Description of document: Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) Meeting Minutes, 2014-2016 Requested date: 16-January-2017 Released date: 18-January-2017 Posted date: 30-January-2017 Source of document: Social Security Advisory Board ATTN: Chief FOIA Officer 400 Virginia Avenue, SW Suite 625 Washington, D.C. 20024 Fax: (202)-475-7715 Email: [email protected]The governmentattic.org web site (“the site”) is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided on the governmentattic.org web site or in this file. The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels. Each document is identified as to the source. Any concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question. GovernmentAttic.org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website.
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Description of document: Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) Meeting Minutes, 2014-2016
Requested date: 16-January-2017 Released date: 18-January-2017 Posted date: 30-January-2017 Source of document: Social Security Advisory Board
ATTN: Chief FOIA Officer 400 Virginia Avenue, SW Suite 625 Washington, D.C. 20024 Fax: (202)-475-7715 Email: [email protected]
The governmentattic.org web site (“the site”) is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided on the governmentattic.org web site or in this file. The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels. Each document is identified as to the source. Any concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question. GovernmentAttic.org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website.
From: "SSAB Mailbox (shared calendar)" Date: Jan 18, 2017 12:23:28 PM Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act request This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on January 16, 2017 for Board meeting minutes. Please find Board meeting minutes from January 2014 to the present attached. A copy of Board meeting minutes going back to 2011 can also be found on the Board’s website at: http://ssab.gov/About-the-Board/Meeting-Archive. Please let me know if you seek additional information.
Best, Sterling Laudon Policy Attorney Social Security Advisory Board 400 Virginia Ave. Ste. 625 Washington DC 20024 www.ssab.gov
Presenters: Sylvester Schieber, Economist and former Social Security
Advisory Board Chair
Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin
Jeremy Elder
Joel Feinleib
Alec Moore
David Warner
Sarah Weaver
Lynn Fisher, Detailee
David Gamble, Detailee
Randy Yiadom, Staff Intern
Mohammad Humza, Staff Intern
During its January meeting, the Board held two fact-finding sessions. The first one
featured Economist and former Advisory Board Chairman Sylvester Schieber. Dr. Schieber
provided a brief history of retirement and pension policy in the U.S. and shared some of his views
and observations on retirement income security, including what workers need to save in order to
prepare for an adequate retirement.
The Board held a second fact-finding session in the afternoon, featuring Stephen Goss,
Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration (SSA) who was invited in light of the
upcoming 2015 Technical Panel on Assumptions and Methods. Mr. Goss provided a historical
perspective of past Technical Panels and offered the Board some insight on issues that he believes
the next Panel should focus on, as well as suggestions on the types of panelists the Board may
want to consider inviting.
There was time set aside at the end of the day to discuss logistics and plans for a
Symposium on the topic of Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs), which was held at
SSA headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland the following day.
The Board also met in executive session throughout the day to discuss current Board and
Staff projects as well as planned future projects.
I certify that the minutes written for the January 15, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
February 12, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
SSAB Members: Barbara Kennelly, Acting Chair
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Presenters: Glenn Sklar, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Disability
Adjudication and Review
Patricia A. Jonas, Executive Director, Office of Appellate
Operations
Gerald Ray, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Appellate
Operations
Jae Song, Economist, Office of Electronic Services and
Strategic Information
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin
Jeremy Elder
Joel Feinleib
Alec Moore
David Warner
Sarah Weaver
Lynn Fisher, Detailee
David Gamble, Detailee
Emery MacFarlane, Detailee
Randy Yiadom, Staff Intern
Mohammad Humza, Staff Intern
During its February meeting, the Board met with Social Security Administration (SSA)
executives Glenn Sklar, Patricia Jonas, and Gerald Ray from the Office of Disability Adjudication and
Review (ODAR) and Jae Song, from the Office of Electronic Services and Strategic Information. These
individuals were invited to the meeting for a follow-up to an earlier discussion held in September 2013 on
the topic of recent data analysis efforts being developed by ODAR. Specifically, this data analysis has
been used to help maintain and improve policy compliance at the hearing & appeals level of adjudication.
The Board also met in executive session throughout the day to discuss current and planned
projects as well as potential Board trips for 2014.
I certify that the minutes written for the February 12, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
March 5, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
SSAB Members: Barbara Kennelly, Acting Chair
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Presenters: Jeffrey R. Brown, Karnes Professor of Finance, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, and former Social Security Advisory Board member
Scott Frey, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Legislative and
Congressional Affairs, Social Security Administration
Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin
Jeremy Elder
Joel Feinleib
Alec Moore
David Warner
Sarah Weaver
Lynn Fisher, Detailee
David Gamble, Detailee
Emery MacFarlane, Detailee
Randy Yiadom, Staff Intern
Mohammad Humza, Staff Intern
The March Board meeting featured three fact-finding sessions – one in the morning, and two in
the afternoon. In the morning, Jeff Brown, former Board member and professor of finance at University
of Illinois, joined the meeting by video teleconference. Mr. Brown discussed his views on various
retirement security issues and proposals including lump sum delayed retirement credits, default
provisions, universal pensions, and benefit restructuring.
In the afternoon, the Board met with Scott Frey, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA)
Deputy Commissioner for Legislative and Congressional Affairs. Mr. Frey provided an update to the
Board on SSA’s current legislative agenda and other issues that SSA has been working on closely with
members of Congress.
Later in the afternoon, the Board met with SSA’s Chief Actuary Stephen Goss. Mr. Goss was
invited to share some updates relating to recent Advisory Board data requests on the topic of Continuing
Disability Reviews (CDRs).
