Social Security Disability News: 2019

Monday, December 30, 2019

4 Important Changes for 2020 that Could Affect Your Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits

Every year the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) makes important changes to the monetary thresholds associated with Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) and Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits. It is important to know about these changes, so you are in compliance with SSA’s requirements.

1. SSA Announces a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (“COLA”) for 2020

The Social Security Administration has announced a 1.6 percent benefit increase for 2020. This cost-of-living adjustment (“COLA”) will begin on December 31, 2019 for Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) beneficiaries. Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) and Social Security Retirement recipients will see the effects of the COLA in their January 2020 benefit payments.

2. SSA has increased the threshold value for full-time work.

In order to be found disabled under SSA’s definition of disability, you must be able to prove that you are unable to earn a certain monetary value due to the limitations from your disability. This value is referred to as “Substantial Gainful Activity (“SGA”). If you are able to work at SGA levels, SSA will not consider you to be disabled. For 2020, that monthly rate is $1,260.00 for a non-blind individual and $2,110.00 for a blind individual. Thus, if you are able to earn such monthly earnings, in spite of any impairment that you have, then you are not disabled under SSA’s definition of disability.

3. SSA has increased the amount that a person can earn during a Trial Work Period.

SSA allows SSDI recipients to test their ability to work in a program called a Trial Work Period (“TWP”). During a TWP, a SSDI recipient is able to work for 9 month period without being at risk for losing his/her benefits. These months do not have to be consecutive. Specifically, SSA looks to see whether an individual can earn at certain levels over a rolling 60 month period. If a person exceeds certain monetary levels for 9 months (even if not consecutive) over a 5 year period, then the TWP has been exhausted. SSA will then look to see if a person has exceeded SGA values (see above) to determine whether or not, the person is still under a disability. For 2020, SSA will consider any month in which a SSDI recipient earns more than $910.00 to be a month in which goods and services have been performed at a TWP level.

4. SSA has increased the value of a quarter of coverage.

In order to receive SSDI benefits, you must be insured for benefits. This means you must have paid into the Social Security system through the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (“FICA”). An individual must have worked a sufficient amount of quarters to be entitled to these benefits. Every year a person can earn up to 4 quarters. For 2020, one quarter of coverage is $1,410.00. This means you must earn at least $5,640.00 for 2020 in order to obtain all 4 quarters for the year.

Got a question about SSDI or SSI that you need us to answer? Please check out our website at www.westcoastdisability.com . We try to provide you with helpful information on our website that will allow you to successfully navigate the Social Security Disability process. Also, feel free to email me your questions at megan@westcoastdisability.com or call me at (800) 459-3017 x 103.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

4 Takeaways From The Commissioner of Social Security’s Open Letter

Commissioner Andrew Saul issued an open letter on November 4, 2019 outlining some of the steps that the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) is taking to improve service. Keep in mind that Commissioner Saul has only been on the job since this summer and is likely still learning the complex system, but I like what I am hearing so far. Here are 4 important factors he discussed.

1. A Common Sense Approach To Change

Clearly, Commissioner Saul is new to working in the government sector, as he advocates for a plan that is rooted in common sense. Anyone who has dealt with the Social Security Administration knows that decisions and changes often take place that seem to fly in the face of common sense. However, Commissioner Saul seems to be pushing a “no excuses” approach to improvement. He seems to understand that the lengthy time frames and backlogs are equally frustrating to claimants and SSA employees. He acknowledges that a reduction of wait times will improve morale at SSA and restore fundamental aspects of adequate public service.

2. Technology Is Only Part Of The Answer

Commissioner Saul promoted technology as one of his solutions to the excessive backlogs, since his first days in his position. However, in his open letter, Commissioner Saul acknowledges that SSA has to invest in a responsive workforce and perform quality checks to make sure that SSA is meeting the public demand. Thus, he is planning to focus on a “smart hiring” strategy as well.

3. Changes In Service Hours And The Telework Pilot

Hooray! SSA is no longer closing their field offices early on Wednesday, a measure that was adopted to allow caseworkers to catch up on backlogs. Instead, Wednesdays will have normal business hours. Additionally, SSA is ending the telework pilot program, which allowed employees to work from home. SSA felt it saved the Administration the cost of larger offices spaces if they mandated certain employees worked from home on particular days. The Commissioner acknowledged that the controls and data are not in place to determine whether this pilot program was an effective and efficient policy so it is ending.

4. SSA Plans to Hire 1,100 More people

The best news of all is that SSA hopes to hire 1,100 employees in the upcoming months. Of course, these new jobs will be completely dependent on the final appropriations issued to SSA for 2020, but I appreciate that Commissioner Saul understands that SSA needs more human bodies to provide exceptional customer service.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Preventing Fraud Remains a Top Priority of the Social Security Administration

Three months into the new Social Security Commissioner’s post, it is clear that preventing fraud still remains one of the top initiatives at the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). Andrew Saul, the recently appointed Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, stated that SSA has “zero tolerance” for fraud and that the Administration is “committed to detecting and preventing it.”

