It seems the Republican Party has made it part of its platform to criticize Social Security programs, especially Social Security disability, and make false claims that there is substantial amounts of fraud within the system costing taxpayers huge amounts of money, but where are the Republicans when Social Security beneficiaries get their benefits stolen by… Read more »
Blog
Significant Social Security Changes Ahead
Social Security’s Acting Commissioner Nancy Berryhill recently informed the agency’s senior staff, as referenced by Social Security’s organizational manual found here, of the agency’s organizational realignment. This new alignment consists of a brand new deputy commissioner-level organization, the Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight (OARO). The commissioner’s decision is based on improving “efficiency and public… Read more »
A Large Number Of SSA Employees Could Soon Be Leaving
An already understaffed and under-funded agency is now providing incentives to 25 percent of its entire workforce to retire early according to a story in Government Executive magazine. The publication announced that it obtained a June memorandum that informed Social Security employees of the “separation incentives.” According to the story, employees who are at least… Read more »
Will New Remand Procedure Result In Less Hearings?
Social Security recently made some changes to the way it will look at pre-hearing reviews for those who file a disability claim, the purpose of which, is supposed to free-up more time for Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) to work on the massive backlog of hearings. Another new change, a procedural shift of how ALJs remand… Read more »
Beware Of Latest Social Security Scam
Scammers will stop at nothing to get your personal information. As soon as one scam has outlived its usefulness, another scam pops up to replace it. All of these scams have one purpose, to obtain your personal information to take your money and utilize your credit. A new scam is up and running where someone… Read more »
The 5-Step Sequential Evaluation Process Of Disability Claims
Decisions on every disability claim Social Security considers are made using the same type of evaluation, known as the five-step sequential evaluation. This process is mentioned in every decision issued by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) so it is important, to better understand the disability determination process, to know exactly what the 5-step sequential evaluation… Read more »
Lawsuit Over Consultative Physician
Social Security recently settled a class action lawsuit over the use of a consultative physician, which is routinely used by Social Security to help determine the severity of alleged impairments of disability applicants. The lawsuit claimed that Dr. Frank Chen issued “grossly deficient reports [that] were based on cursory examinations (often lasting 10 minutes or… Read more »
Social Security And The Law
It seems that someone is arrested at a local Social Security office on a weekly basis these days. As disability backlogs increase so does the frustration from customers. A recent arrest at a Social Security office happened locally at the Rochester, MN Social Security office. According to a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Leonard… Read more »
Social Security To Institute New Pre-hearing Reviews
Social Security is going to try something new in its never-ending pursuit of reducing the backlog of disability cases that are waiting to be scheduled before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Despite the fact it is encouraging to see Social Security try new things to reduce the more than 1.1 million disability case backlog, there… Read more »
No Word Yet How SSA In Texas and Louisiana Will Be Impacted By Hurricane
Since the evening of August 25, Hurricane Harvey has ravaged the Texas Gulf Coast dumping more than 20 inches of rain in some areas and more is to come. Tens of thousands of people have evacuated the area, but it is too early to know the full impact of this storm because the misery for… Read more »
