A Cleveland television station reports on the problems that Social Security claimants have getting the agency to work on their cases in Ohio. Hint: It’s not just Ohio. It’s everywhere.
Jan 5, 2023
Workforce Decline Continues
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has posted updated numbers showing the headcount of employees at each agency. Note that these numbers do not tell the whole story. They don't account for part time employees nor for overtime. Overtime is a huge part of the story at Social Security. A Full Time Equivalent (FTE) report would cover that but we seldom see FTE reports. I'm not sure why. Here are Social Security's numbers as of September with earlier headcount numbers for comparison:
- September, 2022 57,754
- June, 2022 58,332
- March, 2022 59,257
- December, 2021 60,422
- September, 2021 59,808
- June 2021 59,707
- March 2021 60,675
- December 2020 61,816
- September 2020 61,447
- June 2020 60,515
- March 2020 60,659
- December 2019 61,969
- December 2018 62,946
- December 2017 62,777
- December 2016 63,364
- December 2015 65,518
- December 2014 65,430
- December 2013 61,957
- December 2012 64,538
- December 2010 70,270
- December 2009 67,486
- December 2008 63,733
Jan 4, 2023
Wonder Why Social Security Is Dragging Its Feet On The Occupational Information System They Say They Want?
- Less than a third of the workforce has jobs at the sedentary level. Contrary to the instincts of many office workers, they're very much in the minority in the workforce. Count your blessings. Don't assume that the work style you enjoy is available to most people. It's not.
- What
part of that 29.1% of jobs at the sedentary level is available to
those with only a high school education? What about those with less than
a high school education? What? You thought that everyone has a high
school education? How naive. Those with lower cognitive abilities often
fail to complete high school. Those with lower cognitive abilities also
file a lot of Social Security disability claims. You see, if all you had
to offer an employer was a strong back, you don't have much to fall
back on if you lose the strength in your back. By the way, what do you
think the odds are that Social Security already knows the percentage of
jobs at the sedentary level performed by those with a high school
level or less? Wouldn't giving Social Security an answer to that
question have been a simple matter for DOL? They're already
collected the data.
- Of that 30.2% of jobs that have no
minimum educational requirement, what percent do you think would be at
the sedentary or even light level? I'd guess not too many. Again, what
do you think the odds are that Social Security already knows the
answer to this question?
- Most workers are exposed to at least moderate noise. Who knew? Not many office workers would guess that.
- 78.7% of employees have to interact with the general public. That's one of many work demands that can be tough for those with psychiatric difficulties.
Jan 3, 2023
No Social Security For Trump
I took a look at Donald Trump’s recently released tax returns. Despite being well past age 70, he hasn’t reported Social Security benefit payments. Maybe he didn’t bother to apply. Maybe he didn’t have a history of wages that would qualify him. For that matter, Melania isn’t receiving Social Security benefits either but she’s only 52.
Trump is so grasping, it would be hard for me to imagine him not reaching out for the income but he’s so incompetent I can suppose it wouldn’t have occurred to him.
By the way, please, if you’re a Social Security employee, don’t try to look up Trump’s earnings record. You won’t succeed but you will be fired.
Also by the way, President Biden is receiving Social Security retirement benefits.
Jan 2, 2023
Jan 1, 2023
Dec 31, 2022
Washington Post On SSA’s Failure To Adopt New Occupational Information System
The Washington Post has a new editorial out criticizing Social Security for failing to use the new occupational information system that has been under development for more than a decade.
The Post falls for the right wing argument that use of the new OIS will result in more people being denied Social Security disability benefits. The new OIS will show what sophisticated observers already know. The cognitive demands of employment have gone up significantly. This has significantly decreased the availability of unskilled work. Those unskilled sedentary jobs are gone as are many of the light ones. Without major, and quite hostile, revisions to disability determination regulations, this results in far more disability claims being approved.
Dec 30, 2022
Senate To Investigate Ennis And OIG
Ennis |
I’d call Ennis a fool for hanging around for this. What was already out made it clear she was in major trouble. This sort of Congressional investigation was inevitable. It’s not going to be pretty.
By the way, are there any criminal statutes implicated here? It would be a little awkward for an Inspector General to take the 5th.