ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

Subcommittee on Social Security

Shaw Announces Second in a Series of Hearings on Social Security
Disability Programs' Challenges and Opportunities

Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL), Chairman, Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing examining the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) disability determination and appeals processes.  The hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 11, 2002, at 10:00 a.m., and will continue Tuesday, June 18, 2002, at 2:00 p.m., in room B-318 Rayburn House Office Building.

 In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

Last year, the Subcommittee began a hearing series examining the challenges and opportunities facing Social Security’s disability programs.  In the first hearing of the series, the Subcommittee heard an overview of these challenges from key stakeholders.  Recommendations generally focused on how to decrease processing times at all levels of disability claims adjudication.

Consistently managing our Nation’s largest disability determination and appeals process and delivering timely, high-quality, and fair service to disability applicants has become one of the SSA’s greatest challenges.  The process of applying for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits is complex and fragmented, involving multiple State and Federal officials, and consisting of an initial decision and up to three levels of administrative appeals within the agency.  Upon exhausting these administrative remedies, the claimant may file an appeal in Federal court.  In addition, each step within the agency involves detailed procedures for collecting and reviewing evidence and for decision-making.  Last year, it required an average of about 106 days to process and issue a final decision for an initial claim for disability benefits and about 308 days to process an appeal before an Administrative Law Judge.

Moreover, due to the aging of the baby boomers, Social Security's actuaries project that between now and 2010, the number of Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries will increase by nearly 50 percent and the number of SSI recipients who are disabled will increase by 15 percent.  As a result, it is increasingly important for the agency to clearly identify the resources it needs to effectively serve the American people.

Aware of the long-standing problems within the disability determination and appeals process, SSA has spent more than $39 million attempting to develop and implement new initiatives to improve the timeliness, accuracy, and consistency of its disability decisions and spent an additional $71 million to develop an automated disability claims process.  Many of these initiatives, however, have been ineffectual or have met with mixed results.  Many reports, including those issued by the Social Security Advisory Board and the U.S. General Accounting Office, have outlined problems and provided recommendations for improving SSA’s disability determination and appeals process.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Shaw stated:  “Individuals with disabilities, already burdened by the challenges of their illness or injury, are often in desperate need of benefits to replace lost income.  They deserve and should receive timely and accurate decisions through a fair and understandable process.  Our challenge is to thoughtfully and carefully examine the disability determination and appeals process to ensure it meets the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.”

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The Subcommittee will examine the reasons for delays, complexities, and inconsistencies in the disability determination and appeals process and explore recommendations for change. 

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note:  Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should send it electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, by the close of business, Tuesday, June 25, 2002.  Those filing written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing should deliver their 200 copies to the Subcommittee on Social Security in room B-316 Rayburn House Office Building, in an open and searchable package 48 hours before the hearing.  The U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-packaged deliveries to all House Office Buildings. 

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee. 

1. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, in Word Perfect or MS Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2.  Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing.  Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3.  Any statements must include a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers of each witness.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-1721 or (202) 226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.