As part of an effort by Harvard University researchers to affect change regarding our approach to the federal budget, two researchers with the Brookings Institution have posed a series of more than a dozen ways to rethink our financial state. Image may be NSFW.
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Los Angeles Social Security Disability Attorney Vincent Howard of HOWARD LAW understands that one of those 15 areas that researchers believe requires attention is the Social Security Disability Insurance budget.
Now usually, when there are calls for reform with SSDI, the approach is to arbitrarily start hacking it to pieces, leaving a substantial number of folks disenfranchised and ultimately costing all of us more in the end.
This approach was slightly different.
Researchers Jeffrey B. Liebman and Jack A. Smalligan have made two recommendations based on a careful consideration of the problems at hand.
The pair starts by offering a definition of the three biggest problems with the program.
The first, they say, is that there is a large swath of those who receive SSDI who might be better off with a different kind of assistance. That is not to say that they don't need help, but some may need more and some may need less. Yet the current system doesn't allow for degrees of impairment. Additionally, the restrictions that bar recipients from being able to work at all may actually be harming people. It serves as a disincentive for those who might otherwise be able to work for shorter bursts of time or on a more irregular basis. These folks may see themselves increasingly unemployable in the future because their skill sets continue to grow even rustier.
Secondly, the researchers say that there are competing incentives, with employers and private insurers pushing applicants into applying SSDI because it's better for their own bottom line.
And finally, the two found that the determination process was basically a mess. People wait far too long to get a decision, they said, and too many of those final decisions are ultimately appealed anyway - proving that the system doesn't appear to be set up to get it right the first time. Differing standards may be applied at different stages of the application process, and there is currently a 1.5 million continuing case review backlog.
The Harvard researchers, after a year of interviews, data collection, research reviews, policy analysis and field operation observance, say there is essentially a two-step process that could address a good portion of these problems. They are: Demonstration Projects;New Tools for the Social Security Commissioner.
The first is a focus on "demonstration projects" where the focus is early intervention. Usually, by the time a person has received disability benefits, it may be too late to help them return to work. Past programs like Ticket to Work weren't successful, yet forcing people not to work while their claims are pending causes them real financial harm.
One such demonstration would allow officials to pre-screen applicants for potential services while their claims are pending that could help them return to work, regardless of the outcome. If the applications were to be suspended, the government could offer a targeted benefits package, offering things like vocational assistance, health interventions, tax credits and emergency tax grants.
The second reform recommended by the researchers was offering new tools for the administration to be able to improve the disability determination process. The fact that it takes years in some cases to reach a conclusion, the researchers found, was often to the benefit of no one. And a failure to invest in continuing disability reviews, they found, actually costs the agency $9 for every $1 they fail to spend.
There is also, they found, a fair amount of inconsistency from state-to-state with regard to wait times and determination standards. The commissioner, the duo said, should be given the authority to streamline this process at the federal level.
Regardless of whether such reforms are implemented, we are here to aid you in the process.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Los Angeles Social Security Disability Attorney Vincent Howard of HOWARD LAW understands that one of those 15 areas that researchers believe requires attention is the Social Security Disability Insurance budget.
Now usually, when there are calls for reform with SSDI, the approach is to arbitrarily start hacking it to pieces, leaving a substantial number of folks disenfranchised and ultimately costing all of us more in the end.
This approach was slightly different.
Researchers Jeffrey B. Liebman and Jack A. Smalligan have made two recommendations based on a careful consideration of the problems at hand.
The pair starts by offering a definition of the three biggest problems with the program.
The first, they say, is that there is a large swath of those who receive SSDI who might be better off with a different kind of assistance. That is not to say that they don't need help, but some may need more and some may need less. Yet the current system doesn't allow for degrees of impairment. Additionally, the restrictions that bar recipients from being able to work at all may actually be harming people. It serves as a disincentive for those who might otherwise be able to work for shorter bursts of time or on a more irregular basis. These folks may see themselves increasingly unemployable in the future because their skill sets continue to grow even rustier.
Secondly, the researchers say that there are competing incentives, with employers and private insurers pushing applicants into applying SSDI because it's better for their own bottom line.
And finally, the two found that the determination process was basically a mess. People wait far too long to get a decision, they said, and too many of those final decisions are ultimately appealed anyway - proving that the system doesn't appear to be set up to get it right the first time. Differing standards may be applied at different stages of the application process, and there is currently a 1.5 million continuing case review backlog.
The Harvard researchers, after a year of interviews, data collection, research reviews, policy analysis and field operation observance, say there is essentially a two-step process that could address a good portion of these problems. They are: Demonstration Projects;New Tools for the Social Security Commissioner.
The first is a focus on "demonstration projects" where the focus is early intervention. Usually, by the time a person has received disability benefits, it may be too late to help them return to work. Past programs like Ticket to Work weren't successful, yet forcing people not to work while their claims are pending causes them real financial harm.
One such demonstration would allow officials to pre-screen applicants for potential services while their claims are pending that could help them return to work, regardless of the outcome. If the applications were to be suspended, the government could offer a targeted benefits package, offering things like vocational assistance, health interventions, tax credits and emergency tax grants.
The second reform recommended by the researchers was offering new tools for the administration to be able to improve the disability determination process. The fact that it takes years in some cases to reach a conclusion, the researchers found, was often to the benefit of no one. And a failure to invest in continuing disability reviews, they found, actually costs the agency $9 for every $1 they fail to spend.
There is also, they found, a fair amount of inconsistency from state-to-state with regard to wait times and determination standards. The commissioner, the duo said, should be given the authority to streamline this process at the federal level.
Regardless of whether such reforms are implemented, we are here to aid you in the process.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
