Social Security Disability Startup

     From Forbes:

Previously, much has been written about the dangers posed by AI and algorithmic decision-making tools in relation to people with disabilities. ...

[B]rand new tech startup Advocate is not only planning to turn this trend on its head but to achieve this through using a sophisticated mixture of AI and human expertise to address one of the most significant historic pain points afflicting the disability community. Namely, the unbearable delays and complexities involved in navigating America’s burdensome Social Security Disability Insurance system. ...

The fledgling company has just announced $4 million in seed funding to build a technology platform that aims to not only shorten and streamline the process of applying for long-term disability benefits but also provides claimants with a clear view of the strength of their application and chances of success. ...

Advocate CEO Emilie Poteat, an accredited disability benefits advocate herself, has already drafted expert advisors onto the corporate team in the shape of former Commissioner of Social Security, Jo Anne Barnhart and the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin. ...

At the front end, users of Advocate will encounter an elegant and accessible platform that assists them in optimizing their claim by connecting to, prioritizing and synthesizing electronic health records as well as providing a means of filing the paperwork itself. ...

    Why is it that I have a feeling that Jo Anne Barnhart's involvement is a sign that this endeavor is destined to fail? Of course, there's also the fact that this focuses on the application process. Yes, the application process is a barrier but it pales in comparison with the other barriers in the process, such as the long backlogs and high denial rates. A $4 million AI project isn't going to solve those.

The Breath Of The Dead

     I remain distressed that Social Security's new Listings for liver disease remains as brutal as ever. One feature of dealing with clients with failing livers is officially called fetor hepaticus. It's sometimes called "breath of the dead." It's an extremely disturbing smell on the breath of some people with failing livers. I wonder whether any of those who drafted these Listings have ever smelled fetor hepaticus. The idea that anyone whose liver disease has progressed to this point can work seems preposterous once you smell it yet such patients are often denied Social Security disability benefits. It's not the smell that disables them. It's just obvious that anyone with that smell isn't long for this world. I can't emphasize too much just how viscerally disturbing fetor hepaticus is. It smells as if the person has already started dying on the inside. Why are patients in this condition being denied?

Presentation On New Occupational Information System

    On March 18, 2023, Charis Clark and Karen Litschgi of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) gave a presentation to the American Board of Vocational Experts (ABVE) on the Occupational Requirements Survey: Date and Upcoming Changes. By Freedom of Information Act request I have obtained the Powerpoint slide deck they used for the presentation. (I appreciate the Department of Labor's promptness in responding to my request.) I don't see any surprises in it but if you're interested in what's going on with Social Security's effort to have BLS create a new occupational information system for use in determining disability you should take a look. As boring as this may seem, it's vitally important to the future of Social Security disability determination. The seemingly never-ending process to develop a new system deserves close scrutiny. I don't trust Social Security on this. I'm not sure that anyone who knows much about this trusts Social Security.

    Below are links to the original Powerpoint version and to a version that I printed to PDF. If you're using the PDF version, you will see links in the upper left hand corner of the screens leading to notes apparently used by the presenters. Those notes were apparently not visible to the audience. If you use the Powerpoint version, those notes are visible at the bottom of the screen.

• Powerpoint version
• PDF version
  

    Update: You will have to ask permission to receive the file. I will approve these as quickly as I can. If you know of a better way of doing this sort of thing, I'd be interested.

Disability Incidence Rate Down

From What Factors Explain the Drop in Disability Insurance Rolls from 2015 to 2019? by Siyan Liu and Laura D. Quinby for the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College:

 

Average Age Of Disability Applicants Increased Sharply About 10 Years Ago

    From What Factors Explain the Drop in Disability Insurance Rolls from 2015 to 2019? by Siyan Liu and Laura D. Quinby for the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College:

 

Pillersdorf Honored

    The Louisville Courier Journal reports that Ned Pillersdorf is one of four lawyers nationwide who have been honored by the American Bar Association for volunteer legal work. Pillersdorf was instrumental in initiating and directing the legal response to the Eric Conn debacle.

    I think one element of Pillersdorf's work that needs to be especially noted is that he faced indifference, if not hostility, from the Kentucky bar. If this had happened in my state or most other states, I'm sure the bar would have organized a massive response. That didn't happen in Kentucky. Sure, there were some Kentucky attorneys who responded but most who have helped Conn's victims have been from out of state. It takes guts to stick up as Pillersdorf has done.

OHO Caseload Analysis Report

 

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Two Bills Advance

     Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committee marked up two minor bills that would affect the Social Security Administration in small ways. One would allow minors whose Social Security numbers have been compromised to obtain new Social Security numbers. The other would provide for a single point of contact at Social Security for those whose Social Security numbers have been compromised. I'm sure the first is debatable and the second is pointless without additional funding. 

    I wouldn't bet on either bill advancing in the Senate. If they do, you never know what might get added.