Social Security Administration’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2016 – Part 3 of 4 Part Series

In Part 3 of our Four Part series on SSA’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2016, we will illustrate one of SSA’s most important goals: Preserve the Public’s Trust in Our Programs. Because SSA pays over $60 million dollars in benefits each month, it’s important “to pay the right person the right amount at the right time.” (Agency Strategic Plan 2013-2016, pg 16). This goal is also aligned with the President’s goal of aggressively reducing the improper payments made by federal agencies. (Executive Orders 13520 and 13576).


STRATEGIC GOAL #3: Preserve the Public’s Trust in Our Programs

One of SSA’s biggest responsibilities is proper payment to beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are expected to report any changes that may affect their payment amounts, such as going back to work or obtaining other monetary benefits. However, because SSA has to absolutely make sure “to pay the right person the right amount at the right time,” they have tools in place to help avoid errors. The most important tool is the Continuing Disability Review (CDR), in which a SSD beneficiary is reevaluated periodically to see whether or not they are still disabled and entitled to benefits. SSI claims are also re-determined each year to see whether or not the presence of income and/or resources would end benefits. In order to continue to ensure that proper payments are made, SSA is looking to implementing new tools and automated means to make it easier for claimants to report changes, as well as for SSA employees to update claims as needed. SSA also plans to collaborate with other federal agencies to find innovative ways to detect fraud.

With tools such as the CDR already in place, improper payments can still sometimes occur, especially given the complexity of the disability system. SSA utilizes both internal and external sources to collect monies owed to them. Usually when an improper payment occurs, such as an overpayment, benefits are withheld from the beneficiary in until the debt is paid. When this sort of repayment is not possible, SSA turns to an authorized debt collection agency to recover the lost monies. (please visit http://tinyurl.com/8ys8ttb for more information on how SSA collects debts). In the upcoming years, SSA plans to maximize these proven methods already used in debt collection. They will also explore new debt collecting tools that will make the process not only more efficient for SSA, but also continue to be compassionate towards claimant’s situations as far as ease of repayments is concerned.

A large portion of what SSA does is based on each individual’s life time work record. Because of this, it is important that the earnings reported to federal and state agencies by employers are completely accurate. More often that not, employers are filing these documents electronically, but as much as 15% of employers still submit paper forms. Not only is it more time consuming to process these forms, but the equipment used to process them is aging and will not be replaced in the future, in favor of the modern electronic system that should be used by all employers. Paper forms are also more error prone, which can result in miscalculations and therefore, improper payments.

The year 2011 was the 18th year in a row that SSA received an unqualified opinion on their fiscal statements. An unqualified opinion is an independent auditor's judgment that a company's financial records and statements are fairly and appropriately presented, and in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). SSA rigorously reviews its business practices to assure they are operating within or below budget. In fiscal year 2013-2016, SSA plans to continue to practices that save money, such as putting more emphasis on using electronic systems rather than using paper. The advent of video teleconference hearings is another way SSA is keeping costs down. In fiscal year 2011, SSA saved $273 million by implementing these strategies and more.

SSA will measure their success with this goal by the number of reviews, disability reviews, and redeterminations that are performed over the upcoming fiscal years. They will also track the percentage of claim payments that are error free as well as the percentage decrease of the use of paper W-2 forms.

Next week: STRATEGIC GOAL #4: STRENGTHEN OUR WORK FORCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Written by Anna Westfall and Attorney Andrew November


Visit Paulette F. Balin & Associates, LLC online by clicking here!

Social Security Administration’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2016 – Part 2 of 4 Part Series

To continue our series on Social Security’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2016, this week we will look at Goal # 2: Provide Quality Service to the Public. Good customer service is important for a business to thrive, and that goes for agencies such as SSA as well. Millions of claims were processed in-person, over the phone and online last year, despite a decreased amount of staff. By implementing the following strategies, SSA wants to continue to provide the best possible service for the public, as well as ease the work load for their diminished staff.

