Rep. David R. Obey Holds a Hearing On the Disability Backlog at the Social Security Administration
Political Transcript Wire › August 25, 2009
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Rep. David R. Obey Holds a Hearing On the Disability Backlog at the Social Security Administration
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES HOLDS A HEARING ON THE DISABILITY BACKLOG AT THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
FEBRUARY 28, 2008SPEAKERS: REP. DAVID R. OBEY, D-WIS. CHAIRMAN REP. NITA M. LOWEY, D-N.Y. REP. ROSA DELAURO, D-CONN. REP. JESSE L. JACKSON JR., D-ILL. REP. PATRICK J. KENNEDY, D-R.I. REP. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD, D-CALIF. REP. BARBARA LEE, D-CALIF. REP. TOM UDALL, D-N.M. REP. MICHAEL M. HONDA, D-CALIF. REP. BETTY MCCOLLUM, D-MINN. REP. TIM RYAN, D-OHIOREP. JAMES T. WALSH, R-N.Y. RANKING MEMBER REP. RALPH REGULA, R-OHIO REP. JOHN E. PETERSON, R-PA. REP. DAVE WELDON, R-FLA. REP. MIKE SIMPSON, R-IDAHO REP. DENNY REHBERG, R-MONT. REP. JERRY LEWIS, R-CALIF. EX OFFICIOWITNESSES: MICHAEL ASTRUE, COMMISSIONER, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATIONPATRICK O'CARROLL, INSPECTOR GENERAL, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATIONRICHARD WARSINSKEY, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SECURITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS MARTY FORD, CHAIRMAN, CONSORTIUM FOR CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIESRONALD G. BERNOSKI, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES[*] OBEY: Good morning, everyone. Sorry to be late. We had one of those quaint things called caucuses, and once in a while something is actually accomplished in them.This morning, we're going to be discussing the Social Security Administration and the case backlog that seems to be plaguing that agency.The backlog, I should stipulate at the beginning, is not the fault of the agency. It's the fault of the policy makers who have allowed it to develop and continue.We've been holding a number of hearings in this subcommittee to not just hear from the administration witnesses about the money it is that they're asking, and not just to hear from people about the costs of providing whatever the administration's asking, we've also been holding some hearings to try to highlight the cost of not providing funding for a number of activities.The programs administered by the Social Security Administration touch the lives of every American. The benefits are distributed to almost 60 million people and they're equivalent to approximately 20 percent of federal spending and 5 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.And yet the waiting times to receive benefits under the disability program are far too long.Americans who have been out of work as a result of their disability for over a year have to wait on average another year and seven months to receive the benefits that they're entitled to under the social contract of disability insurance that we've developed in this country. That can have profound impact on the families of those affected.Until this past year, Congress did not provide the appropriations needed to keep SSA funded at adequate levels to ensure that the benefits of it -- or that the benefits it oversees are administered in a timely fashion.In fiscal 2008, for the first time since 1992, over 15 years, we've provided the SSA with the president's funding request. I...See the full content of this document
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