How Much Should We Be Worried?

     Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times lays out all the ways that the incoming Trump Administration could hurt Social Security. The prospects are scary.

Four At SSA Receive Presidential Rank Awards

      The Presidential Rank Awards are out. These four SSAers won awards:

Distinguished Executive (SES)

• Rose Mary Buehler

Meritorious Executive (SES)

• Thomas J. Fellona
• Jose J. Lopez
• Lydia C. Marshall

O'Malley's Tenure As Commissioner

     From a piece in Government Executive about Martin O'Malley's too brief tenure as Commissioner of Social Security:

Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley on Wednesday described his nearly a year in charge of the embattled agency responsible for administering Americans’ retirement and disability benefits as one of the “greatest honors” of his career in government and politics. ..

O’Malley told Government Executive on Wednesday that he was “enormously proud” of the agency’s beleaguered workforce, which was able to find significant customer service improvements despite operating at a 50-year staffing low and serving the most beneficiaries in history. ...

[T]he public’s preference for telephonic and video disability hearings–with 90% of new requests being through those avenues–has made it easier to optimize administrative law judges’ workloads regardless of geographic location. ...

Jim Borland, the agency’s assistant deputy commissioner for analytics, review and oversight, said he will be retiring after a 40-year career in the federal government next month, and that this final year was “the most fun” he’s had at work in those four decades. ...

Thanksgiving 2024

 

Why It Takes Longer To Get A Disability Determination

     From a recently released report. Click on image to view full size. The full report breaks it down by state and region.

A Poll

 

online polls

New Acquiescence Ruling

     Social Security has issued Acquiescence Ruling 24-1(6) on Dennard v. Secretary of Health & Human Services and Drummond v. Commissioner of Social Security, two old Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decisions.

New Overpayment Waiver Policies

     From a new issuance to Social Security's POMS manual:

Household income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and limited resources

We will also waive the overpayment under the deemed to defeat the purpose provision, if the overpaid individual's and their household family member's income is at or below 150 percent of the FPL [Federal Poverty Level]; and their resources are within the limit for defeats the purpose, refer to GN 02250.100E. We assume that an individual who meets the resource limit and has a household income of 150 percent of the FPL needs substantially all of their income to meet all of their current ordinary necessary living expenses, so there is no need to review their expenses.   

     And from another new POMS issuance referenced above:

To determine recovery of an overpayment defeats the purpose (meaning the individual doesn't have the ability to repay), we must find that:

• The overpaid individual needs substantially all of their current income to meet their current ordinary and necessary living expenses (i.e., the monthly household income does not exceed monthly current ordinary and necessary living expenses by more than $250), per GN 02250.100C and GN 02250.100D; and
• The overpaid individual has no more than $6,000 in resources or $10,000 if the individual has one other household family member. If the individual has more than one other household family member, add $1,200 for each additional household family member to their resource limit, per GN 02250.100E.