‘New York Post’ Publishes Report Exposing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 9-Figure Social Security Number

  Headline in The Onion

CCD Issues Position Paper On DDS Reform

     The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is a large umbrella group lobbying and advocating in D.C. for persons with disabilities. The CCD is composed of about 100 organizations helping the disabled population. The CCD was largely ignored when Republicans controlled both houses of Congress and the White House. It becomes more important now that Democrats control the House of Representatives. 

     The CCD has put out a statement on Improving Decision Making at the Disability Determination Services. Here are a few excerpts:

... It is the position of the CCD Social Security Task Force that the state Disability Determination Services (DDS) should only review a claim one time and that the current second level of review they perform, called reconsideration, be eliminated. ...

Although the Task Force does not have a specific recommendation regarding what performance metrics should be for DDS employees, it is the Task Force position that the completeness of the file upon which the decision is based should somehow be included in those metrics. ...

[Social Security should] Consider creating impairment specific explanations and forms that claimants can provide to their physician and other treating sources outlining what information is most helpful to SSA in evaluating the claim and including the types of tests which help establish meeting the listing in question. ...

SSA should review more denials of initial claims. TDRs [Targeted Denial Reviews] allow SSA’s Office of Quality Review (OQR) to examine unfavorable decisions of disability claims issued by state agencies. Fewer than 3 percent of initial level denials receive TDRs; the number performed varies each year based on resources available to the agency. In comparison, Sections 221 (c) and 1633 (e) of the Social Security Act require SSA to review at least half of the favorable decisions issued by state agencies. ...

Two Congressional Hearings Next Week

     The House Social Security Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for March 12 on Protecting and Enhancing Social Security: Enhancing Social Security To Strengthen The Middle Class. The Subcommittee hasn't yet posted it but the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR) says the Subcommittee has another hearing scheduled for the following day on  Protecting and Enhancing Social Security: Benefit Enhancements.

OIG Seeking More Help

     Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) seeking a contractor to help do investigations of alleged fraud in the Chicago area. This isn't just office work. They want the contractor to provide employees who have concealed carry permits. 

     OIG agents plus contracts with local law enforcement aren't enough? You get the feeling that OIG is rolling in dough while the rest of the agency is starving.

Don't Do This

     From the Press of Atlantic City:

A Social Security Administration employee admitted Monday to unlawfully accessing the Social Security accounts of individuals and falsifying their records to steal funds for his own use, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Nicholas Pao, 37, of Egg Harbor Township, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in federal court to charges of theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft, Carpenito said.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Pao was a 10-year employee of the Social Security Administration who worked as a claims technical expert in the administration’s office in Egg Harbor Township, Carpenito said.

Pao was responsible for determining eligibility and payment amounts, processing difficult cases, assisting in case reviews, and making special payment approvals, Carpenito said.

From December 2014 to July of last year, Pao used his credentials to access the confidential records of several individuals without their knowledge or authority, Carpenito said.

Pao altered their records and made fraudulent changes that caused the Social Security Administration to issue benefits to these individuals, Carpenito said. He would then intercept these benefits, which were issued by way of a Direct Express account and credit card. ...

MSPB Paralyzed

     The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) no longer has any Senate confirmed members, making it unclear whether it can function at all. 

     The only way that Administrative Law Judges may be disciplined is by their employing agency bringing an action before the MSPB. 

     Of course, the MSPB is also supposed to provide federal employees more generally the opportunity for a hearing if they feel that their employing agency has treated them in an illegal way.

     Here's Government Executive's explanation for the lack of confirmed MSPB members:

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has already approved two of President Trump’s nominees to serve at MSPB. Senate Republicans have said they will not vote on those two individuals, however, until Trump nominates a third board member to ensure the board maintains a Republican majority. Trump’s third nominee, Andrew Maunz, withdrew his name from consideration earlier this month. 

     I can't understand why it would be crucial that the MSPB have a Republican majority during the interregnum until another Republican can be confirmed. If there are two members, one a Republican and one a Democrat, there won't be a majority to take any action unless they're in agreement with each other. How can that be worse than having no one confirmed? Shouldn't the MSPB be run in as nonpartisan way as possible? This sad state of affairs may be a sign of just how hyper-partisan the GOP has become.

Glad They Caught This Guy

     From a press release:

Jason Pantone, age 34, of Hyde Park, New York, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with mailing envelopes containing suspicious white powder to federal offices in New York and Connecticut ...

As alleged in the criminal complaint, Pantone is accused of using the U.S. mail to send envelopes containing white power to locations in New York and Connecticut.  Each envelope contained suspicious white powder and a note indicating, or implying, that the powder was dangerous or intended to cause harm. The complaint alleges that beginning in February 2019, Pantone mailed envelopes addressed to the Social Security Administration Offices in the towns and cities of Plattsburgh, Binghamton, Utica, West Nyack, White Plains, New York, as well as offices in Hartford and Torrington, Connecticut.  The complaint also alleges that additional letters were addressed to United States District Court offices in Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany, Plattsburgh, and Utica.  All the envelopes contained a typed note, which said “ANTHRAX.” 

All samples of the white powder tested thus far have not contained hazardous material. ...

Commissioner Nominee Opposes NYC Mass Transit Fare Increases

     Here are excerpts from an article in the New York Post:

The MTA [Metropolitan Transit Authority] voted Wednesday to raise the price of weekly and monthly MetroCards, while nixing bonuses on pay-per-ride cards — as one of its board members blasted the decision, saying straphangers are the ones getting “screwed.” ...

Ahead of the vote, board member Andrew Saul explained why he was voting against the plan, saying, “The riders are getting screwed.”

“This is a bloated bureaucracy,” Saul said. “This thing is full of waste … I think it’s dead wrong to put this thing on the riders.” ...

      I don't know how much this reflects upon Andrew Saul's qualifications to become Commissioner of Social Security. However, I do know that Republican officeholders almost always oppose additional government revenues even if that inevitably causes degradation in government functioning. The claim is that additional revenues aren't needed because of governmental "waste, fraud and abuse". I'm sure that most Republican officeholders actually believe the "waste, fraud and abuse" claims but I'm also sure that most are either indifferent to declines in government service or actually favor such declines.
     At least in this article, Saul doesn't identify what waste it is that he would like to get rid of so that the fare increase can be avoided. That's generally how it works. Republican either cannot identify the "waste, fraud and abuse" they want to get rid of or or the "waste, fraud and abuse" they do identify is low level stuff that has no appreciable effect upon an agency's budget and can no more be totally eliminated than shoplifting can be totally eliminated by a retail store.
     If Saul comes into the position of Social Security Commissioner believing that there must be terrible waste and inefficiency at Social Security that he can eliminate, he's in for a rude awakening. It's not there.