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.
Florida Women Facing Prison For Stealing Mother’s Social Security Checks
A Florida woman, who is also reported to be a conservative media commentator, was sentenced to a month behind bars for stealing her mother’s Social Security checks. U.S. Magistrate Bruce Reinhart sentenced Karyn Turk to a month in jail followed by five months of house arrest for her actions. Turk pled guilty to Social Security fraud last September. Court records indicate that Turk used her mother’s Social Security checks, Veterans Administration checks and pension checks totaling $219,000 for her own expenses rather than pay for the care her mother was receiving in a nursing home. Reinhart admonished Turk for her actions during the sentencing. “Choices in life have consequences, I’m sorry to tell you. If you steal from the government, you’re not going to have a reputation as an honest person,” Reinhart said, according to a story posted The Columbus Dispatch. The complete story can be found here.
Former SSA Employee Sentenced to 15 Months For Stealing $176,000
A story found online in the Politics and Government section, reported that a former California Social Security employee was recently sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for stealing close to $176,000 in Social Security benefits. Rowena Isabel Lokeni, 36, from Garden Grove, California was also ordered to pay back the Social Security Administration $176,015 she took illegally for her own use while she was employed at Social Security. Lokeni worked at Social Security since 2007 and was employed as a customer service representative, but was arrested last September for her actions and pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. Documents indicated that Lokeni would change the direct bank account information for beneficiaries so the benefits would be directly deposited in her own bank account. Many of the people Lokeni targeted suffered from intellectual disabilities and were staying in adult care facilities.
Trend Continues On Hearing Backlog
It was recently reported that Social Security continues to make progress on shortening the wait time for Social Security disability hearings. Until recently, the wait time for a Social Security disability hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) had grown to two years or longer in some jurisdictions, but the reduction of applications and good work by the ALJs have made the wait times more manageable and moving in the right direction. Unfortunately wait times for the processing centers, which is in charge of issuing the past-due benefits for claimants is still a problem, hopefully that is the next target for Social Security to improve.
