Government would continue to make Social Security payments to 53 million beneficiaries

SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue noted this week he planned to continue services in concert with White House's statement that Social Security checks will continue to go out in the event of a shutdown. He noted SSA’s field and hearing offices, teleservice and program service centers, and State disability determination services will provide "limited services" if there is a shutdown. "Limited services" remains a bit unclear. Speculation continues that interruption of new claims and pending appeals will occur.

The New York Times advises the government would continue to make Social Security payments to 53 million beneficiaries. “We will continue to process applications for benefits, but it might take longer if a shutdown does occur,” said Mark Hinkle, a spokesman for Social Security. “Our local offices will open for limited services. We are working on the specifics.” However, a huge backlog of applications for Social Security disability benefits would grow even larger, agency officials said. Medicare, the program for people who are 65 and older or disabled, would continue to pay doctors and hospitals for several weeks, using money from its trust funds. While Obama administration officials hoped to notify federal employees by Friday April 8th, whether they would be furloughed as nonessential workers, they also expected all federal employees — essential and nonessential alike to go to work on Monday April 11th, to help “close up shop in an orderly way”, the officials said.

Meanwhile, The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) discussed the potential shutdown - asserting that if the current continuing resolution expires at 12:01 a.m. on April 9, 2011 without passage of an FY 2011 appropriations bill or a further continuing resolution, Federal departments and agencies will be required to execute contingency plans for a shutdown. These contingency plans detail which agency activities are allowed by law to continue to operate, and which activities must stop. Employees whose salaries are funded through annual appropriations will not be able to work and will be furloughed, unless their duties qualify under the law as "accepted" to continue to work during periods of lapsed appropriations. During a shutdown, non-excepted employees are not permitted to work. OPM assures it will provide information through its website and updates regarding these matters no later than Friday, April 8th.

Balancing the Texas Budget on the Backs of the Disabled

Jason Embry in today’s American Statesman writes about 50 facts in the House’s proposed state budget.

Texans can be thankful that the republican dominated house has no plans to raise their taxes.

However, if you are disabled, access Medicaid, have a child with autism, suffer from a mental disability, are deaf or hard of hearing, care about abuse at child day care centers, and other residential centers; happen to be aging, require community mental health hospitalization, happen to be a homeless individual or a part of a homeless family, need Medicaid for nursing homes, access or plan to access community mental health services or care about the Children’s Health Insurance Program; the house plans to significantly cut, zero out and downright remove significant services.

Here are just a few:

$3.3 billion short in necessary state funds and $8 billion of all funds of the money that state agencies say they will need to pay for Medicaid, an entitlement program that the state is legally obligated to provide.Reduce funding for state-supported living centers so much that, as a spokeswoman for the Department of Aging and Disability Services told the Texas Observer this week, the state would default on a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. During the Bush administration, the Justice Department found the conditions in the homes for Texans with mental disabilities were so bad that the constitutional rights of the residents were violated.

The budget zeroes out $6.7 million from a program that provides services to children with autism.Reduces rehabilitation services to individuals who have general disabilities or are deaf or hard of hearing by 13.5 percent.

Cuts $4 million — 6 percent — from the agency that enforces minimum standards and investigates reports of abuse at child day care centers, residential child care and maternity homes.Cuts Medicaid rates to nursing homes by 10 percent, even though Texas already ranks 49th nationally in Medicaid rates for nursing homes. Many nursing-home operators say the cuts will force them to close.

Cuts funding for community mental health services by $162 million, and it cuts $34 million from state and community mental health hospital funding.In addition to cuts made during the interim, it reduces reimbursement rates for health-care providers that see patients on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program by 10 percent.

Virtually eliminates all funding — $20 million — for housing placement and retention services for homeless families and individuals.

Sources: Legislative Budget Board, House Research Organization, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, CSHB 1.