In keeping with SSA’s longstanding policy of ferreting out fraud, SSA and the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), announced expansion of the Cooperative Disability Investigations (“CDI”) Program. CDI units both identify and investigate Social Security disability fraud. Launched in 1997, the CDI program currently has 46 units in 40 states, but SSA has the goal of expanding he CDI program into all 50 states eventually.

Most recently, CDI offices were opened in Bismarck, North Dakota; Boise, Idaho; and Helena, Montana. The Puerto Rican CDI office also expanded their territory to handle potential cases of disability fraud in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As always, if you suspect someone of committing Social Security disability fraud, please contact OIG’s reporting line at (800) 269-0271. Social Security disability benefits are vital to helping those who are truly disabled and those who defraud this important program should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Got a question about SSDI or SSI that you need us to answer? Please check out our website at www.westcoastdisability.com . We try to provide you with helpful information on our website that will allow you to successfully navigate the Social Security Disability process. Also, feel free to email me your questions at megan@westcoastdisability.com or call me at (800) 459-3017 x 103.

Friday, August 2, 2019

How Many People Receive Social Security Benefits in the United States?

That is a very good question and thanks to Ms. Cherice Jefferies at the Office of Statistical Analysis and support, I have an answer for you. In fact, the Social Security Administration released the 2018 statistics in a report last month outlining both national and state data. Here are 4 facts that might be interesting to my clients:

1. In 2018, there were 62,906,222 recipients receiving benefits through the Social Security Administration. Out of this total, 43,721,450 were retired workers. Disabled workers comprised 8,537,332 of the recipients.

2. California had a total of 5,962,804 receiving benefits in 2018. Out of this total, 4,310,091 were retired workers, while disabled workers accounted for 641,737 of the recipients.

3. Total monthly benefits paid on a national scale were 84,419,840 (thousands of dollars)

4. Total monthly benefits paid in California were 7,934,876 (thousands of dollars)

Monday, July 15, 2019

The Social Security Administration Has a New Commissioner

Mr. Andrew M. Saul was officially sworn in on June 17, 2019 to serve as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). His six-year term expires on January 19, 2025. Commissioner Saul is the first Senate-confirmed Commissioner since 2013.

Commissioner Saul does not have a background with the Social Security Administration, so I know little about him. He managed two successful publicly traded apparel chains for over 20 years, but he also does have some state and local government experience, in addition to his tenure in the private sector. I am hoping that Commissioner Saul’s business experience helps to make SSA an accountable agency.

I am pleased that Commissioner Saul feels that one of his greatest roles with the Social Security Administration will be to utilize technology to improve the efficiency of the SSA. The fact that he recognizes that technology is the key to reducing backlogs shows that he does have a handle on the some of the glaring problems at SSA.

The Administration has taken strives to use technology to its advantage in the past decade, but there is still so much that can be done. For instance, you still cannot submit evidence electronically at the initial application level unless you secure a barcode from a Disability Determination Service worker at the Employment Development Department. Getting in touch with this employee can be easier said than done. Allowing claimants and attorneys to upload evidence at the same time of the initial application is one example of how timeframes could be reduced with the assistance of technology. I am pleased that Commissioner Saul plans to target technology as a way to improve Social Security’s service to the public.

Commissioner Saul is a New Yorker who went to the Wharton School of Finance at the same time that President Donald Trump attended the prestige business school at the University of Pennsylvania. Let’s hope his business acumen improves the Social Security system during his time with the Administration. Welcome Commissioner Saul!

Friday, May 31, 2019

Liam and Emma Top SSA's List For Most Popular Names For Kids in 2018

Did you name a new baby either Emma or Liam in 2018? If so, you picked the most popular names for children last year according to a report issued by the Social Security Administration this month. Below are the top ten most popular names for girls and boys in the United States for 2018.

Male Female

1	Liam	Emma
2	Noah	Olivia
3	William	Ava
4	James	Isabella
5	Oliver	Sophia
6	Benjamin	Charlotte
7	Elijah	Mia
8	Lucas	Amelia
9	Mason	Harper
10	Logan	Evelyn

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

4 Tips to Avoid Getting Scammed by Criminals Claiming to Be Social Security Employees

Scam calls by impersonators claiming to be from the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) are on the rise. Fraudsters, utilizing both prerecorded voices, as well as live callers, are making the rounds harassing innocent people over the phone in hopes of securing private information like Social Security numbers and bank account information. Below are four tips that may help to protect you from such scam artists.

