Panel Discussion On Why So Many People Are Filing Claims For Social Security Disability

     The National Academy of Social Insurance is holding a panel discussion today at 10:00 EST on the subject "Why Are More People Claiming Disability Insurance and What Should Be Done About It?" They ran out of space in the room they originally planned to hold it in and moved it to a larger room. They've run out of space in the larger room. The event will be broadcast live on C-SPAN2. Here is the lineup for the event:

Presenters:

• Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration
• Lisa Ekman, Senior Policy Advisor, Health and Disability Advocates
• David Stapleton, Director, Center for Studying Disability Policy, Mathematica Policy Research

Discussants:  

• Marty Ford, Director, Public Policy Office, The Arc of the United States
• Tony Young, Senior Public Policy Strategist, NISH

Moderator:    

• Mark Miller, Reuters

     No offense but who is Lisa Ekman? Why are two people who make their living off the myth that large numbers of Social Security disability recipients can be returned to work -- Stapelton and Young -- on this panel? Ticket to Work doesn't work. Stapelton and Young will undoubtedly say that if more money is devoted to their employers that tons of people will fly off the Social Security disability rolls. Nonsense. It hasn't happened and it won't happen. If you require people to be half dead or nearly fully crazy before you put them on benefits, you shouldn't expect them to ever return to work. It's that simple. Most people attending or watching this event have little feel for who is actually drawing Social Security disability benefits in this country and are easily misled.

Groundbreaking For Data Center

The Associated Press reports that Social Security is holding a groundbreaking ceremony today for the agency’s new data center in Urbana, Maryland.

Why?

     It is not unusual for a Social Security disability claimant to be approved by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) and to be immediately eligible for Medicare, despite what amounts to a two and a half year waiting period for Medicare. After some problems in the latter part of last year, Social Security is paying cash benefits relatively promptly after a favorable ALJ decision. However, it has always taken significantly longer for the Medicare card to come in. Why? It's not unusual for a claimant to have an urgent need for that Medicare card. I know that the award certificates in these cases say that the award certificate itself can be used in lieu of a Medicare card but I've heard of providers refusing to accept the award certificate as proof of entitlement to Medicare. For that matter, the award certificates come out slower than the payment of benefits. I know that I can send a claimant to their local field office and someone there may be kind enough to give them something in writing saying they are eligible for Medicare but sometimes they refuse to do this and providers won't always accept it. Why does it take so long to print and mail a Medicare card? Are retirees subjected to the same delays? I've never understood why the Medicare card isn't mailed at the same time as the award certificate.

AARP Tries To Deny The Obvious

     The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), an insurance company that masquerades as a grass roots organization, is now denying that its "salons" with Social Security opponents signaled its openness to cutting Social Security. 

     Let me give a interpretation of the AARP "salons." AARP management knows that no one in Washington respects AARP or cares about AARP as an institution. AARP, however, knows that it is viewed as one of the main supports for Social Security and Medicare, that politicians of both parties believe that AARP can, on its own, block destructive changes to Social Security and Medicare. AARP can see what Republicans have been trying to do to labor unions, particularly public employee unions, since the 2010 elections. There is no doubt that Republicans have been trying to undermine the unions since they are seen as providing major support to the Democratic party. AARP management is afraid that the Republicans are going to come after AARP as a prelude to an attack on Social Security and Medicare and that the Democrats won't try to protect AARP, since they really despise AARP. Thus, AARP management wants to assure Republicans that AARP isn't really their enemy and won't really stand in the way of the destruction of Social Security and Medicare, especially if the destruction of Social Security and Medicare creates additional opportunities for AARP to sell insurance to older Americans.

New Instructions On Prohibition Of New Claims While Appeal Pending

     Social Security has issued new instructions on its policy of prohibiting new claims for disability benefits while an appeal is pending at the Appeals Council,. No one would have much problem with this if the Appeals Council could resolve appeals in three months or so but the Appeals Council often takes two years and more. In effect, the Social Security Administration is making it almost impossible for poor claimants -- and that's most of them-- to appeal from an Administrative Law Judge decision. That's wrong.

Black Lung Regulations Removed

     Social Security has decided to remove its Black Lung regulations. This requires a little explanation. I'll do my best but this goes back before my time. I hope some real old timers can correct any mistakes I make. Black lung, or coal miners pneumonoconiosis, is a disease caused by exposure to coal dust. It used to be endemic in coal miners. I think that increased regulation has dramatically reduced the incidence of black lung. In the 1970s Congress decided to create a program, which I believe was funded by the coal industry, to compensate those affected by black lung. Social Security was initially given responsibility for administering the Black Lung program. Eventually, responsibility for the Black Lung program was given to the Department of Labor which still administers the Black Lung program. Social Security continued to have responsibility for adjudicating claims for benefits for those who initially filed their claims with Social Security. A handful of cases hung around for many years as they bounced between Social Security and the federal courts. Those cases have long since ended, allowing Social Security to end the regulations.

     Can you imagine Social Security undertaking administration of a big new program? It happened in the 1970s with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Black Lung.

SSI Claims To Be Available Online

     There has been one prominent exception in Social Security's rush to make it possible to file claims for benefits online -- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims. It looks like that exception will soon end. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, Social Security and other agencies must seek the approval of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for any new form that the agency may ask the public to complete and that includes online forms. Social Security has just sent over a request for approval of forms for the "Modernized SSI Claims System (MMMICS)" and this includes a request for "MSSICS/Signature Proxy." This sure sounds like an online form to me.

I Think We Have A Ringer!

     From time to time I notice reader posts on this blog that appear to be from ringers -- people pretending to be Social Security employees who aren't. Here's one now:

Figured a claimant's finacial assistance the other day. If she were paying taxes, she would have to make about $20.00 an hour to have what she is currently receiving from all finacial assitance. I can not think of any reason she would ever try to go to work. With her background and abilities she is not worth over $8.00 an hour. An thus the system continues to redistribute the wealth.

      If you are talking about $20 an hour, you're talking about approximately $3,500 per month. There is no way you can get to this number if you are talking about needs based assistance. You cannot get much over $1,000 a month. If you are talking about non-needs based assistance -- Title II benefits -- you could get a bit higher but still you could not get to $3,500 per month. And for that matter, Social Security employees are not in a good position to calculate the value of Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance. How would a Social Security employee compute this anyway? I say the post quoted above is bogus. Don't believe everything you hear on Fox News. Relying on public benefits is a tough life. It's never the equivalent of $3,500 per month of income.