A new bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives July 29, 2020 that would stop Social Security from trying to collect overpayments from beneficiaries during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many times Social Security makes mistakes when it comes to calculating benefit amounts for seniors or people with disabilities. When the mistake… Read more »
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House Committee Condemns Move To Allow Appeals Council To Conduct Hearings
Late last year Social Security proposed a rule that would allow Administrative Appeals Judges (AAJ) to conduct Social Security disability hearings to supplement Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). On the surface it might not look like anything is wrong with this move, but after a closer look it doesn’t seem like this move would do any… Read more »
Report Released On Social Security’s Telephone Service
In May 2020 the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on the successes and failures of the agency’s telephone customer service. One key finding from the report is that it is obvious Social Security has work to do to improve its telephone service. Telephone service is even more important today because Social Security… Read more »
How The Ongoing Pandemic Could Impact The Health Of Social Security
The unemployment rate is at a historic level due to shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and Social Security’s financial health is not immune. Recently The Motley Fool published a story focusing on a couple main reasons why the pandemic is not helpful for Social Security’s future. The first reason is the enduring high unemployment… Read more »
Social Security Creates New Retirement Portal On Its Website
Social Security recently released a new tool on its website in an effort to prepare people who are considering applying for retirement benefits. This is Social Security’s first step at improving online services and has plans to offer more ways people can access services online considering Social Security offices mostly remain closed for the foreseeable… Read more »
Social Security Bill Would Cost $75 Billion Over 10 Years
U.S. Rep. John Larson, (D-Connecticut) introduced a bill July 9, 2020 to reduce the inequities related to benefits caused by COVID-19. Larson asked Social Security’s chief actuary to determine the cost of the bill and it was determined it would be about $75 billion over a 10-year period. The extra $75 billion would be funded… Read more »
Social Security Ponders Offering Kiosk Service
Social Security has released a Request For Information (RFI) in an effort to get feedback on installing self-service kiosks to service customers at Social Security field offices. Presumably this is an effort to improve efficiency at Social Security field offices that can be quite chaotic at times and to limit interaction with Social Security employees… Read more »
After Four Months Still No Plans For SSA To Reopen
Social Security announced recently it would allow for in-office customer appointments on a limited basis for only “critical” situations, but beyond that SSA offices mainly remain closed to the public and most Social Security employees continue to work from home during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A recent story from the Federal News Network points out… Read more »
SSA Responds To Inaccurate Fax Number Issues And Paper Files During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) recently received responses from Social Security regarding a number of issues that have impeded the disability process during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the obstacles include getting paperwork to Social Security while most employees are working from home and will not receive mail that comes to SSA… Read more »
When It Comes To Phone Hearings The Choice Is Yours
If you are not waiting for a Social Security disability hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) or you have not tried to visit a Social Security office within the last four months you are probably unaware that Social Security office have been closed since mid March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has created… Read more »
