Social Security occupational data update appears stalled after agency drops regulatory overhaul

"As a result, the agency now appears to be without a timeline for finalizing that years-in-the-making update, which SSA has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on, according to remarks made by the Social Security commissioner, Frank Bisignano, during a Monday meeting. SSA still relies on outdated occupational data from the Labor Department, which was last updated in 1991, to determine if a disability applicant is able to shift to a new type of work that's considered plentiful in the U.S. economy."

"But Bisignano didn't offer any clear plan for updating that dataset during the Monday meeting held by a Social Security disability rights group, Alliance for America's Promise, with disability lawyers and advocates, according to two people who attended that meeting. They asked that their names be withheld, as they weren't authorized to speak on the record. The commissioner was asked multiple times about the future of the data project now that the regulatory changes have been abandoned."

An update to the occupational dataset used in Social Security disability adjudications was tied to a regulatory overhaul that was abandoned, leaving no timeline to finalize the years-long project. SSA continues to use Labor Department occupational data last updated in 1991 to judge whether applicants can shift to plentiful work, a determination that can deny benefits. SSA has spent hundreds of millions on the update and has faced bipartisan pressure to modernize the data. Commissioner Frank Bisignano acknowledged the need to update, emphasized collaboration and consensus, but offered no specific plan or schedule. SSA denied any rule intended to cut benefits.

Read at Nextgov.com