We realize it may be a stretch for ordinary people to want to keep up with the comings and goings of the Social Security Administration, but sometimes circumstances permit where someone does want to follow the latest news regarding the agency due to a possible retirement or disability interest. This blog is an ongoing piecemeal of recent stories that have involved Social Security. Some are tidbits and some are important things that should be known in the world of retirement or disability and others are just interesting stories and nothing more.
Social Security Benefits Can Be Garnished
A media report out of San Antonio is another instance that shows your Social Security benefits may not be protected from creditors.
Despite the fact that the state of Texas passed a law in 2018 limiting medical provider’s actions in collecting debt, a San Antonio man was informed his Social Security payments would be garnished to help settle a $60,000 medical bill after he sustained injuries in 2015. The man, who now suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, obviously didn’t have the money and the new bill passed limiting creditor’s actions did not provide him any relief because the medical facility in question, Brooke Army Medical Center, is a government owned hospital. In addition to the hospital wanting its money, the man’s insurance company, Humana, refused to cover his hospital stay. In the end it took an investigation by media outlets before Humana, after receiving media scrutiny, decided to cover the $60,000 owed and only charged the man a $375 co-pay. This should be a cautionary tale that some Social Security benefits can be garnished to settle debt.
Prison Time For Man Who Punched Social Security Guard
Daniel Toops, 35, was sentenced to a year in prison after punching a Social Security guard in the face in April at an Ohio Social Security office.
A report from a Cincinnati TV station indicated that Toops was angry about information he was given after speaking with a Social Security employee and when he began to leave the building he shouted expletives and threats to the Social Security office and its employees. When Topps was approached by a security guard there was an altercation and Topps punched the security guard in the face. The security guard detained Topps and he was arrested. Topps pleaded guilty to assault in June.
These types of incidents are not all that uncommon at Social Security offices. Social Security offices are busy and wait times are long. Many times people are at the Social Security office because they have been denied benefits, which they are obviously upset about, but this should be a warning that violence or the threat of violence will be dealt with seriously.
Employee Union Reaches Deal With Social Security
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has reached a new collective bargaining agreement with Social Security on a new six-year contract.
This agreement was reached after more than a year’s worth of negotiations. According to a news story from the Federal News Network, both sides disagreed on the length of negotiations and the topics that could be negotiated which led to litigation filed by the union, but in the end the union decided to drop the litigation in favor of the new agreement. Below is a summary of what the agreement consists of.
The new agreement gives a bank of 125,000 hours of official time — half of the official time bank AFGE representatives had under the previous contract but 75,000 more hours than what the impasses panel granted in its recent decision. The agreement allows 20 union representatives to use no more than 840 hours of official time a year, meaning those employees could spend about 40% of their time on union activities and the remaining 60% of their time performing the functions for which they were initially hired.
