Social Security has released the statistics shown below on how well its field offices are answering their phones. They're only able to answer them 84% of the time but this is a dramatic improvement over January 2014 when they were only answering the phone 61% of the time.
Dec 8, 2015
Dec 7, 2015
First Re-Recon In 33 Months
My firm received an "informal remand" decision today. These are also called re-recons. This was the first one for us since March 2013. Informal remand is a way of approving disability claims for those with very strong cases who are trapped in the long way for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. Across the country, there are tens of thousands of similar cases that the agency should approve in this fashion.
Look What Happened After The GOP Took Over The House
There's been no formal change in Social Security's rules for determining disability due to intellectual disability or mental illness in decadess. However, look at what's happened in recent years to the number of people approved for disability benefits for these reasons:
Number Of Disability Insurance Benefits Claims Approved For Intellectual Disability
2010 -- 18,867
2011 -- 14,145
2012 -- 12,009
2013 -- 10,141
2014 -- 9,738
Number Of Disability Insurance Benefits Claims Approved For Mental Illness (Including Intellectual Disability)
2010 -- 218,862
2011 -- 191,898
2012 -- 172,995
2013 -- 145,997
2014 -- 123,676
What happened in 2010 that started this change? Could it be the fact that Republicans took control of the House of Representatives? Is that the same as a change in the statutes or regulations? What do Republicans have against the intellectually disabled? What do they have against those suffering from mental illness? And the biggest question -- why should a change in the control of Congress affect how Social Security determines disability?
Labels:
Intellectual Disability,
Mental Illness
Dec 6, 2015
Dec 5, 2015
Dec 4, 2015
How Can You Function Like This?
- 9:13 PM, December 02, 2015
Dec 3, 2015
Delayed SSI Payments
From an Emergency Message that the Social Security Administration has released to its staff:
... On December 1, 2015, approximately 18,773 recipients did not receive their recurring monthly SSI payments. After researching the issue, the agency discovered a systems coding issue that prevented the release of the payments. The payments were correctly annotated on the Supplemental Security Income Master Record (SSR), but were not included in the payment files sent to Treasury for processing....
Inform recipients that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is aware of the issue and working to re-release the payments. Electronic payments should be deposited on 12/03/2015. Paper checks will take about 5 to 7 business days. Refer the recipient to his/her servicing field office for further assistance for dire need situations....
Labels:
Emergency Messages,
Payment of Benefits,
SSI
Proving Homelessness
Given the ridiculous hearing backlog at Social Security now -- approaching two years in much of the country -- it's crucial that homeless claimants receive the expediting that Social Security allows them. But how are we supposed to prove homelessness? You might say, "That's easy. Just get the homeless shelter to write a letter on their behalf." That's easier said than done even when we're talking about homeless shelters and most homeless people don't stay in homeless shelters. There are few homeless shelters in rural areas. Homeless shelters can be dangerous places. Most homeless people avoid them when they can. They move around between relatives and friends, never staying anywhere long. Some live in tents or shacks in the woods. How are these claimants supposed to prove their homelessness?
At the
moment, I’m asking homeless clients either to write a letter that I can send to Social Security or get someone at a homeless shelter or a
relative or friend to write a letter but this doesn’t work so well. Homeless people often
lack the ability to write a letter and lack people in their lives who can or
will write a letter on their behalf.
I keep thinking there’s got to be a
better way. What are other people doing? Would a form that a claimant or
someone in their life could complete work?
Labels:
Homelessness
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