A number of states are furloughing employees, including Social Security employees who process medical records and make preliminary decisions. Paradoxically, states may be laying off the very employees who should be processing stimulus checks for currect recipients. In an interview with the Commissioner of Social Security, the Federal Times reports:

“The state furloughs are “disappointingly cynical,” SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue said in an interview with Federal Times. “They understand they’re not saving any money and that it’s actually anti-stimulus because it’s taking money away from state’s citizens.”

The SSA-funded employees evaluate medical records and disability claims of Americans applying for disability benefits to determine if they qualify. They are known as DDS employees; DDS stands for disability determination services.
The seven states furloughing these employees are California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Oregon. Other states have furloughed state employees but exempted DDS employees.” See Federal Times here:

U S News and World Report reports that Social Security will not continue to pay a Cost of Living (COLA) increase each year. This would be a profound change – read this with some skepticism. THe magazine says:

“Social Security payouts increased 5.8 percent this year. It was the largest cost-of-living increase in more than 25 years and increased the typical retiree’s check by approximately $63.

But don’t count on a boost in payments next year. A Congressional Budget Office report predicts that there will be no cost-of-living increases for Social Security beneficiaries in 2010 through 2012. Although it’s more difficult to make accurate calculations farther into the future, CBO also projects that, after 2012, future cost-of-living adjustments will be less than 2 percent until 2019.

There has never been a year without a cost-of-living increase since annual adjustments began in 1975. Past adjustments have ranged from a whopping 14.3 percent boost in 1980 to just 1.3 percent in both 1986 and 1998. Increases are tied to the consumer price index, a measure of the prices paid by urban consumers for goods and services.

Current Social Security recipients will get a small reprieve this year, though. Beneficiaries will recieve a one-time $250 payment in May 2009, due to a provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Read full story under this link:

Here are a few ways we have found that a claimant can sabotage his own disability claim.
1. Refuse to see doctors regularly or as scheduled. If there are no medical records, Social Security has no basis for a decision.
2. Not filing an appeal on time. Perhaps the claimant is depressed or otherwise mentally ill, or too ill from some other condition to follow through in an appropriate manner. Having an attorney who will take responsibility for these filings is an especially good idea if there are memory or mental illness issues involved.
3. If there is alcoholism or drug addiction in the picture, ignoring it and hoping a judge won’t notice. Chances are that it is repeatedly mentioned in your medical record. Get treatment, get clean and sober, then the issue is manageable. Otherwise: it can be a barrier to winning benefits in many cases.
4. Failing to mention all symptoms to your doctor. All symptoms, every time. Doctors, and judges, won’t assume what you think is too obvious to mention. Fatigued? Say so. In pain? Ask for some help.
5. Speaking of help, ask for some when you are filling out the endless and repetitive forms that Social Security sends to you. Don’t just say “I cook my own meals,” if what you mean is you can warm something up in the microwave. Don’t say “I watch TV” if you mean that you do it because you must lie down to manage pain. Can you follow a story on TV, can you concentrate and remember what you’ve seen? If not, this information needs to be included. You can do your own washing, but how long does it take you? You can go for a walk – do you need to rest afterward? If these things are fact, then the whole truth needs to be on these forms. Our office can help you with these and be sure you are not sabotaging your own case by leaving out details.

As this article points out, we don’t have to wait for the collapse of the System, it has been looking us in the eye for the past several years. This Associated Press writer says it like this: “For all the talk of an impending crisis in Social Security, one already exists: The system is clogged with hundreds of thousands of disputed disability claims, a backlog so big that some people wait years for a hearing.

Social Security officials blame underfunding, understaffing, a dramatic rise in cases and an increasing number of claims involving hard-to-prove ailments, such as back pain, depression and anxiety.

Even with a $500 million infusion from the federal stimulus program, it could take years to clear the backlog. In the meantime, many of those who have applied for benefits struggle to make ends meet.

“I keep thinking every month I’ll hear something,” said 56-year-old Tampa resident Karen Slater Chambers, who quit her job driving a delivery truck after a series of accidents and injuries. She applied for disability four years ago, was turned down and is now awaiting an appeal hearing.” See full story here: