Proposed Regs On ISM

      I’m not going to try to explain it but tomorrow Social Security will publish proposed regulations to alter the In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) rules that reduce Supplemental Security Income benefits by one-third if an individual receives reduced cost food and shelter. The proposal is to apply nationally standards that already exist in several states as a result of litigation. The proposal would reduce the number of individuals affected by the ISM rules. That’s a good thing. Of course, the ISM rules ought to be abolished altogether but that would take legislation.

     Let’s get this into effect well before next year’s election.

Signature No Longer Required On One Form

     From Emergency Message EM-23054:

This emergency message (EM) notifies technicians that we no longer require a signature on any version of the SSA-455 [a Continuing Disability Review form sent to claimants]...

SSA recently received OMB [Office of Management and Budget, whose pro forma OK is required before changing forms] approval to discontinue the requirement for a signature on the CDR Mailer form SSA-455 and SSA-455-OCR-SM. The latest inForm Library version of the SSA-455 has been updated to remove the signature box. ...

     If we can dispense with the signature requirement on this form, can't we dispense with some other signature requirements or at least verification of electronic signatures? There's a lot of field office time wasted on this.

Ready To Move On?

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AFGE Backs O’Malley Nomination

      It comes as no surprise but the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing Social Security employees, has announced its support for the nomination of Martin O’Malley to become Commissioner of Social Security.

Mortality, Disability and Work

     From the Social Security Advisory Board:

The Board will hold an event on “The Future of Mortality, Disability, and Work: Helping to Inform the Social Security Trust Fund Projections” on Friday, August 25, 2023, from 9:45 am to 3:30 pm ET. The forum begins with opening remarks followed by two panels on mortality and disability, respectively, an hour break between 1 and 2 pm, and a third     panel on work.

Register for the Event

Each year, the Board of Trustees reports to Congress on the current and projected financial and actuarial status of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) programs. The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Chief Actuary (OCACT), on behalf of the Trustees, projects future OASDI program cost and income based on assumptions about key demographic and economic variables affecting the number of people paying into and receiving benefits from these programs over time. This forum will bring together OCACT in conversation with other experts to consider the implications of recent research and scientific findings on future expectations for a subset of those variables—mortality, disability, and work. ...

ALJ Trends

     Social Security's Office of Inspector General has issued a report on Administrative Law Judge Trends.

    Below are three charts from the report. As always, click on the image to view full size.

What's Going On With The Investigation Of The IG?

     Faith Williams, Director of the Effective and Accountable Government Program at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), has spoken with Federal News Network about the situation with Social Security's Inspector General. It's a bad situation. There's also a written report.

    When are we going to get some resolution? The investigation of the IG is going on and on. How many people are there to interview? How many documents have to be reviewed? Why is this taking so long?

SSI Application Drawing Congressional Attention

     The Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Social Security, has written to the Acting Commissioner of Social Security to express concern over the process for applying for Supplemental Security Income benefits. The letter asks a number of pointed questions about what is going on.