Remember those annual earnings and benefits statements that fell victim to Social Security Administration cost-cutting earlier this year? Turns out that agency plans to make the legally required statements available via the Internet–it just doesn’t know when, according to the Government Accountability Office. Under the Social Security Administration’s game plan, all eligible participants could access their records online, while people aged 60 and older who have not started claiming benefits would also get the mailed statements, GAO Managing Director Babara Bovbjerg told a House Ways and Means subcommittee in prepared testimony this month. At best, SSA officials expect that to…
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The Social Security Administration doesn’t know whether the Social Security Administration will keep paying benefits if the government defaults on its debt. That, anyway, is what management is telling employees to say when asked by the public. In newly posted instructions on the agency’s web side, employees are told to respond, “We’re sorry, but we don’t know,” when people inquire about the status of their Social Security or Supplemental Security Income checks should Congress fail to raise the federal debt ceiling. Well, chances are they wouldn’t want to know anyway.
Featuring the federal workforce’s finest, DC’s Funniest Fed Competition finals are tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Arlington Cinema Drafthouse. The best amatuer stand up comics within the federal sector will be cracking jokes for the glory and splendor of being crowned DC’s Funniest Fed. Unfortunately the show is sold out, but good luck to the finalists! Don Heitman (CFTC) Tim Miller (US Army) Abe Barth (HHS) Kate Taylor (US Senate) Jonathan Shepard (USAID) Nate Johnson (SSA) The show isn’t just for “you know what” and giggles, 20 percent of ticket proceeds will be donated to Fisher House Foundation to help…
The federal financial crunch has claimed another casualty: As of Tuesday, the Social Security Administration is no longer sending out annual earnings and benefits statements to millions of Americans, according to an internal notice. “Effective immediately, SSA is suspending the mailing of all Social Security statements because of the current budget situation,” the notice says. The online service for requesting a statement has also been disabled, the notice continues. Nor can the public use Form SSA-7004 to make a request. Indeed, type “statement” into the search engine on the Social Security Administration’s web site, and you’ll end up at a…
With much of the government at risk of a forced vacation next month, there are some obvious parallels with the last such showdown, which resulted in back-to-back closures in late 1995 and early 1996. A bitter battle over spending; a Democratic president pitted against Republican lawmakers, many of them freshmen itching to shrink the federal footprint. The last time around, though, executive branch preparations appear to have started a lot sooner. Consider some evidence gleaned from congressional testimony: On August 22, 1995—almost three full months before the first shutdown occurred that November–then-Office of Management and Budget Director Alice Rivlin told all department…
The Social Security Administration has a new deputy commissioner. Carolyn Colvin was confirmed before the Senate Wednesday, after being nominated by President Barack Obama in Oct. 2009, according to an agency news release. Colvin, a former chief executive officer at AMERIGROUP, DC, has held various positions within SSA including deputy commissioner for policy and external affairs and deputy commissioner for programs and policy. “Carolyn brings a wealth of expertise that will be extremely valuable as we face the dual challenges of ever increasing workloads and reducing current backlogs in an environment of fiscal austerity,” SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue said in the release. “I look…
The Social Security Administration is turning to pop culture icons to educate Americans about its offerings. First they used Chubby Checker to promote a “twist” in its Medicare prescription plan costs. Now it’s using Patty Duke and the cast of her 1960s television show, “The Patty Duke Show,” to get the word out about its new online application for Medicare benefits. To view one of the ads, click here. Of course, this could risk making some beneficiaries feel really old — not only are you old enough for Social Security, but the icons of your youth are being used to…
The Social Security Administration is adding 38 more diseases to its Compassionate Allowances program, which allows those diagnosed with specific conditions to have their claims for benefits expedited. The original 50 conditions – 25 cancers and 25 rare diseases – were announced in October 2008, and the list allows the agency to electronically search for and make speedy decisions for “the most obviously disabled individuals,” SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue said in a Feb. 11 news release. The new conditions include early-onset Alzheimer’s and several forms of muscular dystrophy. SSA will begin electronically identifying these 38 new conditions March 1. Said…
The Social Security Administration isn’t taking swine flu precautions seriously and risks exposing employees and their families to the virus, the American Federation of Government Employees says. In a Nov. 4 letter to SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue, AFGE Council 220 President Witold Skwierczynski said an SSA negotiator told Council 220 members in October that swine flu “is not a serious communicable disease.” Skwierczynski also said the negotiator and other SSA managers have threatened employees with disciplinary action should they decline to do face-to-face interviews with people who appear to be ill. The negotiator said anyone who appears to be sick…
Had a baby boy recently? Thought you’d be unique and name your child Barack after the new president? You wouldn’t be alone. The Social Security Administration released its Most Popular Baby Name list Friday, looking at the top 1,000 names for newborn boys and girls in the past year. While Barack didn’t make the top 1,000, it did enjoy a massive surge in popularity, jumping from 12,535 in 2007 to 2,409 in 2008. SSA also noted many unusual names making the list for the first time: Isla (623), Mareli (718), Dayami (750), Nylah (821) and Jazlene (831) for baby girls,…