Increase in Full Retirement Age increases disability claims
Here’s an interesting tidbit I came across on Notes on Social Security Reform citing the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center winter newsletter:
Does the Rise in the Full Retirement Age Encourage Disability Benefits Applications?
Evidence from the HRS by Xiaoyan Li and Nicole Maestas WP 2008-198
As the Social Security full retirement age (FRA) rises, the relative generosity of Social Security retirement benefits compared to disability benefits is declining, raising the incentive for insured people to apply for disability benefits.
We find that an average four month increase in the FRA slightly increases the two-year DI application rate by 0.04-0.30 percentage points.
The effect is greater among those with a …
Long Social Security hearing delays? “Blame the judges!”
The long wait times in Social Security cases are prompting a backlash against Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in Social Security cases.
Across the country, it takes an average of 480 days to get a judge’s ruling on a Social Security disability claim — but 650 days if your case is in Portland.
The problems in Portland reflect a broader national crisis, according to Social Security Administration records … Only about half the agency’s administrative law judges meet its minimum goal of clearing 500 cases a year.
….
In October 2007, Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue met with a delegation of judges from around the country and … complained that many were not productive enough, according to the union that represents the judges. Astrue also accused them of not wanting to be subjected to any professional standards.
The commissioner has testified before Congress that the bulk of administrative law judges are hardworking. But he has griped about underachievers, and the agency set performance goals that ask judges to clear 500 to 700 cases a year..
Grab the pitch forks! Light the torches! It’s the judges’ fault!
Of course, things are not that simple.
Will Social Security Go Bankrupt?
Paul Krugman tackles this topic in his March 28, 2008 column:
The date at which the trust fund will run out, according to Social Security Administration projections, has receded steadily into the future: 10 years ago it was 2029, now it’s 2042. As Kevin Drum, Brad DeLong, and others have pointed out, the SSA estimates are very conservative, and quite moderate projections of economic growth push the exhaustion date into the indefinite future.
Read more of the article here.
National Hearing Center Aims to Reduce Case Backlog
Social Security Administration is establishing a National Hearing Center (NHC) so that a centralized cadre of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) can use video hearing technology to hear cases in the most backlogged parts of the country. … The agency also plans to hire about 150 ALJs and some additional hearing office support staff in the spring of 2008. SSA Press Release.
All I can say is that it cannot come soon enough.
photo credit: ronnie44052
Quick Disability Determination expands into more states
We all know that the wait to have your disability case decided is too long. Fortunately, Social Security is introducing programs to try to speed up the process, and reduce the backlog of cases awaiting decisions.
Social Security issued a final rule on September 5, 2007 extending nationwide its Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process. Under QDD, a predictive model analyzes specific elements of data within the electronic claims file to identify claims where there is a high potential that the claimant is disabled and where evidence of the person’s allegations can be quickly and easily obtained. … Arizona, …
