Social Security Hearings In The Time Of Plague

     Social Security Administrative Law Judges are talking about holding hearings by telephone. I don't even like video hearings. I understand the logic behind telephone hearings in the strange times we're in but I still hate the idea.

     In the past, Social Security was allowing attorneys to do video hearings from their offices but only if they installed expensive equipment. I don't want to go to that kind of effort and expense for something that's only going to last a few months. I'm wondering whether Social Security has the technical ability to allow attorneys to patch in using simple video technology such as Face Time. I could do that easily with no added expense -- myself and my client in my office with my iPad in front of us (no, that doesn't scare me) and the ALJ at OHO. Of course, that assumes the ALJ will go into his or her office to do the hearing.

A Message From The Commissioner

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 6:04 PM
Subject: COVID-19 Update
A Message to All SSA Employees
Subject: COVID-19 Update
I know that you are anxious for additional information about our evolving plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Events have been rapidly changing. We are working to quickly update you as things evolve, as there are many issues we must consider for both you and the public.
Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and local public health authorities, we will be taking steps to provide mitigation for our offices in heavily affected areas in Seattle, WA, New Rochelle, NY, and Santa Clara County, CA, and we are finalizing changes on several topics, including the expanded use of telework to continue service during this difficult time.
Andrew Saul

Should Be Coming Up For Oral Argument Soon

     From the Weekly Journal:

On Feb. 4, 2019, Chief Judge Gustavo Gelpí of the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico ruled that U.S. citizens on the island are entitled to the same social security supplemental payments, or Supplemental Social Income (SSI), as citizens who reside in the mainland.

More than a year later, the federal government has not taken the necessary steps to ensure that all U.S. citizens have equal access to financial aid and government benefits. ...

The case of U.S. v. Vaello-Madero is currently before the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit of Boston. ...

     Could this case still be pending, probably at the Supreme Court, on January 20, 2021 when a new President may be taking office? I would guess that it will be. If so, it would be possible for the new administration to settle the case.

Covid-19 Update

     Crickets from Commissioner Saul.

     No one expects a fully formed plan but the obvious first step is for him to get past his obstinacy so the agency not only allows but requires as much telework as possible. Merely recommending frequent hand washing isn’t leadership. Maybe Saul gets all his information from Fox News and still thinks Covid-19 is some hoax invented to damage Trump. 

     By the way, the union keeps saying Saul is rarely in his office. I have no way of knowing the truth behind this allegation. Does anyone out there have real knowledge?

Cut FICA To Fight The Economic Damage Done By Covid-19?

     From Michael Hiltzik writing for the L.A. Times:

It’s natural for decision-makers grappling with a new crisis to dust off ideas tried in the last one, whether they were good ideas or bad. Here’s a bad idea, unearthed by President Trump from a decade ago: Cutting the payroll tax to goose the economy.

A payroll tax cut was part of the arsenal used by President Obama to fight the Great Recession in 2011. It was a bad idea then, and a bad idea now.

In remarks at a press conference Monday, Trump mentioned a payroll tax cut as a possible component of a stimulus plan to counteract a coronavirus-related economic slump. As of this writing, the administration hasn’t released any details.

Regardless of how it’s designed, however, a payroll tax cut would be poorly targeted, delivering the most help to households least in need. It would have only a diluted impact over time. And it would undermine Social Security, the program most dependent on the payroll tax. ...

Hourly workers sent home without pay or laid off because of the economic slowdown would get nothing. That would include the workers most vulnerable to virus quarantines or workplace closures, namely service workers such as waiters and waitresses, hotel staff and office cleaners.

Even for those still receiving paychecks, the payroll tax cut would be spread over the year via weekly or biweekly paychecks, providing a mere 10 bucks or so a week for a low-income household. ...

In 2011, the payroll tax cut was seen by Obama and his aides as an unpalatable choice forced on them by intransigent Republicans in Congress. ...

The payroll tax cut “was the best we could do at the time given the political constraints,” Furman notes. “But it was far from optimal then and would be even further from optimal now.” ...

What’s most unnerving about a payroll tax cut is its potential to undermine Social Security. ...

Using this income stream as a tool to pump stimulus into the economy threatens to erode Social Security’s position as a unique government program with its own revenue stream, a tax dedicated to its upkeep alone. Melding its own revenue with that of the federal government at large facilitates no one’s goals except those who want to see the edifice pulled down.

     Cutting payroll taxes isn't in the plans of House Democrats. If the President wants to get something passed, he's going to have to give House Democrats something they can say "yes" to.

Fichtner Nomination Advances

     The Senate Finance Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, March 11 to consider reporting out three nominations, including the nomination of Jason Fichtner to become a member of the Social Security Advisory Board.

Verizon Wins Big Contract

     From GCN (whatever that is):

Verizon has won a potential 10-year, $525 million contract to help the Social Security Administration operate its telephone systems and call service center.

But time will tell whether this is for keeps or not. Verizon was originally awarded the Next Generation Telephony Project in July 2019, then incumbent Tyto Athene and prospective newcomer General Dynamics IT quickly protested SSA’s decision.

SSA apparently pulled back the award to take a second look at bids and those protests were dismissed two months after they were filed. ...

For the new NGTP contract, SSA sought an industry partner that could operate the agency’s field office telephone system that is used by at least 1,500 field offices and 15 large site locations. The system is intended to have its four service delivery points geographically located by region, plus configured in a manner that allows for redundancy and fail-over operation in the event of outage.

Club Fed For Former SSA Employee

     From WBTW:

A Florence [SC] woman has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing benefits from disabled social security beneficiaries. 

Kianna Parrot, 31, used her government computer to defraud beneficiaries out of their Supplemental Security Insurance payments from September 2017 to June 2018 ... 

Officials with the Social Security Administration first noticed suspicious deposits to Parrot’s personal accounts from SSI accounts. The investigation revealed Parrot diverted SSI underpayments intended for legitimate beneficiaries to her own account.   

She accomplished this theft by using her Social Security Administration computer and personal identifying number to access the social security records of individuals owed SSI underpayments. ...