According to the Washington Times, several members of Congress said last week that two Social Security judges may have been approving thousands of dollars of disability claims, but the agency has not reviewed the cases to determine if the claims were fraudulent.
As we have blogged about previously, two administrative law judges (ALJs), David B. Daugherty in West Virginia and Charles Bridges in Pennsylvania, have been accused of making bogus disability determinations. This led to some political discussions about ways to crack down on potential fraud.
Rep. James Lankford, Republican, and Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, said Social Security Administration (SSA) employees should be allowed to look at the social media profiles of those applying for disability, saying that photos and other information people post can expose the applicants as able-bodied, according to the Times.
The politicians made the recommendation in a memo to Social Security acting Commissioner Carolyn W. Colvin, along with nearly a dozen other ideas of ways to “improve” the disability screening system.
“We recognize that one case of fraud is too many and we work aggressively to detect and prevent abuses. We continue to enhance our program integrity efforts by adding tools like data analytics, which enables us to identify patterns of suspicious behavior in disability applications,” Kia Anderson, a representative for the SSA, told the Times.
Anderson reportedly said the agency is making pitches towards Congress to get more funding to fight disability fraud.
Can the SSA Look at My Social Media Profile?
As of last year, the SSA had informed ALJs that they could not search the internet for incriminating evidence when weighing a person’s disability claim. However, it should be noted, if you have concerns about online content becoming an issue during your case, you could always set your social media accounts to a private setting.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applicants to show that they cannot do work because of their medical conditions.
If you have a debilitating disability and can no longer work, do not hesitate to contact our Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers for a free evaluation of your case. You may also reach us by phone at (918) 265-1404.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers
Troutman Touts: SSDI payments are determined by how much a person has paid into the Social Security system.