Democratic Members to Speaker Boehner - Abandon Plan to Shut Down SSA

The following is taken from a March 16, 2011
press release by Democrats Ways and Means Committee:

WASHINGTON, DC—Today 125 members of the House Democratic Caucus sent a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) urging him to restore reasonable funding levels to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in the House Republican 2011 budget to avoid shutting down the agency for the equivalent of a month this year. The letter was spearheaded by Reps. Sander M. Levin (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee, Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

Ranking Member DeLauro: “Social Security ties generations together, providing economic security to millions of American seniors who otherwise might not be able to afford their daily expenses. And yet, it will be one of the first casualties of the Republican’s spending bill. The $1.7 billion drop in funding to the Social Security Administration could cause a shutdown of four weeks; leaving current beneficiaries without help should they need it, new retirees without benefits, our current workforce without the knowledge that their wages are being accounted for, and even newborn children without Social Security numbers. Americans of all ages depend on Social Security, and we must stand up to defend it against these reckless Republican cuts.”

In a letter to employees last month, SSA cautioned that it may have to furlough workers if cuts to its budget are enacted into law. In their Continuing Resolution, Republicans have proposed cutting SSA’s administrative funding by more than 9 percent in 2011, from $11.8 billion in 2010 to $10.7 billion this year. In addition, the Republican proposal provides for $1.7 billion less than SSA needs to keep pace with inflation and rising workloads.

We note Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett was a signing member and has been active in his support of disability issues. These cuts have real impact on SSA who has suspended sending earning statements, overtime and other services due to the biweekly budget scenario and lack of ability to plan out the rest of the year. We hope Speaker Boehner takes the letter seriously. Disabled Americans are not asking for a stimulus or a bail out. A promise kept for their safety net would be sufficient.

Social Security offices across U.S. to protest cuts

From the Washington Post, Lisa Rein Staff Writer penned an article regarding Social Security workers who will be demonstrating today.

Social Security workers around the country, “Rhode Island to Montana” will be holding demonstrations today. Members of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign and other groups were also scheduled to take part in Wednesday's protests.Last year some state furloughs affected the Disability Determination offices and the agency's workers have consistently warned that drastic cuts in service will impact what the agency's employees can do in this time of increasing claims and limited employment.

Dana Duggins, an official with the American Federation of Government Employees National Council of Social Security Administration locals, states that some SSA workers will hand out fliers and carry signs that read "No furloughs" and "No budget cuts" during a staggered midday lunch period and tell the public what they think would happen if the Republican plan - or a smaller version of it - were to be enacted. Federal workers have been targeted by Republican lawmakers and the White House as both seek to reduce the deficit by reorganizing and reducing government.

We have long felt that cuts to SSA's budget and staffing limitations are pound foolish and not even penny wise. Every cut delays the claims disabled submit and the appeals that occur in the process. The safety net that SSA provides is the last place to look for cuts. We support the union's efforts and agree with employees who are asking for budget and staffing levels that support the disabled who depend on SSA's field offices and Disability Determination Services. You cut SSA staff and you cut services for the disabled. It is that simple.

Project Access – Austin Physician Program Offers Low Income Residents of Travis County Health Care Free of Charge

On April 27, 2010 we attended a conference in Austin, Texas designed to address disability issues and discovered a valuable local program, Project Access Austin. This is a philanthropic program wherein the Travis County Medical Society Foundation provides coordinated health care, essentially free of charge for low-income, uninsured residents of Travis County.
Claimants applying for SSA are often in a bind. Unable to work, disabled and in need of health care, they face waiting periods of months if not years. Where do such applicants turn for health care? Approximately one-third of the Travis County Medical Society Foundation members provide volunteer services for individuals with low incomes (including those applying for but not currently receiving disability benefits).
Individuals applying for enrollment must provide documentation to ensure they meet eligibility criteria. Subsequently, applicants sign a patient responsibility agreement that requires them to be on time for appointments, follow the physician's treatment plans, and inform the program if there are changes in income, address and/or phone numbers. Eligibility includes Travis County residence for six months, US citizen or legal permanent residence. The applicant must have no medical insurance, or be unable to afford medical insurance and, may not be currently eligible for governmental assistance. Thus, an individual who receives SSA disability would likely be ineligible. However, it appears they would be eligible during the application periods (contact the program for more specifics).
Income limits are based on Federal Poverty guidelines or below. Federal Poverty Limits are roughly annual earnings of $11,000 for an individual, $14,500 for a couple and $ 22,000 for a family of four. The program allows for income of up to 200% of these figures. We congratulate the Travis County Medical Association for this innovative and compassionate initiative and ongoing advocacy. The initial application consists of a 3-page form in both English and Spanish and can be downloaded from the website at Projectaccessaustin.com. Applicants may also contact the program volunteers at (512) 206-1164, or mail to Project Access PO Box 4679 Austin, TX 78765.

