You Can Help Us Enhance Our Disability Process
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: March 24, 2016
As a part of our commitment to bring you world-class services, Social Security is looking for ways to improve how we develop and evaluate medical evidence relating to severe limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence. The Social Security Act sets out a strict definition of disability. Our agency pays benefits to eligible people who can’t work because of a disabling mental or physical condition expected to last at least one year or result in death. This medical condition must prevent the person from doing not only their previous work, but also any other substantial work in the national economy.
Gathering and assessing medical evidence is a key part of how we make our decisions. On Wednesday, March 30, we will host our next National Disability Forum, Developing and Assessing Medical Evidence for Extreme Limitations in the Ability to Focus on Tasks.
The discussion will focus on the level of severity at which impairment-related limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence can prevent people from working. For example, at what point does the inability to focus cause enough ‘off task’ behavior that someone would be unable to do any job in the national economy? What are employer expectations around productivity and reasonable accommodations for affected people? Are there standard tests for assessing and evaluating these ailments, and who should be consulted to evaluate a person’s capacity to focus on job-related tasks?
Your input will help us further enhance our disability determination process. You can share your ideas about how our disability determination process can better serve individuals with extreme limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence on our IdeaScale page or by commenting below.
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About the Author
Gina Clemons, Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Gina Clemons, Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
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David
My friend has severe multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue and is partially blind. She is bedridden on most days, can’t stand or stay awake more than 4 hours in a day.
After 3 years of fighting she was denied by an ALJ.
Explain to me how someone who is partially blind, can’t walk, or stay awake is ruled not disabled? What a disgraceful and corrupt system. Even her neurologist filled our comprehensive forms with her limitations. Yet the ALJ dismissed it.
A 5 year old could realise this person is disabled and incapable of working
ALL social security employees, including the intial DDS examiner to the ALJ should be ASHAMED of themselves. This poor girl fought her entire life to help others in the social services field yet the government turns their back on her.
David
Oh and now her appeal is with the appeals council who I am sure will deny her as they are most likely just as crooked as the ones who denied her to begin with.
Thankfully I have the financial resources to hire the best attorneys in this country to sue the federal government on her behalf if need be. This is an injustice and needs to be addressed.
Gail D.
Very powerful content
http://www.bbc.com/news
Marisa
I find that you are a dishonest entity and should at the least be sued by class action in a human court – that you are unjust thieves to have taken many contributions under false pretense and given it to others that have come here illegally – and to feed your own pockets in process. After speaking to a person on the line – it will be sixty to ninety days longer for a decision to be written after over three months from hearing and after two denials in spite of legitimacy evidenced in medical records – as well as three years from my second auto accident and spinal neck surgery. I was a talented contributing dental Tech. for 35 years of which I diligently and skillfully worked double full time hours much of the duration of my working life while mothering four children.. also, wore down the function my limbs. This, I write as I lay on my back as my neck does not have mobility to look down or to be strained at all for any significant time. I live with chronic pain. I testify and conclude that this entity is operating in bad faith and a decision must be made in the high court of the Almighty God or your unconscionable disregard to the poor and needy. The time has come for judgment. What more can be done that has not already been done in the realm of humanity? The elements are unstable because Truth is not the foundation of this government, anymore.
Ronald V.
I am now 67 years old (nearly 68). In 2 years I am “supposed to” retire. BUT,I am an unemployed actor and have been out-of-work for 15 years. My last acting job was non-union,$3000. and paid in cash. Social Security says I have to come up with $5K in “work credits” before claiming the $1 MILLION due me (money I MUST have before purchasing an affordable-senior house.) I want to leave the continental USA. I don’t have “disablility” except slight vision impairment (which can be CURED with $3K of laser surgery). The “work credits” are 1/2 of 1% of the amount! What can I do?
dani
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Ricky S.
It seems like I’m constantly reading about more ways that we are harming our environment. It makes me sad to read about all of the harm we’re doing – especially to our air quality. I’ve been doing plenty of research over the last 18 months or so, and I was probably most surprised to find out that the EPA has warned that the air inside of the normal home in the US is even two to five times dirtier than the air outside. Combine this with the reality that adults can exchange up to 70,000 liters of air a day, it seems like a valid for concern regarding the ongoing pollution of our environment. How can we expect to stay free of illness – no matter how well we try to live and eat – if we’re constantly breathing in chemical pollution and contaminants?
http://www.bestairpurifierforallergies.com/
Ricardo M.
been working for thirty years in the hospital and had my early retirement three years ago I also, work in food and beverages more or less twenty five years., also had experienced on clerical jobs and knowledge in computers . I’m receiving social security benefits. I get board and wanted to learn more. Please, let me know if you have any volunteer jobs available. I’m bilingual. Thank you for your kind consideration.