1. If you received a suspicious call from an individual claiming to be from Social Security, feel free to end the call and call SSA directly at (800) 772-1213 to confirm the legitimacy of the call. SSA does keep contact logs for individuals they are trying to get in touch with. Thus, if SSA made a call to you, there likely are notations in their computer system explaining what information they had hoped to obtain. Call SSA directly before divulging private information if you are at all unsure of the authenticity of the caller.

2. If you are not applying for or receiving any type of Social Security benefit, it is unlikely that SSA has called you. SSA does occasionally call people to discuss their pending claims or applications for benefits. However, SSA will never randomly solicit a person who has no prior or current dealings with them. Additionally, the government prefers to correspond with claimants via mail, so nine out of ten times, you will receive a letter, rather than a call from SSA, even if you have a matter pending with them.

3. SSA will never threaten you. If you receive a call from SSA threatening legal action against you, hang up. SSA does not make threatening phone calls to individuals demanding private information to avoid criminal or civil proceedings.

4. SSA does not use automated calls very often. SSA will not utilize robotic voices to make a threatening call to you. The only time I have ever seen SSA use a computerized voice to contact a claimant is when their hearing office reminds claimants of hearing dates. They do not ask you to call back with private information when they issue these automatic reminders.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Be Careful Of What You Post – How Social Media May Become A Vital Tool For the Social Security Administration

I won’t beat around the bush. I have never understood the social media phenomenon. I understand how social media is a valuable tool to promote businesses, but I have never understood why people feel the need to post simple daily occurrences to friends and family, or even worse, to complete strangers. I doubt my friends or family want to see a post of me getting a coffee or going to the gym. At least, I hope they have more fulfilling lives than that!

Social media has been around long enough, that the pitfalls of its overuse are finally coming to light. Besides the fact that it is creating a generation of zombie-like children who cannot separate themselves from their screens, social media overuse raises more serious concerns than the potential for an apocalypse instigated by these zombie-like children we are raising. Cyberbullying and privacy protections are two of the common issues that have arisen with the advent of the social media overuse. After all, people do not always think about the consequences of what they post.

The government has gotten hip to the fact that we live in a world that loves to overshare personal information and they plan to take advantage of people’s voyeuristic tendencies. The Trump administration, along with Social Security, are looking to expand its social media networks to identify fraud being committed by Social Security disability claimants and recipients. Thus, the photos of your family vacation to Disney, photos of you hiking with your pup, or whatever else you deem worthy of a Facebook post, may soon be perused by the Social Security Administration and used to evaluate whether or not you have a legitimate disability claim. You post it – it is fair game for the government to consider. Will the government potentially misconstrue some of the photos? Absolutely! It is the Federal government after all. We all know it hardly operates like a well-oiled machine when it comes to fairness or accuracy.

To be honest, I have already been checking out social media accounts from potential leads prior to retaining a claimant. I understand why the Administration wants to utilize this tool, as I have been shocked with some of the information that I have found. A gentleman with a neuromuscular condition wanted to retain my services. I declined after I discovered a Strava account showing he was still riding his bike upwards of 300 to 400 miles a week in spite of the fact that he had told me that he spent most of the day lying down. I confronted him on my Nancy Drew find and he was shocked that I was able to access this information, but he was not ashamed that he was hoping to dupe the system.

I will not represent a claimant who I do not feel is disabled and I have no problem with the government taking advantage of technology that may help to ferret out fraud. You want to post aspects of your private life in a public setting, have at it, but understand it can be used to hurt you (unless your last name is Kardashian – then social media may just turn you into a billionaire, but there are exceptions to every rule J).

There is a simple moral to the story, folks. Edit yourself and stop oversharing personal information on the web or deal with the consequences of opening yourself up to strangers with ill intent and government agencies looking to authenticate credibility.

Monday, January 14, 2019

Will I Still Receive My Social Security Check During The Government Shutdown?

I have been receiving a ton of calls and emails since the partial government shutdown began on December 22,2018, inquiring as to whether Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income recipients would continue to receive their scheduled benefits. Thankfully, the answer is yes.

While the longest government shutdown in our country’s history is at a point that it is leaving a rotten taste in everyone’s month, benefits are still being issued by the Social Security Administration.

This is because Social Security is considered a mandatory spending program which has already been funded. Programs affected by the shutdown fall within the discretionary spending category and the funding for said programs is issued annually through the Appropriations Act.

The Social Security Administration remains opened for business, though the backlog to receive a hearing through the Office of Hearings Operations is still lengthy. You can still file for benefits online or make an appointment to file for benefits with your local Social Security office.

Keep in mind that morale isn’t exactly stellar at many of the Federal agencies at this moment. Social Security employees inform me that they are being bombarded with calls from beneficiaries who are fearful that they may not receive their monthly benefits. Many employees feel like their sister agencies are pawns in the middle of a political sandbox fight. While business is taking place as usual at the Social Security Administration, they, too, are affected by the shutdown, even if their jobs are preserved and they are receiving their paychecks.