Deficit Reduction Deal Could Bring More Social Security Disability Reviews

The deficit reduction deal passed earlier this week could mean that the Social Security Administration will put a higher priority on reviewing recipients of disability payments and supplemental security incomes to determine if their condition keeps them eligible.

The Wall Street Journal points out that fewer and fewer of these reviews have been conducted each year in the last decade – with 850,000 “continuing disability reviews” conducted in 2002 but only 200,000 in 2007. When conducting these reviews, the agency traditionally finds that 12 percent of recipients are no longer eligible for benefits and that for every $1 spent on the reviews it saves $10 in benefit costs.

The new deal hammered out by President Barack Obama and lawmakers on Capitol Hill will likely make it easier for the agency to accomplish a higher number of these reviews.

“The deficit-reduction measure doesn’t appropriate money for more reviews, but it would allow Congress to allocate funds for them without being limited by the bill’s spending caps,” explains The WSJ. “This is one of the only areas in the 74-page bill that receives such an exemption. The bill allows spending on continuing disability reviews and redeterminations to rise to $623 million above spending caps in 2012, and steadily raises exempted spending to $1.3 billion above caps in 2017. The agency doesn’t break out its spending on the reviews now.”

Read more.

Do you think the budget cuts will make a positive or negative impact on the Social Security Administration?

If you need help with your Social Security Disability benefits, contact the Social Security Disability lawyers at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin.