133 | 2,235 |
| 1964 | 1,218 | 1,407 | -188 | 2,047 |
| 1965 | 1,247 | 1,687 | -440 | 1,606 |
| 1966 | 2,079 | 1,947 | 133 | 1,739 |
| 1967 | 2,379 | 2,089 | 290 | 2,029 |
| 1968 | 3,454 | 2,458 | 996 | 3,025 |
| 1969 | 3,792 | 2,716 | 1,075 | 4,100 |
| 1970 | 4,774 | 3,259 | 1,514 | 5,614 |
| 1971 | 5,031 | 4,000 | 1,031 | 6,645 |
| 1972 | 5,572 | 4,759 | 813 | 7,457 |
| 1973 | 6,443 | 5,973 | 470 | 7,927 |
| 1974 | 7,378 | 7,196 | 182 | 8,109 |
| 1975 | 8,035 | 8,790 | -754 | 7,354 |
| 1976 | 8,757 | 10,366 | -1,609 | 5,745 |
| 1977 | 9,570 | 11,945 | -2,375 | 3,370 |
| 1978 | 13,810 | 12,954 | 856 | 4,226 |
| 1979 | 15,590 | 14,186 | 1,404 | 5,630 |
| 1980 | 13,871 | 15,872 | -2,001 | 3,629 |
| 1981 | 17,078 | 17,658 | -580 | 3,049 |
| 1982 | 22,715 | 17,992 | -358 | 2,691 |
| 1983 | 20,682 | 18,177 | 2,505 | 5,195 |
| 1984 | 17,309 | 18,546 | -1,237 | 3,959 |
| 1985 | 19,301 | 19,478 | 2,363 | 6,321 |
| 1986 | 19,439 | 20,522 | 1,459 | 7,780 |
| 1987 | 20,303 | 21,425 | -1,122 | 6,658 |
| 1988 | 22,699 | 22,494 | 206 | 6,864 |
| 1989 | 24,795 | 23,753 | 1,041 | 7,905 |
| 1990 | 28,791 | 25,616 | 3,174 | 11,079 |
| 1991 | 30,390 | 28,571 | 1,819 | 12,898 |
| 1992 | 31,430 | 32,004 | -574 | 12,324 |
| 1993 | 32,301 | 35,662 | -3,361 | 8,963 |
| 1994 | 52,841 | 38,879 | 13,962 | 22,925 |
| 1995 | 56,696 | 42,055 | 14,641 | 37,566 |
| 1996 | 60,710 | 45,351 | 15,359 | 52,924 |
| 1997 | 60,499 | 47,034 | 13,465 | 66,389 |
| 1998 | 64,357 | 49,931 | 14,425 | 80,815 |
| 1999 | 69,541 | 53,035 | 16,507 | 97,321 |
| 2000 | 77,920 | 56,782 | 21,138 | 118,459 |
| 2001 | 83,903 | 61,369 | 22,534 | 140,993 |
| 2002 | 87,379 | 67,905 | 19,475 | 160,468 |
| 2003 | 88,074 | 73,108 | 14,966 | 175,434 |
| 2004 | 91,380 | 80,597 | 10,783 | 186,217 |
| 2005 | 97,423 | 88,018 | 9,405 | 195,623 |
| 2006 | 102,641 | 94,456 | 8,185 | 203,808 |
| 2007 | 109,854 | 98,778 | 11,076 | 214,884 |
| 2008 | 109,840 | 108,951 | 889 | 215,773 |
| 2009 | 109,283 | 121,506 | -12,223 | 203,550 |
| 2010 | 104,017 | 127,660 | -23,643 | 179,907 |
| 2011 | 106,276 | 132,332 | -26,056 | 153,850 |
| 2012 | 109,115 | 140,299 | -31,184 | 122,666 |
| 2013 | 111,228 | 143,450 | -32,221 | 90,445 |
| 2014 | 114,858 | 145,060 | -30,201 | 60,244 |
The crucial question is what happens in the next two years. There was modest improvement in the rate at which the Disability Trust Fund went down in 2014 over 2013. Was it just a blip or a sign of things to come. The number actually drawing Disability Insurance Benefits stabilized in 2014 and was heading down in the last three months of the year. Was 2014 an inflection point? If so, how much of an inflection point?
Congressmen Want Bipartisan Social Security Commission
From TPM:
Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK) and John Delaney (D-MD) plan to introduce a bill this Congress that would create a Social Security commission to propose changes to the program, Cole's office confirmed to TPM on Monday.
The bill's language and timing has not been finalized, but Cole, a close ally of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), and Delaney co-sponsored similar legislation last year. ...
Last year's bill would have created a 13-member commission to produce recommendations to keep Social Security solvent for 75 years. If tax revenue were transferred from the retirement to the disability fund to avoid the 2016 benefits cliff for the latter program, both funds are projected to start running out of money in 2033.
One member would have been appointed by the president, and each caucus leader in Congress would have picked three members, under last year's bill. They would be tasked with issuing recommendations to Congress one year after the commission's creation. Those recommendations, if approved by nine of the commission's 13 members, would then be expedited to the House floor for a vote, with no amendments allowed.
Cole outlined to The Hill some of the proposals that he thought the commission would recommend.
“The commission would probably gradually raise retirement age, it would probably look at chained CPI, would probably look at means-testing and probably look at some sort of revenue, or reduce benefits for upper-income people,” he said. “Then you have to vote.” ...This just looks like Republicans looking for bipartisan cover for benefit cuts. There's no reason for Democrats to cooperate with this. Republicans are in the majority in both houses of Congress. If they're willing to vote for benefit cuts, they get them through without Democratic votes. Even the filibuster won't work for Democrats on this because it can go through the budget reconciliation process which only requires a majority vote. If Republicans are unwilling to vote for benefit cuts, why should Democrats?
CALJ Charles Boyer 1950 - 2015
Former Social Security Chief Administrative Law Judge Charles Boyer passed away on January 20.
Jan 26, 2015
Reno To Become Deputy Commissioner For Retirement And Disability Policy
The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) announced today that its longtime Vice President for Income Security Policy, Virginia Reno, is leaving NASI to become Social Security's Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy. In previous testimony to the House Social Security Subcommittee she did not indicated support for cuts in Social Security disability benefits.
Social Security Headcount Gets Back To 2002 Level
The Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) has posted updated figures for the number of employees at the Social Security Administration:
- September 2014 64,684
- June 2014 62,651
- March 2014 60,820
- December 2013 61,957
- September 2013 62,543
- June 2013 62,877
- March 2013 63,777
- December 2012 64,538
- September 2012 65,113
- September 2011 67,136
- December 2010 70,270
- December 2009 67,486
- September 2009 67,632
- December 2008 63,733
- September 2008 63,990
- September 2007 62,407
- September 2006 63,647
- September 2005 66,147
- September 2004 65,258
- September 2003 64,903
- September 2002 64,648
- September 2001 65,377
- September 2000 64,521
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