Washington, DC – Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles E. Schumer today continued their push to ensure that Social Security recipients in Western New York and throughout the State would not be forced to put up with excessive delays in having their Social Security Disability Insurance appeals cases heard. In a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Michael Astrue, Clinton and Schumer welcomed the news that the SSA is adding two additional Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to the Rochester office, but added that they had several other pressing concerns regarding how the agency intends to move forward to ensure that the backlogs would be eliminated. The Senators raised concerns regarding the SSA’s implementation of two new fast track programs, and questioned the agency’s plans to transfer cases from Buffalo to other hearing offices across New York. They also asked Commissioner Astrue to explain how the use of senior attorneys in adjudicating less complex cases would affect the overall backlog of the Buffalo hearing office.
“I appreciate the steps that SSA has announced to address the backlogs in Western New York and hearing offices across the state, but it remains unclear how much of an impact these measures will have on the backlogs,” said Senator Clinton. “It is important to know whether the SSA is using all of the resources available to them, and if these measures will offer the long-term solutions we need. I will continue to push to ensure that hardworking New Yorkers do not have to suffer through excessive delays in order to get their benefits.”
“While it’s terrific that the Rochester office is getting two more judges, SSA must spell out exactly how they’re going to help the thousands of disabled residents across Western New York who find themselves running into brick wall after brick wall in their attempts to have their cases heard. Serious questions remain regarding how and when this is going to help the massive amount of cases piled up in the log-jammed Buffalo office,” said Senator Schumer. “SSA's response shows that we got their attention, but now we need real details and real results.”
Earlier this year, Clinton and Schumer partnered in sending a letter to the SSA demanding a prompt, detailed explanation of the allocation process for new ALJs and how SSA’s assignments will help to reduce the case backlog in New York. They also urged SSA to reconsider the ALJ allocation plan and provide additional ALJ placements to high-traffic, backlogged New York hearing offices (See - http://clinton.senate.gov/
A full copy of the letter to Commissioner Astrue is attached -
June 9, 2008
The Honorable Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner
Social Security Administration
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21235
Dear Commissioner Astrue:
Thank you for the response to our letters detailing the pressing need for additional Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in order to address the backlog in disability claims throughout New York State, particularly Western New York. While we were pleased to hear that two ALJs will be assigned to the Rochester satellite office, we have several additional questions about the steps that you will be taking to reduce the backlog of cases in Western New York.
1. We are pleased to learn of the addition of two ALJs to the Rochester office, and hoping that these individuals will be new hires, and not transfers from other offices in New York. We would appreciate some clarification on this issue.
2. In the attachment to your letter, you note that the Social Security Administration is implementing two new fast track programs, the Quick Disability Determinations (QDD) and Compassionate Allowances (CAL), to expedite disability determinations. However, your letter does not detail the ways in which these programs will be used to reduce the backlog in offices across New York. We would appreciate a more detailed explanation, including a timeline, about the ways in which you plan to introduce and implement these fast track programs in Buffalo and the other hearing offices across New York.
3. In your letter, you reference the use of hearing rooms, which will help more cases be heard at National Hearing Centers. You also note that you are transferring some cases from Buffalo to other hearing offices across New York. We would like to know how many cases you plan to address by utilizing video conferencing capabilities in Buffalo and Rochester, how many cases you will be transferring to other offices, and the timeline for resolution of cases that will be handled by video. We would also like to gain a better understanding of the impact of these cases on the workload capacity of offices accepting these cases, in order to ensure that these transfers will not impact the ability of these hearing offices to reduce their own backlogs.
4. We understand that the Buffalo hearing office has been successfully using senior attorneys to adjudicate less-complex cases, and that they have so far handled more than 100 cases. We would like to know how many cases you anticipate the senior attorneys to handle through the rest of 2008, and how this will impact the overall backlog in this hearing office.
For residents of Western New York, where wait times for hearings have approached the two-year mark, it is essential that we be able to ensure that they have a timely resolution to their claims. We would like to thank you in advance for your response to this letter, and your continued attention to reducing the disability hearing backlog in New York State.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer Hillary Rodham Clinton
submitted by Rena Silverman
