Judges: Social Security pushes approval of claims

[alp227]

Source: AP

Driven to reduce a huge backlog of disability claims, Social Security is pushing judges to award benefits to people who may not deserve them, several current and former judges told Congress on Thursday.

Larry Butler, an administrative law judge from Fort Myers, Fla., called the system “paying down the backlog.”

A former Social Security judge, J.E. Sullivan, said, “The only thing that matters in the adjudication process is signing that final decision.” Sullivan is now an administrative law judge for the Transportation Department.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating why many judges have high approval rates for claims already rejected twice by field offices or state agencies. Two current and two former judges spoke at a subcommittee hearing.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/judges-social-security-pushes-approval-claims

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Back in March, NPR had this special report "Unfit for Work" that made similar claims that the Congressional witnesses made and then rightfully got a lot of tomatoes thrown back. For instance Chris Hayes hosted a panel trashing the Disability Panic.

Oh, what's this? "The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating why many judges have high approval rates for claims already rejected twice by field offices or state agencies." Guess who heads this committee? Right wing ideologue extraordinaire DARRELL ISSA. First after that so called IRS scandal he immediately jumped to that dead horse named BENGHAZI! Now it seems he's setting up the next phony baloney Obama scandal: DISABILITY FRAUD with a shoddy report that seeks to paint the government under Obama as setting up an "entitlement culture"...never mind why so many people are applying for disability?

Furthermore the AP reports that getting SSDI ain't a cakewalk:

Social Security disability claims are first processed through a network of local Social Security Administration field offices and state agencies called Disability Determination Services. About two-thirds of initial claims are rejected, according to agency statistics.

If your claim is rejected, you can ask the field office or state agency to reconsider. If your claim is rejected again, you can appeal to an administrative law judge, who is employed by Social Security.

In 2007, the average processing time for a hearing was 512 days. Today it is 375 days, Sklar said. The agency has reduced the wait time even as the number of applications has increased.

But the judges who testified Thursday said the quality of their decisions has suffered.

[99th_Monkey]

1. I don't see how it necessarily follows, that just because SS is expediting claims more quickly

how that isn't them just doing their job better. Why the insinuation that some of
these claimants "may not deserve" the public support? I find that assumption rather
bizarre, and an undeserved slap in the face to the SS program and it's employees.

[customerserviceguy]

2. Whether that's true or not

In any case, the disability fund is headed for imminent disaster, and all we're debating with the OP is the speed at which we will hit that wall.

[Tunkamerica]

3. Having dated someone who works in SS and SSD

she said that every gets turned down the first time, no matter how true the claim, a lot get turned down the second time... that's when they hire lawyers.

[eggplant]

4. Yup. My dad was an SSI/SSD attorney for many years. This is *exactly* how it works. n/t

[bitchkitty]

6. I did not.

I've been on disability twice. The first time was as you describe. I got the initial denial, appealed and was denied again. Took them to court and won.

The second time, I was not turned down at all. I was expecting to be turned down, but instead I got a letter with a check. I guess they like me over there?

[Joe Bacon]

7. Bull

I've worked for Social Security since 1978. I have experience in handling and processing disability claims. And it is absolutely NOT TRUE that everyone is denied when they apply for disability benefits.

[Tunkamerica]

10. ok, just what she said.

i'm sure she was lying.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. A good friend of mine was just rejected, he can hardly walk holding a knife and fork is difficultt

and he was a laborer for a living. He can not work. It is hard for him to appeal because it is hard for him to do anything.

[OregonBlue]

8. My son is seriously bi-polar. I first applied for him in 2001. In April he was approved after

12 years and 3 claims along with the accompanying denials. It took 3 psychiatrists, many psychologist and several DHS workers plus an attorney to finally get him approved. Without an attorney, he would have been denied again. Total b.s. claim by another Issa stooge.

[Hydra]

9. The system is totally set up to deny you for at least a year and a half

And good luck getting a judgement even after that. My disabled relative just got lucky. I helped her do all the paperwork, delivered it over and over and resubmitted after denials(which took months for them to decide on).

This is a red herring anyway. They say we don't have enough money for disabled people and SNAP programs, but we're wasting trillions on domestic spying, endless wars and corporate welfare. The problem is not funds, it's priorities.