Carey F.
Thanks for the good writeup. It if truth be told used to be a amusement account it. Look complicated to more brought agreeable from you! By the way, how could we be in contact?
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Tony S.
Social Work Act of 2016
An Act
To replace SSA Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) with licensed social workers and non-social worker representatives by amendment of Sec. 206 of the Social Security Act 42USC§406.
Be it enacted in the House and Senate Assembled
Art. 1 Social Work License
SSA must start hiring licensed social workers to be ALJs. SSA ALJs are too illiterate to not be licensed social workers. SSA employees are all government social worker. ALJs who hear petitioners who have been denied are expected to write briefs for every case that cite the statute and either pay or provide non-recivist written counsel of Bachelor degree calibre for the intangible enrichment of the poor with education. SSA social worker ALJs shall publish only non-personally identifying procedural explanations, such as qualifying disabilities, periodic statistical reports on their work, and this supplement to the Social Security Amendments of January 1, 2016 http://www.title24uscode.org/ss1.htm
Art. 2 SSA lawyers
SSA lawyers, the current ALJs would represent SSA and the poor in state and federal court. SSA lawyer ALJs have been laid off for not having a social work license nor publishing any written legal briefs, in private or public, and for a criminal conflict of interest (not to invoke criminal copyright infringement abuse) with the author whereby the go to college sign was defiantly removed from the Social Security Office in 2008, and social security tax and deprivation of relief benefits (for workers against the aged and disabled) statute were hacked in 2016. Their illiterate hiring practices seems to be the leading cause of Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones death. SSA lawyers shall only appear as written briefs in state and federal courts or independent petitions to SSA for support. Injunctions are overruled. Publication of personally identifying briefs requires permission of the person or the court and is typically not done. SSA lawyers shall periodically publish non-personally identifying procedural issues, such as qualifying disabilities, and statistical explanations of their work.
Morale of the SSA lawyer is assured by compensation for torture under Art. 14 of the International Convention against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Punishment or Treatment and miscarriage of justice under Art. 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as tried by http://www.title24uscode.org/pardons.doc
Tony S.
Social Security Amendments of January 1, 2016. Summer Solstice Instructions: To end poverty by 2020 HA-6-6-16 http://www.title24uscode.org/ss1.htm
The Commissioner of Social Security is disabled, elect me, a disability beneficiary, Commissioner!!! Having failed to present in a timely manner the Annual Reports on OASDI, HI and SMI trust funds, not done until June 22, 2016 and never able to do the OASDI tax rate math right, even when coached, and SSI program, still not believed to be done in 2016, SSA hypocritically receives medical evidence relating to severe limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence. The “failure to complete tasks in a timely manner” is not a functional limitation but the end result of “deficiencies of concentration, persistence or pace.” Thomas v. Barnhart, 278 F. 3d 947 Court of Appeal 9th Cir.
It takes a full week to calculate the OASDI trust funds to the satisfaction of the Baby Boomers. I have done that work. I understand. OASDI has enough, at either the wrong 2.37% DI tax rate or right 2.4% 2017 going down to 2.2% in 2018 and staying at 2.2% for the intermediate projection, for a 6% COLA to afford a 5% health annuity over $104.90 Medicare premium in 2017 and 3% COLA and 2.5% health annuity every year thereafter to duly process 2.7% inflation under Sec. 215(i) of the Social Security Act 42USC415(i).
Furthermore, due to the increase in child poverty children must be re-defined as disabled workers and orphan must be considered a qualifying disability, in order to express good faith to Congress in regards to our intention to tax the rich to end poverty by 2020 beginning with SSI benefits for 16 to 24 million children impoverished by AFDC/TANF cuts 1996-2000 that was brought to my attention by the panic stricken 2014 Annual Report on the SSI Program.
The alternative to electing me Commissioner for a two year term, is for SSA to compensate me at the just rates requested, for the arbitration and thereby purchase and publish the Social Security Amendments of January 1, 2016 so that it would be as if the Commissioner was the author, and employed me, the actual author, to answer any technical questions, she does not have the attention, concentration or persistence to understand.