Crunch Time For Continuing Resolution

     From Newsweek:

Customer services from the Social Security Administration (SSA) could be subject to delays in 2025 if [no additional] funding is agreed on by lawmakers before the end of the year.

The government agency was forced to implement a hiring freeze in November after Congress denied additional funding for the SSA in its September continuing resolution. ...

However, in September, House Republicans blocked what is known as a budget anomaly request by the Biden administration for an increase in the SSA's current 2024 annual funding level... . With a December 20 deadline set for another stopgap government funding bill, it remains to be seen whether the same request will be granted to fund the agency through to March 2025. ...

SSA spokesperson Mark Hinkle told news outlet Government Executive that, without the funding, the agency is being forced to "operate conservatively."

"We have been forced to restrict hiring to critical targeted areas and will not be able to invest in new information technology development," Hinkle said.

"In addition, we have reduced overtime to historically low levels and essentially have no overtime to serve the customers who are waiting in our lobbies late in the day or to clear workloads that we are unable to get to during core hours of operations." ...

    The deadline for the next continuing resolution is December 20.

Merry Christmas

 

OHO Caseload Analysis Report

 

Click on image to view full size

Merry Christmas

 

Uneven Benefits Of Education In Reducing Disability

     From Educated but on Social Security Disability Insurance: Minorities’ Diminished Returns by Shervin Assari, Babak Najand, Hossein Zare and Amanda Sonnega:

...  The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between educational attainment (measured in years of schooling) and the likelihood of receiving SSDI, with a specific focus on exploring how this relationship varies by race and ethnicity ...

Higher educational attainment was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of receiving SSDI in the overall sample. However, consistent with the MDRs framework, the protective effect of education was significantly weaker for both Black and Latino individuals compared to non-Latino Whites. Black and Latino participants with similar levels of education as their non-Latino White counterparts were more likely to receive SSDI, reflecting diminished returns on educational attainment for these groups. ...

Merry Christmas

 

New 1696 Asks For Info On Kids -- Why?

     Above is a part of the new form SSA-1696 used to appoint a person as a Social Security claimant's attorney. Notice that it asks for the names of Social Security numbers of the claimant's dependents. This was not required in the past.

    Obtaining this information isn't as easy as one might thing. Parents don't have the Social Security numbers of their children handy. Fathers who are estranged from the mothers of their children may find it impossible to come up with the Social Security numbers. Social Security itself isn't trying to gather the Social Security numbers of dependents at the time a claim is filed.

    What's the point of this? Does Social Security want to play a gotcha game, refusing to pay a fee on dependent benefits unless the name and Social Security number are listed properly?

Merry Christmas