It looks like the new Social Security Commissioner, Martin O’Malley, is really taking charge. A number of changes have been implemented in the several weeks Commissioner O’Malley has been on the job. Among the most meaningful is decreasing the default overpayment withholding rate to 10% (or $10, whichever is greater) from 100%. This will significantly…
Social Security uses what is called the “fee agreement process” to pay representatives who help Claimants. For those signing an appropriate fee agreement Social Security will approve the agreement and pay the representative up to 25% of a retroactive fee. Since November 2022 that retroactive fee could not exceed $7,200. Sometime this fall the cap…
Summer 2021 Newsletter STILL STANDING…AND PRACTICING I published the first issue of Social Security & You in Spring of 1993. Some years I’ve published more issues than others. The most recent issue was dated Spring 2019: over 2 years ago. The world was a much different place then. Especially for me. Read the full newsletter…
Spring 2019 Newsletter An Opioid Story I’ve changed his name. Let’s call him Gerald. He was a laborer. And by that I don’t mean that he just did physical work. He was a card-carrying member the Labor’s Union local. And that meant a lot to him. I represented him for Social Security disability and Michigan…
In fiscal year 2011 the budget allocation for the Social Security Administration was slashed by approximately $1 billion. The SSA made a number of cuts including closure of some Field Offices, instituting a hiring freeze and cutting hours of service.
Now with Congressional approval of the fiscal year 2015 budget is allowing the SSA to restore office hours M, T, TH & F to 9:00 -4:00. On Wednesday offices will still close at noon.
Additionally, the hiring freeze has been lifted allowing staffing losses to be restored. Hopefully, this will help shorten the backlog of work at the Field Office level.