Trump makes one last effort to cut Social Security, maximize hurt to the disabled
In the middle of the Trump pandemic, in which untold millions of people who survive the disease could end up disabled for life, the Trump administration announced Friday that it's finalizing rules meant to do nothing but make it harder for disabled people to receive Social Security, and to endanger the Social Security benefits of disabled people who are already approved. In the first regulation, it's changing the appeals process by replacing impartial, independent administrative law judges (ALJs) with internal agency lawyers, making it much more difficult for people to navigate the process.
They have also sent their proposal that will dramatically increase "continuing disability reviews" (the process during which those receiving disability must prove they're still disabled) to the Office of Management and Budget for approval as a final rule. The administration admitted it is about dropping people out of the program, "saving" $2.6 billion. It would mean earlier and more frequent reviews for people on disability, likely older people who are physically unable to continue their work. This is simply, in the words of Sen. Ron Wyden, "harassment of people with disabilities" that puts Americans at "greater risk of falling through the cracks."
House Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee blasted the final rule on cutting out judges, which is set to take effect on Dec. 16. "For nearly two years, we’ve sounded the alarm that this change would erode due process for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income applicants and beneficiaries and threaten their access to their earned benefits. The rule puts unqualified agency staff in control of deciding appeals hearings and contradicts the congressional intent of the law governing such proceedings."
The rule would remove administrative law from taking up standard cases, conducting hearings, and issuing decisions on applications for disability benefits—all responsibilities currently reserved for them. The ALJ union responded early this year, calling the proposal a violation of current law and Supreme Court precedent, saying it would "effectively subject the entire administrative adjudicative process under performance appraisal control by the agency."
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/11/16/1996165/-Trump-gives-disabled-people-one-more-kick-in-the-teeth-on-his-way-out-with-cuts-to-Social-Security?detail=emaildkre
= new reply since forum marked as read
it resonates on so many levels!
and it’s their money put there by them and their previous employers.
I took that as the poster meaning the money is in separate specific accounts, even though that is not exactly what was said. Perhaps I jumped the gun, but all too often people start claiming the money they paid into SS is THEIRS, and no one can touch it. The reality is, money gets paid into the system and then paid back out. I can't figure out why that's not a pay as you go system.
And it is very different from private defined benefit pension systems. Or at least it's very different from the private defined benefit pension systems that I'm familiar with.
