#SocialSecurity allowance rates plummeted after the 2000 election. crr.bc.edu/wp-content/upl…

Senior U.S District Court Judge writes about his experience declining offered gifts while on the federal bench. One was a heartfelt gift from a #SocialSecurity disability claimant whom he approved. The implied criticism of Justice Clarence is obvious. nytimes.com/2023/07/14/opi…

SSA has published it's report on payments to claimants representatives for 2018-2022. Here's the takeaway: "The overall decline in claimant representative fees is consistent with the overall decline in the number of awards during the same period." oversight.gov/sites/default/…

My statement on President Donald J. Trump' nomination of Martin O'Malley for Commissioner of Social Security:

Biden taps Martin O’Malley for Social Security Commissioner. Seems like a good choice to fill this long-standing vacancy. rollcall.com/2023/07/26/bid…

Today is the last day of #DisabilityPrideMonth and I want to share my CLASP blog that explains why lawmakers must increase #SSI asset limits to promote equity and economic opportunity for people with disabilities. Read more: clasp.org/blog/lawmakers…

PFAS "Forever Chemicals" are everywhere, in everyone, and are virtually unregulated in the US. Maybe it's time to adopt the precautionary principle and do the rigorous testing before exposing everyone and everything to such potential hazards. Good reporting by Kim Tingley

Disability folks in PA. Join our next virtual Phila. Bar Assoc. meeting this Friday at 12:30pm, where we'll discuss how we can nudge our elected officials to exempt SSD and SSI claimants from charges for copying their med records, like they did in NJ. philadelphiabar.org/?pg=events&evA…

The SSD/SSI overpayment collection process is profoundly unjust and is made worse by Social Security's inadequate staffing and the outdated $2000 individual SSI asset limit. kffhealthnews.org/news/article/s…

The 2024 Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits and SSI payments was just announced at 3.2 %. Less than last year but still a significant increase. nytimes.com/2023/10/12/you…

SSI recipients are trapped in poverty and experience housing instability as a result of antiquated rules and financial caps that have not been changed or inflation-adjusted since 1984. As Andrew Feigenbaum of the Homeless Advocacy project reports in Legal Intelligencer, SSI

By a vote of 50-11, the #Senate confirmed the nomination of Martin O'Malley to be Commissioner or Social Security.

I just told Senate Aging Committee: #SocialSecurity needs Congress to help us, with sustained funding increases, so we can help you. We must do better. But we can’t keep doing more with less.

One development that John Oliver's piece on disability benefits fails to acknowledge is that the current Commissioner of SSA, Martin O'Malley, has been moving fast to try to address many of these very problems with the SSDI and SSI claims processes. Nevertheless, as both have

Martin O'Malley's brief tenure as SSA commissioner refutes government doubters. “My high-end message is this: anyone who says that the federal government can’t work is wrong,” he said. “We proved them wrong, despite enormous constraints . . . At a time when trust in public

Everyone who spends a lifetime working and contributing to Social Security deserves a dignified retirement. This should not be controversial.

Trump intends to nominate Fiserve CEO Frank Bisignano for Commissioner of Social Security. nytimes.com/2024/12/04/us/…

Good news: "The Social Security Administration has abandoned plans to block thousands of older Americans from qualifying for disability benefits after an uproar that reached senior officials in the Trump White House." We will be vigilant to ensure this terrible plan stays dead.