Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
1
Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
Cierra Mitchell
Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
2
The Social Security Administration Case Study provides a look into what the
administration actually does, as well as the many challenges that the administration faces. These
challenges include lack of effective leadership as well as increasingly large case loads for case
workers. In this case study critique, I will identify what the administration does, problems the
administration face and offer solutions for the administration based on information from a similar
case study.
Facts
The Social Security Administration is a federal organization that administers social
insurance programs. Of these programs are issuances of retirement, disability and survivors
benefits. Between 2000 and 2005, applications from disability benefits increased sixty percent,
equaling more than two million. As a result, billions of dollars are being paid in disability
benefits. In the same token, the increase of applications has caused a drastic backlog of cases and
a large caseload for Social Security Administration case workers. Due to the large caseloads,
many applicants are denied benefits at least once, usually after their initial filling. Case workers
are also required to inform applicants of their approval or denial of benefits. In the cases where
an applicant is denied, caseworkers are met with a multitude of emotions which range from the
applicant being angry, to the applicant feeling insulted. After an applicant is denied, they usually
seek assistance from a disabilities advocate.
In this case study, Vince Rogov was denied disability benefits numerous times. As a
result he sought the assistance of disabilities advocate Mike Lawrence. Disabilities advocates
like Mr. Lawrence are called upon to assist those who have been denied benefits with the appeals
process. Advocates are highly skilled and knowledgeable in the application and appeals
processes, as well as the regulations of the Social Security Administration. In Vince’s case, Mr.
Lawrence decided to take on his case after reviewing several parts of Vince’s claim. Vince had an
Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
3
extensive medical history which included hypertension, history of cardiac arrest and back
problems. In an interview with Mr. Lawrence, Vince revealed that he may have some mental
health issues, but advised that they were nothing major. As Mr. Lawrence further investigated
Vince’s case, he discovered that Vince’s mental health issues began to manifest during his time in
Iraq. From March 2003 to May 2004, Vince served as a private first class. It was during his time
in Iraq that Vince first acknowledged having trouble forming interpersonal relationship with
people. It was also during this time that Vince abruptly severed ties with his family. Mr.
Lawrence also discovered that by this time, Vince had had several run in with military police and
general public police. Vince had accumulated an extensive record which included numerous
weapons charges.
Vince’s medical history was well documented by the Department of Veterans Affairs
doctors. Physician records of an applicant’s disabilities are one of the many documents needed to
submit an application for benefits. In Vince’s case, he had that documentation but was still
denied partial because his psychiatric issues where never clinically diagnosed. Mr. Lawrence in
turn gathered the aforementioned information about Vince’s medical and psychiatric issues and
filled an appeal on Vince’s behalf. After filling the appeal and following standard procedure, the
administrative law judge requested that Mr. Lawrence represent Vince at a hearing of the
evidence and testimony of Vince’s disabilities claim. The case study concluded with Mr.
Lawrence walking down the corridor to the administrative law judge’s chamber, anticipating
what the outcome of the hearing would be, and anticipating whether or not Vince would act on
previously made threats of harm.
Problems
One of the biggest problems in today’s society and this case study is the lack of resources
for disability applicants. There is a small checklist of things that an applicant should include
along with their application; however the extents of those documents are not clear. Another
Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
4
problem is that the majority of applicants are denied benefits after submitting their application,
therefore having to file an appeal. The appeals process can take several years and often times
applicants die before a decision has been made. Also like in this case study, applicants are denied
benefits even when they have provided proper documentation of their disability(ies). The large
caseloads of Social Security Administration case workers are also a problem. The large caseloads
mean that case workers have smaller amounts of time to effectively review applications,
therefore denying the majority.
Solutions
I believe that there are several potential solutions to combat the number of disability
denials. My first solution is the Social Security Administration hiring disability advocates. I
came up with this solution by comparing the disability process to that of a criminal trial process.
What I mean is that in a criminal trial, the offender is either appointed a public defender to
represent them and present evidence on their behalf, or they hire a private attorney. The
appointing of legal counsel is done prior to the start of trial. This should be same case of people
seeking disability. Based on their economic ability, the applicant should be appointed counsel or
referred to private counsel based on what they can afford.
A Court Site Case Study was conducted in St. John’s Canada, investigating the outcomes
of trials based on which type of representation the offender had. The study revealed several
things. One of the main points made was that those who represented themselves in criminal
proceeding had very little knowledge of court processes and or legal rights afforded to them.
They also did not have enough or substantial legal knowledge to present evidence or counter
evidence presented against them. The same goes for applicants seeking disability benefits.
Initially it appears to an applicant that they simply have to fill out an application that includes
information such as what their disability or disabilities are, how they happened, medical
evidence of the disability and how long they anticipate being out of work. It seems simple
Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
5
enough, however the process entails a lot more, which applicants are not aware of. Therefore
they do not seek help with process until they are denied. More thorough investigations can be
conducted by both caseworkers and advocates, if an applicant could have assistance from the
very beginning.
The St. John’s case study further provided statistical evidence supporting the notion that
self representation does more harm than good. For example, of 338 cases 91% of self represented
offenders plead guilty to their charges versus 81% for offenders with court appointed counsel and
74% for offenders with private counsel. In reference to the percentage of self represented
offenders actually convicted of a crime, 87% of 391 cases were convicted whereas only 85% and
80% of offenders presented by appointed counsel and private counsel respectively were
convicted. Although the margins of the percents are small, when translating these figures in
reference to disability applicants, these percentages equate for a larger number in that the number
of applicants are in the billions.
Conclusion
Overall I believe that the Social Security Administration is doing the absolute best they
can, despite the number of cases they have to investigate. In response to Vince Rogov’s case, I
believe that he did the proper thing by seeking assistance from disabilities advocate Mike
Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence was able to provide more in depth details about Vince’s disabilities,
therefore making the grounds for an appeal more apparent. With that being stated, there are ways
for the Social Security Administration as a whole to better serve the American people. However
the roles of politics make some of these changes impossible because the administration changes
with the election of a new president. I believe that if the administration operated under less
political restraints, more case could be investigated in timely manners and more effectively. I
also still hold the notion that the implementation of disabilities advocates from the beginning can
Social Security Administration Case Study Critique
6
make for more detailed applications as well as deciphering whether or not certain applications
qualify for review.
References
Canadian Department of Justice. (2015). Court Site Study of Adult Unrepresented Accused in the
Provincial Criminal Courts. St. Johns Canada.
Cropf, Robert; Garicola, Jennifer; Loutzenhiser, Kim K. (2012). Social Security Administration Case. In The
Public Administration Casebook (pp. 10-15). New York and London: Pearson Education Inc.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
