Estes Named Chairman Of House Social Security Subcommittee

     Ron Estes (R-KS) has been named Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee. Here's his statement on his new position:

Too many Americans have had difficulties with the Social Security Administration, including improper payments, missed payments, filing issues and other customer service failings,” said Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Estes (KS-04). “As our subcommittee convenes, I look forward to providing greater oversight of the SSA and addressing process improvements while working to ensure frontline employees are back in the office. I’m honored to lead the Social Security Subcommittee for the 119th Congress and to foster meaningful, robust discussion to preserve and protect the benefits of current, near and future retirees.

Maybe The Original Change In The Listing Was A Bad Idea

     From a notice published in the Federal Register today:

We are extending the flexibility in the “close proximity of time” standard, as defined in two prior temporary final rules (TFR), through May 11, 2029. We issued a TFR providing the “close proximity of time” flexibility on July 23, 2021, because the COVID-19 national public health emergency (PHE) caused many individuals to experience barriers that prevented them from timely accessing in-person healthcare. On September 29, 2023, we extended the flexibility to evaluate evolving healthcare practices and consumption in a post-PHE environment. We determined that we need additional time to fully evaluate still-evolving healthcare practices after the PHE. We are therefore issuing this TFR to extend the “close proximity of time” flexibility until May 11, 2029, so we can continue to evaluate changes in healthcare practices and determine the proper “close proximity of time” standard for the musculoskeletal disorders listings.

    Let me check. I don't think Trump will still be President on May 11, 2029, assuming we follow the Constitution, which may be an uncertain thing.

Nasty Congressional Hearing With O’Malley

      From The Hill:

Martin O’Malley, the former Social Security commissioner who is now seeking to chair the Democratic National Committee, took the brunt of House GOP anger over federal telework policies – and a number of other topics – in a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Thursday [actually Wednesday].

Republicans primarily took aim at O’Malley’s role in overseeing a late 2024 deal between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and its workers’ union, the American Federation of Government Employees, that will lock in the current levels of telework for union employees until October 2029 – beyond the end of the Trump administration.  …

O’Malley’s bid to be chair of the Democratic National Committee was also brought up multiple times by Republicans, with some bringing up topics far removed from the issue of federal telework. 

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who has become a leading anti-transgender voice in Congress,  asked O’Malley to define what a woman is.

“You’re going to ask me to define what a woman is?” O’Malley asked. “I’m talking to a woman right now, a distinguished woman … I think you’re kind of denigrating the purpose of this hearing.”

I'm Glad There's A Serious Discussion Of This Issue

     From Twitter or officially "X."

Good Tax Planning

    From Urban Milwaukee:

2020 was a profitable year for Fiserv, the financial services company located in Brookfield. The company earned $1.1 billion in pre-tax earnings on revenue of $14.85 billion.

Even better, it paid not a dollar in federal taxes on those earnings.

Still better, it actually got a tax rebate from the IRS, of $25 million, increasing its net income for the year.

    As you will recall, Frank Bisignano, who has been nominated to become Commissioner of Social Security, is CEO of Fiserv.

Explain To Me How There Could Possibly Be Money In This

     From a press release:

... United States Magistrate Judge Embry J. Kidd has found Joshua Joseph Gray (45, New Smyrna Beach) and George Douglas Metz (51, Belleview) guilty of unlawfully video recording and failing to comply with official signs and directives inside multiple Social Security field offices. ...

According to evidence presented at trial, on various dates between November 2022 and January 2023, Gray and Metz each entered three different Social Security field offices in Central Florida while video recording. Gray and Metz continued to video record despite being informed by official signage and Social Security representatives that video recording is prohibited in Social Security offices without prior permission. ... Gray and Metz subsequently posted their video recordings, which depicted members of the public and Social Security representatives conducting business, on their public YouTube channels, where Gray and Metz were paid for their videos and solicited donations. ...

GOP Asking Questions

      Ways and Means Republicans are asking questions about implementation of the WEP/GPO bill, including whether the agency needs more money to implement it. About time they start asking questions.

     By the way, I don’t see why this letter is only signed by Republicans other than the fact that almost all civility has broken down in the House of Representatives. 

Implementation Of WEP/GPO Elimination

     I've sorta asked the question before but never received what I thought was a definitive answer. To what extent will the elimination of WEP/GPO require manual recomputations? How much of this can be done through IT? These are important questions.

    If there will be manual recomputations, I'm going to be upset if they take priority over Social Security straightening out my clients' windfall offsets and workers compensation offsets and other such routine issues. The WEP/GPO people can take their turn in line like everybody else. If it takes six months or longer, and it will if these folks aren't granted priority, welcome to the reality of what the Social Security Administration is today.