OHO Operating Data

     A recently released report on operations at Social Security's Office of Hearings Operations (OHO):

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    Note that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 OHO had 283,134.40 overtime hours. In the recently concluded FY 2023 OHO had 458,437.69 overtime hours, an increase of 62%. That's extraordinary when you consider the needs of other part of the Social Security Administration. OHO is so much more visible to Congress than boring parts of Social Security such as the teleservice centers and payment centers.

CCD Comments On SSI iClaims

     The Coalition For Constituents With Disablities (CCD), the major umbrella organization of non-profits who help the disabled, has sent comments to the Social Security Administration on its plan to allow electronically filed claims for Supplemental Security Income. Here are a few excerpts:

.. We would like to express our general support for SSA’s efforts. For too long, there has been an unnecessary divide between SSI and SSDI claimants. SSDI claimants could complete their applications for benefits completely online, while SSI claimants were subjected to long wait times at Field Offices, or over the phone, to complete an application for benefits.

The process for applying for SSI is labyrinthine and confusing. Our members seeking SSI report often being met by well-meaning, but overworked employees prone to misunderstandings and mistakes. Further, SSI recipients are among the most at-risk members of society, and SSI benefits are often their families’ only source of cash available to pay for shelter and other necessities.  ...

The proposed request indicates that third-party assisters may use iClaim to apply for an applicant. It also indicates that after a third-party assister completes the application, the applicant will be required to either physically sign the application, or verbally attest to its contents telephonically. However, if a claimant is using the online system to provide this information, it seems unnecessary to require either a wet signature or verbal attestation by an employee. In our experience, claimants are still having difficulty receiving mail, particularly in poorer areas. Further, requiring SSA employees to call claimants also adds an extra, unnecessary burden on employees. SSA should explore allowing claimants to sign their application at a later time and complete an e-signature. ...

The proposed request notes that “iClaim uses dynamic pathing, which ensures claimants are only asked to complete the questions that are relevant to them.” In principle, this seems to be a positive development. We commend SSA’s goal of ensuring the application process is streamlined as much as possible. That said, SSA should make public how the dynamic pathing process will work. ...

Other People Have A Dream; He Had A Fake Bomb

      From WRDW in Augusta, GA:

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad and other officers were called to [the local Social Security field office]..

Once on scene, deputies were given a description of a man with a red jacket carrying a book bag.

The sheriff’s office identified Keyon Dickens, 38, of Blake Drive, as the suspect.

Deputies saw Dickens walking along the side of the building and ordered him to drop the book bag, the report states.

Officials say Dickens dropped the bag, was detained and walked over to the patrol vehicle.

According to the report from the sheriff’s office, deputies found a white paper towel on Dickens, that had “I have a bomb” written on it.

While the bomb squad responded, deputies say Dickens “requested if he was going to be on the news and that we should loosen his handcuffs so that he looks good for the news.” …

Social Security Subcommittee Schedules Hearing On Overpayments

      The House Social Security Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for October 18 on “examining how the Social Security Administration can better identify improper payments before they occur and provide beneficiaries with adequate notice when they occur.”

This Year's COLA Is 3.2%

    As expected, this year's Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) is 3.2%.

Suspect In Custody After Suspicious Package Found At Georgia Field Office

     From WRDW/WAGT:

A suspect was taken into custody after a suspicious package was found at the Social Security Administration office [in Augusta, GA] on Tuesday, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. ...

 By 1 p.m., the bomb squad had cleared a suspicious package and a suspect had been taken into custody, according to authorities. ...

What’s Going On With Social Security’s Appropriations?

      Have you wondered about Social Security’s Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations situation? Wanted nonpartisan information?  The Library of Congress’s Congressional Information has you covered in its recently released report Social Security Administration (SSA): FY2024 Annual Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) Appropriation: In Brief. They explain why it’s technically not an appropriation but an LAE. What the report doesn’t say is that the situation for Social Security and almost all other federal agencies is a mess because the Republican majority in the House of Representatives is in complete disarray.

Disability Insurance Income Saves Lives

     From Disability Insurance Income Saves Lives by Alexander Gelber, Timothy Moore, Zhuan Pei and Alexander Strand:

We show that higher payments from US Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) reduce mortality. Using administrative data on new DI beneficiaries, we exploit discontinuities in the benefit formula through a regression kink design. We estimate that $1,000 more in annual DI payments decreases the annual mortality rate of lower-income beneficiaries by approximately 0.18 to 0.35 percentage points, implying an elasticity of mortality with respect to DI income of around -0.6 to -1.0. We find no robust evidence of an effect of DI income on the mortality of higher-income beneficiaries. The mortality effects imply large welfare benefits of disability insurance.