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.
Final Regulations On Removing English In Education Category For Disability Claims Posts
The final regulations to remove the inability to communicate in English as a contributing factor considered in the education requirements for disability has now posted in the federal register. The regulations will be effective April 27, 2020. A previous rule allowed disability consideration in the education section for an inability to communicate in English. Below is a summary of the regulations as provided by Social Security.
We are finalizing our proposed regulations to eliminate the education category “inability to communicate in English” when we evaluate disability claims for adults under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (the Act). This education category is no longer a useful indicator of an individual’s educational attainment or of the vocational impact of an individual’s education because of changes in the national workforce since we adopted the current rule more than 40 years ago. We expect that these revisions will help us better assess the vocational impact of education in the disability determination process.
Social Security Is Extending Three Listings
Social Security has decided to extend the expiration dates for three different disability listings, including listings dealing with special senses and speech, hematological disorders, and congenital disorders that impact multiple body systems. Each of these listings will now be extended until June 3, 2020. The expiration date of each of the listings was approaching within the next few months. Below is an explanation from Social Security as to why it is extending these listings without change.
In this final rule, we are extending the dates on which the listings for the following three body systems will no longer be effective We continue to revise and update the listings on a regular basis, including those body systems not affected by this final rule.2 We intend to update the three listings affected by this final rule as necessary based on medical advances as quickly as possible, but may not be able to publish final rules revising these listings by the current expiration dates. Therefore, we are extending the expiration dates listed above.
Social Security Improves On Identifying VA Cases
An Inspector General report has found that Social Security has improved its process of identifying Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients who are also eligible for Veteran’s Administration benefits. Back in 2015 Social Security implemented an annual process to try and identify SSI recipients who may qualify for VA benefits and advise them to apply for VA benefits, but the Inspector General advised Social Security to follow-up more closely on these types of cases and it has seemed to pay off with more SSI recipients qualifying for VA benefits. This is important because SSI is a need-based program that only provides minimal benefits to disabled individuals and most people who would qualify for VA benefits would receive larger monthly amounts of benefits.