Commissioner Astrue Speaking of Compassionate Allowances

This program is a win win. SSA should continue to look at fast tracking. If adequately staffed in the field offices and implemented by properly trained personnel in the state medical agencies, such initiatives help avoid repeated applications and other logistical confusion facing claimants. Small steps, smartly taken make more sense than overwhelming plans of agency redesign.


Social Security commissioner: We can fast-track help

by Michael J. Astrue - Jan. 26, 2010 09:56 AM
Special for The Republic

I recently hosted the agency's fifth public hearing on Compassionate Allowances.

I was joined on the panel by Philip Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H., National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, and Social Security Executives.
Click here to find out more!

We heard testimony from some of the nation's leading experts on schizophrenia about possible methods of identifying and implementing Compassionate Allowances for young adults with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a devastating disease that affects more than two million Americans, primarily individuals in their teens and twenties. The onset of schizophrenia has life-changing consequences, which can include unemployment and homelessness. This hearing will help us to potentially identify the most severe cases and consider bringing them under our Compassionate Allowances umbrella.

In October 2008, Social Security launched Compassionate Allowances to expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants with medical conditions so severe that their conditions by definition meet Social Security's standards.

To learn more and to view a web cast of November's hearing, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

Our Compassionate Allowances and Quick Disability Determinations processes are making a real difference by ensuring that Americans with devastating disabilities quickly receive the benefits they need. This fiscal year, we expect to fast-track about 150,000 cases and we plan to add more diseases and impairments to these expedited processes in the coming months.

Michael J. Astrue is the Social Security Commissioner.

The Sky is Falling - Purge the SSA Thieves

When money get's tight, folks start looking at the most vulnerable amongst us.

Like the trust fund crises, periodically articles appear whipping up the masses to ferret out the fraud in SSA's program. Usually those who yell loudest know the least. The New York Times recently ran some blog posts and included in the responses was this gem from an Administrative Law Judge. Yep, someone who hears cases, and sees the disabled.

Morley White is an administrative law judge in Cleveland for the Social Security Administration. We agree with his assessment and his comments include the following:

"As a judge who has handled Social Security disability cases for 16 years, I do not believe that there is as much fraud as the press and the public believe when
it comes to the individuals who are making the claims for supplemental security benefits. That does not imply that is no fraud.
I generally believe in the sincerity of what they say. They are poor and the benefits they receive are now only $674 a month for an eligible individual.
What are these people supposed to do in this economy with the limitations they say they have?There is too much emphasis on reputed individual fraud and not enough on how the system itself can be reformed."

Despite such perspectives from those who know what they speak of, every time the economy dips or the trust fund is in need of repair, the recipients are blamed. When this periodic hysteria occurred in the 1980's the Reagan administration with help from David Stockman ( who may reside in a federal penal institution these days), was able to purge the rolls of
beneficiaries, sending cessation letters to mentally retarded individuals suggesting they could perform jobs such as cashiers. After several former recipients chained themselves to federal buildings in protest, congress woke up and regulated the process of removing folks from the rolls, creating a medical improvement process.

Reforms are inevitable, but we would like to see more articles about just what the percentage of "fraud" is in SSA programs. And, it may be surprising
to those who are ready to purge the rolls that millions of recipients are underpaid billions of dollars ( See GAO reports on SSA) due to understaffed and insufficiently trained/motivated/ compensated etc, SSA staff.

We believe the answer to saving money lies in reforms by the agency; consistency in payments and quality review at the front end of SSA's disability process. The problems are legion, but the answer is not in going after the poor.