It seems that the topic of Social Security reform has come up in every election cycle for the last 20 years, which is probably because it has. Although Social Security and entitlement reform remains a political hot potato, usually there is nothing done about it and it is left for another Congress or even another generation to decide. Is this time any different?
We will have to wait and see, but senators from two different political parties, Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) recently wrote a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) urging “reforms” in the Social Security disability program. Hatch is the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Social Security legislation. The type of reform the two senators are proposing come in the way of an amendment that calls for several different measures including:
- Updating Social Security’s medical and vocational guidelines for eligibility. This was last done in 1978;
- Making sure disability claimants who are assumed to be able to work (eligible for unemployment benefits) don’t get sucked into a system that discourages work;
- Streamlining the process to eliminate unnecessary steps for claimants who are going through a Reconsideration phase;
- Tightening rules and requirements, and reducing fees to keep Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), claimant representatives, medical experts and Social Security accountable;
- Strengthening Social Security and congressional oversight of SSA and ALJs;
- Creating a separate budget account Social Security’s program integrity work, to ensure benefit processing is accurate and efficient;
- Making available information to Disability Determination Services (DDS) and ALJs about medical improvement;
- Ensuring that claimants whose records are not fully developed have their cases thoroughly reviewed.
After the specific details of what this amendment asks for are closely scrutinized the question has to be raised of whether Congress is trying to get rid of representatives who practice in the area of Social Security disability law?
To take a closer look at this amendment click here.