STRATEGIC GOAL #2: Provide Quality Service to the Public

As we have seen in recent years, SSA’s online services made it convenient to complete tasks such as filing a SSDI claim, filing an appeal, and submitting medical records. Due to public interest, SSA wants to expand the online services so that more types of claims can be filed online. They will also improve upon existing services to keep them up to date with the latest technology, so they continue to be efficient and user-friendly. With the popularity of using mobile devices to access the internet, SSA also plans to develop mobile-compatible versions of their online services to increase accessibility further. They also plan to explore other online options, such as click to talk and screen sharing, to assist the public in answering questions and sharing information.

The national “800” number developed by SSA in recent years has been helpful in regard to lightening the work load for the local field offices, but its helpfulness has come in to question by claimants who have attempted to navigate through the confusing menu system to ask questions or get information. Because SSA is receptive to this feedback, they plan to replace the national “800” number telecommunication system with a new state-of-the-art system. There will be no more lengthy menus and more phone lines to reduce the wait time. Callers will also be invited to take a survey after their calls to the “800” number in order for SSA to track its usability and make improvements where needed. The phone system for the field offices will also be restructured to become more user-friendly, however, SSA hopes more callers will utilize the “800” number so that their needs can be met more quickly.

In recent years, video teleconferencing hearings have become a common mode of communication for disability hearings, and will become more-so starting in fiscal year 2013. Not only does this continue to help process the back log of disability cases that have been waiting for a hearing, but it also benefits disability claimants who live in remote areas and have no access to either the hearing office or proper transportation. SSA plans to utilize facilities such as the Veteran’s Administration and the American Indian Tribal Centers to hold these teleconference hearings. By continuing this practice, SSA hopes to keep the wait time for a hearing to a minimum as well as save on time and travel costs.

Lastly, SSA plans to improve the understandability of the notices they mail to claimants, particularly post-eligibility notices for SSI. To achieve this, SSA will restructure their Title II notice system, modernize their notice architecture so that changes are easier to implement in the future, and implement “plain language” into the all of the notices to improve readability and clarity. By doing so, SSA hopes it will reduce the amount of phone calls and in-person visits the public makes because they have questions about a document they received.

SSA will measure the success of the above plans by analyzing the number of claims filed online, the answer speed and busy rates of the “800” number, and the ratings made by the public who are surveyed by the new phone system.

Next week: STRATEGIC GOAL #3: Preserve the Public’s Trust in Our Programs


Written by Anna Westfall & Attorney Andrew November




Visit Paulette F. Balin & Associates, LLC online by clicking here!

Social Security Administration’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2016 – Part 1 of 4 Part Series

On February 15^th, 2012, SSA published its Agency Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2013-2016, Securing Value for America.  This plan will make things easier not only for the employees of SSA, but should also help them serve the public more efficiently.

In 2011, SSA made extensive improvements, despite working with a budget that was $1 billion less than what they had requested. SSA plans to continue with these improvements by implementing four goals that were outlined in the strategic plan. The following series of blogs will explore each goal in detail.

STRATEGIC GOAL #1: Deliver Quality Disability Decisions and Services

SSA plans to do this by making improvements in a few different areas. One of the first areas of concern is the wait time to have a hearing scheduled in front of an ALJ. As we have already seen in Ohio, the opening of new hearing offices in Akron and Toledo has reduced the wait time by six months or more. The wait time can also be reduced by making sure the court is hearing the oldest cases first, as well as expediting severe cases that do not require a hearing. Nearly 800,000 cases were heard in 2011 alone, so this is an important improvement. SSA hopes to have the wait time reduced to an average of 270 days by the end of fiscal year 2013. To compare, the average wait time in 2007 was anywhere from 270 to 1400 days.

Since the disability process is already so complex, SSA plans to implement a new Disability Case Processing System (DCPS) that will be used by disability determination services across the country. Currently, each state has it own disability determination service with its own unique processing system, which makes it difficult to implement any changes across the board. By using DCPS, the disability process will be streamlined and will also provide additional functionality, creating a more state-of-the-art disability process for the future.

