No Kidding

      From Julia Manchester, writing for The Hill:

A poll conducted on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee found that a majority of battleground state voters would be less likely to support Republicans if the GOP moved to end Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. 

Sixty-five percent of respondents said they would be less likely to support the GOP “If Senate Republicans have a new plan that would end Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in five years,” according to the poll ...

The findings come as Senate Democrats launch an onslaught of attacks on their GOP colleagues, pointing to Sen. Rick Scott’s (Fla.) GOP platform proposal that his office independently released in February. 

While Senate Republicans have not released their official agenda, Scott, who also chairs the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, released one in his own capacity. ...

In the plan, Scott calls for all federal legislation to sunset within a period of five years. Such an action would allow the possibility for those programs to end if Congress did not approve them.  ...

You Can Comment On Forthcoming SSA.Gov Website

      From a Social Security blog:

We are excited to share a preview of our new website coming this year. ...

The new design – we call it our beta website – seeks to improve your online experience, so you can get to the information and services you need faster. We also include new interactive tools, like our new benefit eligibility screener. It’s a convenient way to learn if you might be eligible for benefits, without needing to know what benefit programs are available from Social Security.

Your opinion is very important to us. We invite you to explore our beta website at beta.ssa.gov and to use the “Feedback” button on the right side of the screen to tell us what you think. You can visit the website on your computer, tablet, and smartphone.

The beta website is a work in progress. Some links you select may take you to webpages on the current SSA.gov. ...

Supreme Court Holds That Denying SSI In Puerto Rico Is Constitutional

      Earlier this week I had noted that 16 of the 19 of the cases argued before the Supreme Court around the same time as U.S. v. Vaello-Madero, the case presenting the issue of whether it is constitutional to deny SSI to U.S. citizens who reside in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, had already been decided. My point was to expect a decision soon. The decision was announced today in U.S. v. Vaello-Madero. In an 8-1 decision the Court held that it is constitutional to deny SSI benefits in U.S. territories. Justice Sotomayor was the only dissenter. This issue goes back to the political arena. 

    Social Security has dodged a bullet. The agency would have had a terrible time dealing with an avalanche of SSI claims from Puerto Rico. If Congress does change the law so residents of U.S. territories can get SSI, the agency will have time to fully plan and staff up for the change and the change can be phased in.

ALJ Hiring Coming?

     Some Social Security Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are saying that they hear that their agency may be advertising new ALJ positions in the near future. It's been a long time since any were hired. Attrition has really diminished the ALJ corps so this seems credible to me.

350,000 Federal Student Loans Discharged In Data Match With Social Security

     From Forbes:

Last year, the Biden administration announced a new initiative to streamline student loan relief for certain disabled borrowers. By allowing the Social Security Administration to share data with the Education Department about borrowers who were receiving Social Security Disability benefits, the administration could identify borrowers who would qualify for the TPD discharge program, and then cancel their student loans automatically.

Today, the administration announced that through this data sharing initiative, the Education Department has cancelled approximately $7 billion in federal student loan debt for 350,000 borrowers. ...

The Department anticipates that another 15,000 to 20,000 borrowers may receive TPD discharges every quarter going forward via the same data sharing program. ...

Hanging Fire

     The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in nineteen cases in October and November 2021. By this time, opinions have been announced in sixteen of the nineteen cases. One of the three still awaiting an opinion is U.S. v. Vaello-Madero, on the constitutionality of denying SSI to U.S. citizens who reside in Puerto Rico. I don't know what we can infer from the delay other than that there probably won't be a unanimous opinion.

I Think This Is Mostly Aimed At You, Social Security

    From a blog post by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is part of the White House:

Long forms, long lines, and lots of documents – these are the hurdles that can make it difficult and frustrating for individuals and communities to access government programs and services.

Today, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is taking action to cut down on these “administrative burdens” by issuing new guidance for Federal agencies to help them better understand, identify, and reduce the burdens people experience when accessing public benefits programs. The guidance outlines how agencies should apply the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), which governs how Federal agencies collect information, including the forms and paperwork people have to fill out when accessing government programs. ...

The memo directs Federal agencies in two key areas:

• Identifying administrative burdens. The PRA already requires agencies to document, analyze, and justify the information they collect on each form and gather public input on these points. This memo calls on Federal agencies to further engage with the public to fully understand their experience when applying for or submitting information to a benefits program. The memo also directs agencies to consider how other burdens in the process impose time, financial, and psychological costs on people.

• Reducing administrative burdens. The guidance also instructs agencies to consider policy, communication, technological, and design reforms that can make it easier for the public to access services. While there are no one-size-fits-all answers because of the unique purposes and populations served by each program, the memo encourages agencies to follow leading practices to reduce the challenges we already know make it harder for people to access services. ...
  

Happy Easter