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Added 4/28/08

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced that the agency has begun making offers to 144 of the 175 new Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) it will hire this fiscal year. Due to litigation and budget cuts, the agency has about ten percent fewer ALJs than it did a decade ago. During that same time, the number of cases waiting for a hearing decision has more than doubled.

The new ALJs will be brought on board in phases with the first hires reporting for duty in April, when they will begin an intensive orientation and training program. While initially handling a reduced docket, newly hired ALJs should be scheduling a full docket of cases by the end of the year.

Added 12/24/07

Informative New York Times article by Erik Eckholm illustrating the personal costs associated with the steadily lenghtening delays in the adjudication of Social Security disability claims. To read Mr. Eckholm's article, click on the following link:
www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/us/10disability.html

Added 12/24/07

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced that the agency's National Hearing Center (NHC) is open for business. The NHC is one of the many steps the agency has taken this year to address the backlog of disability cases at the hearing level. At present, the agency has allotted seven ALJs to the NHC. The NHC ALJs will initially hear cases for the Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit hearing offices -- areas of the country where the wait for a hearing can be two years or more. Additional ALJs may be added over time to provide the NHC with the capability to assist more offices. Social Security's backlog of disability cases is well documented. Currently, there are about 750,000 cases awaiting a hearing -- a number that has more than doubled in this decade. In May 2007, Commissioner Astrue presented Congress with a four part plan to address the backlog.

Added 11/12/07

Social Security Administration Commissioner Astrue highlighted a number of activities Social Security has undertaken in the last several months to improve service and expand outreach to wounded veterans and their families. These include: (1) Expedited processing of disability claims for men and women serving in the U.S. military who become disabled while on active duty. The expedited process is for military service members disabled on or after October 1, 2001, and is applicable regardless of where the disability occurs; (2) Development of an easy-to-use website - www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors - that provides information about Social Security and military service. The website also includes a link to apply for disability benefits online; (3) An agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the VA to electronically provide Social Security with the medical records of veterans applying for disability benefits. This agreement enables SSA to get medical records quicker and more efficiently and helps SSA expedite the disability determination; (4) Assigning Social Security liaisons throughout the country to work closely with VA's Transition Patient Advocates (TPAs). Social Security's liaisons provide TPAs with Social Security information and ensure that the application for benefits is expedited; (5) Instructions and extensive training for SSA disability examiners -- the people who make the medical decisions on disability claims -- on how to properly identify and evaluate Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injury of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; (6) An active presence at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bethesda Naval Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center, Evans Army Medical Center and numerous other treatment facilities throughout the U.S.; (7) Coordinated efforts with organizations such as the Severely Injured Marines and Sailors and Wounded Warriors Project to address concerns and facilitate open communications regarding the processing of Social Security claims.

Added 10/24/07

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the Social Security Administration published new rules that update its medical listings for people filing for disability benefits based on digestive disorders, including diseases of the liver, stomach and colon. Social Security's medical listings are one of the key elements used in determining whether or not someone qualifies for disability benefits. The new rules are a key step in the Commissioner's initiative to update and improve the medical listings used to evaluate people with disabilities. For the first time, the agency will use a composite of quantitative measures to ensure that people with severe liver disease receive benefits far more quickly than in the past.

Added 10/20/07

The number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the Department of Veterans Affairs jumped by nearly 20,000 - almost 70% - in the 12 months ending June 30, VA records show. USA Today reports that more than 100,000 combat veterans sought help for mental illness since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, about one in seven of those who have left active duty since then, according to VA records collected through June. Almost half of those were PTSD cases.

Added 10/18/07

On Wednesday, October 17, the Social Security Administration announced that monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will increase 2.3 percent in 2008 under the Cost of Living Adjustment.

Added 10/16/07

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the Social Security Administration had made progress in the 2007 fiscal year (FY) toward making faster decisions on disability claims. Astrue highlighted the progress made in a number of significant areas: Social Security issued a final rule on September 5, 2007 extending nationwide its Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process. Under QDD, a predictive model analyzes specific elements of data within the electronic claims file to identify claims where there is a high potential that the claimant is disabled and where evidence of the person's allegations can be quickly and easily obtained. In New England, where the process was being tested, about 3 percent of all new cases were identified as QDD cases and processed in an average of 11 days. Today, Arizona, New Jersey and North Dakota have started using QDD as part of a staged national roll-out that will be completed early next year. The time it takes to process initial disability claims declined 6.3 percent from 88.4 days in FY 2006 to 82.8 days in FY 2007.

On September 25, 2007, the House amended the Senate-passed version of H.R. 976, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 and passed it by a vote of 265-159. The Senate agreed to the House-passed version and the bill will now be sent to the President. (Legislative Bulletin 110-12).

On July 23, 2007, the House passed H.R. 404, the Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act. The bill was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (Legislative Bulletin 110-11).

On August 1, 2007, the House passed H.R. 3162, the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act of 2007 by a vote of 225 to 204. Provisions in the Ways and Means Committee-reported version of the bill of interest to SSA were previously described in Legislative Bulletin 110-5. (Legislative Bulletin 110-10).

On August 2, 2007, by a vote of 68 - 31, the Senate passed H.R. 976the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007. (Legislative Bulletin 110-9).

On August 3, 2007, the Senate passed S. 849, the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007 by unanimous consent. The House will receive the bill when they reconvene in September. (Legislative Bulletin 110-8).

On July 25, 2007, the Senate amended and then passed by unanimous consent H.R. 1538, the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act. (Legislative Bulletin 110-7).

On July 18, 2007, the House Committee on Ways and Means voted 41-0 to approve H.R. 3046, a bill to amend the Social Security Act to prevent Federal, State and local governments from displaying Social Security numbers (SSNs) to the public, showing the numbers on identification tags and cards and, in most cases, selling the numbers. (Legislative Bulletin 110-6).

On July 27, 2007, by a vote of 24 to 17, the House Ways and Means Committee passed H.R. 3162, the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act of 2007. (Legislative Bulletin 110-5).

On July 11, 2007 the House passed H.R. 2608, the SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act by voice vote. The bill was sent to the Senate where it awaits action. (Legislative Bulletin 110-4).

On April 17, 2007 by a vote of 407 to 7, the House passed H.R. 1677,the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007. The bill was sent to the Senate where it awaits action. (Legislative Bulletin 110-3).

On April 12, 2007 the Senate Judiciary Committee ordered S. 849, the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007, to be reported favorably without amendment. This bill is similar to H.R.1309, the Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007 (Legislative Bulletin 110-2).

On March 14, 2007 the House passed H.R. 1309, the Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007, by a vote of 308 to 117. (Legislative Bulletin 110-1).