Simplifying the process also means eliminating more paperwork. Today, most administrative processes, such as filing appeals, are now done electronically. However, SSA still requires a paper SSA-827 (authorization for SSA to request your medical records) to be faxed or brought to the local field office after an appeal is filed. Soon the SSA-827 will be filed electronically.

SSA also wants to make it easier for claimants to return to work if it is possible. The fiscal year 2013 budget includes the Work Incentive Simplification Pilot, to test whether simplifying SSA’s work rules will allow more claimants to return to the work force more easily. SSA also plans to update its Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) with a new occupational information system that will help with both the vocational and medical analyses of a disability claim.

Currently, SSA utilizes two initiatives in order to assist them to expedite cases that are likely to be approved: Quick Disability Determinations (QDD) and Compassion Allowances (CAL). The QDD uses a computer-based predictive model to identify cases where a favorable decision is highly likely. SSA plans to refine this model so that it may accurately identify more cases that can be approved through using QDD. CAL helps SSA quickly identify medical conditions that qualify under the listings of impairments based on minimal objective medical information. SSA will expand the number of medical conditions included in the CAL process, so that obviously disabled individuals will be identified and awarded more quickly.

SSA is also joining forces with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veteran’s Administration (VA) in a new program that will be implemented in fiscal year 2013 to help expedite decisions for wounded warriors by sharing medical records between these agencies more efficiently. Already, a pilot program was implemented in five states and has been successful enough for SSA to consider nation-wide implementation.

Next week: STRATEGIC GOAL #2: Provide Quality Services to the Public

Written by Anna Westfall & Attorney Andrew November

Visit Paulette F. Balin & Associates, LLC online by clicking here!

Understanding SSR 11-1p

In the past, Social Security claimants who had appeals pending at the Appeals Council level could file a second new application while waiting for their first application to be decided. Because of SSR 11-1p, this is no longer an option. Either you must wait for the Appeals Council to review the ALJ’s decision (which may take a year or more), or accept the ALJ’s unfavorable determination and try again with a new application and new onset date. The date will be the day after the ALJ’s unfavorable decision.

This rule was put in place due to the amount of conflicting decisions that Social Security then must reconcile. If a claimant is denied on their first application, but approved on the second while the first is pending at Appeals Council, what does that mean? More often than not, a claim pending at Appeals Council, if remanded back to the ALJ, would be consolidated with the second application so that both claims are heard by the ALJ at the same time. This can be confusing and time consuming for all parties involved.

Under SSR 11-1p, you can  file a second application while your first is pending only if you develop a new condition that is significantly and probably disabling in and of itself, AFTER the date of the ALJ’s decision. SSR 11-1p states:

If the additional evidence that does not relate to the period on or before your hearing decision shows a new critical or disabling condition, and you tell us that you want to file a new claim based on this evidence, the Appeals Council may permit you to file a new disability claim before it completes its action on your request for review of the pending claim.

Of course, a claimant must also have the medical evidence to prove the new and disabling condition. The Appeals Council needs to see those records in order for them to make this determination.

This new ruling may have a lot of pros as far as the Social Security Administration is concerned (less conflicting rulings, as well as less claims to process), but it also has cons for claimants. If a claimant chooses to have his or her file reviewed by the Appeals Council, waits a year or more, and is denied again, that is a year that could have been spent developing a new claim. If a claimant were to choose filing a new application, they must choose an onset date that occurs after the date of the Administrative Law Judge’s (ALJ’s) decision, which means forfeiting years of back benefits.

Fortunately, a claimant can still file for a different type of benefit while their claim is pending at the Appeals Council. For instance, if a claimant initially filed a Social Security Disability Insurance claim (SSDI) that is pending at Appeals Council, and in the meantime qualifies to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), that person can make that application and have it separate and pending from the claim that the Appeals Council is reviewing. A claimant can potentially win and receive SSI benefits before the Appeals Council even makes their decision on the SSDI claim.

Because this ruling is still relatively new, time will tell how well it will meet the needs of the Social Security Administration and claimants alike. The future choices made by claimants will best illustrate this.

Written by Anna Westfall & Attorney Andrew November

Visit Paulette F. Balin & Associates, LLC online by clicking here!