The Board also met in executive session throughout the day to discuss current and planned
projects as well as potential Board trips for 2014.
I certify that the minutes written for the March 5, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
April 1, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
SSAB Members: Barbara Kennelly, Acting Chair
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Presenters: Charles O. Rossotti, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
Sara Rix, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute
Economics Team
Ruby Burrell, Chief Strategic Officer, Social Security Administration
Roger Kodat, Senior Project Coordinator, National Academy of Public
Administration
Jonathan Tucker, Senior Research Analyst, National Academy of
Public Administration
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin
Jeremy Elder
Joel Feinleib
Alec Moore
David Warner
Sarah Weaver
Lynn Fisher, Detailee
Emery MacFarlane, Detailee
Mohammad Humza, Staff Intern
At its April meeting, the Board held three fact-finding sessions – one in the morning, and two in
the afternoon. In the morning, the Board met with Charles Rossotti, former commissioner of the IRS
from 1997 to 2002. Mr. Rossotti was invited to discuss his experiences in overseeing a complete
refocusing and reorganization of one of the largest agencies in the federal government. He also spoke
about the “nine principles of effective leadership,” as written about in his book, Many Unhappy Returns.
In the afternoon, the Board met with Sara Rix, Senior Policy Advisor on AARP’s Public Policy
Institute Economics Team. Ms. Rix was invited to discuss retirement security issues. Specifically, she
presented her findings that involved concerns for the older worker.
During the final session the Board was joined by Ruby Burrell, Chief Strategic Officer at SSA,
and staff, for a discussion on strategic planning at SSA. Specifically, Ms. Burrell provided an overview
of SSA’s 4-year Agency Strategic Plan in addition to the long-term “2025 Vision” plan. Roger Kodat and
Jon Tucker, from the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), also attended this session, as
NAPA has partnered with SSA to assist in preparation of the 2025 Vision plan. Mr. Kodat and Mr.
Tucker provided background information on NAPA and its mission, its review process, and a current
status update on SSA’s vision plan.
I certify that the minutes written for the April 1, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
May 7-8, 2014
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Time: 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (May 7)
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (May 8)
SSAB Members: Barbara Kennelly, Acting Chair
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin
Joel Feinleib
Lynn Fisher
Emery MacFarlane
Sarah Weaver
Sterling Laudon
Participants
Center for Retirement
Research: Alicia H. Munnell, Director, Center for Retirement Research, Boston
College
Rick Miller, Founder, Sensible Financial Planning
Anek Belbase, Research Project Manager, Center for Retirement
Research, Boston College
Matthew Rutledge, Research Economist, Center for Retirement
Research, Boston College
Andrew Eschtruth, Associate Director for External Relations, Center
for Retirement Research, Boston College
Jean-Pierre Aubry, Assistant Director of State and Local Research,
Center for Retirement Research, Boston College
Anthony Webb, Senior Research Economist, Center for Retirement
Research, Boston College
National Bureau of
Economic Research: Jim Poterba, President, National Bureau of Economic Research
Raj Chetty, Co-director, Public Economics Program, Faculty Research
Fellow and Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research
Jeff Liebman, Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy, Kennedy
School of Government, Harvard University
Amy Finkelstein, Co-director, Public Economics Program and Research
Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research
Brigitte Madrian, Co-director of the Household Finance Working
Group and Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research
Congressional Staff: Natalie Kaufman, Congresswoman Katherine Clark
Jose Vaquerano, Congressman Michael Capuano
Nick Zaferakis, Congressman Stephen Lynch
Helen Rush-Lloyd, Congressman John Tierney
SSA: Anatoly Schaider, Assistant Regional Commissioner, Boston Region
Executive Office
Laura Cocozzella, Executive Analyst, Boston Region Executive Office
Linda Tuttle, Executive Officer, Boston Region Executive Office
Alison Seto, Deputy Assistant Regional Commissioner, Boston Region
Executive Office
Roberto Medina, Regional Communications Director, Office of the
Regional Commissioner
Carol Sax, Regional Chief Administrative Law Judge, Office of
Disability Adjudication and Review
John Allen, Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge, Office of
Disability Adjudication and Review
Fred Gilbert, Center Director, Center for Disability
Michelle SooHoo, District Manager, Boston SSA Field Office
Scott Antolik, Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of the Inspector General
Office of Investigations
Reggie Hammonds, Special Agent, Office of the Inspector General
Office of Investigations
Carolyn Tedino, Regional Management Officer, SSA ODAR, Boston
RO
ALJ Union: Peter Martinelli, Administrative Law Judge, ALJ Union
Marilyn Zahm, Administrative Law Judge, ALJ Union
In May, the Board visited Boston, Massachusetts for a series of meetings over a two-day period.
On the first day, the Board met with scholars at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College to
discuss retirement policy. The Board spoke with economists about the financial security of retirees and
discussed options for reducing retirement risk. Afterward, scholars briefed the Board about the status of
state and local pensions and how reform could impact employees.
In the afternoon, the Board travelled to the National Bureau of Economic Research for another
series of discussions. The Board questioned economists about retirement savings and incentives to
increase savings for retirement. The Board discussed the state of the Social Security Disability Insurance
program and the causes of increased costs. Then the Board conversed with scholars about the impact of
Medicaid expansion on health and the budget.
On the second day, the Board met with Congressional staff responsible for constituent service
related to Social Security. The Board received feedback about Social Security programs and offered
advice about interaction with SSA staff. Next, the Board traveled to the Boston Regional Office for
meeting with executives and management. The Board solicited ideas from the regional office about ways
to improve service to the public, reduce fraud, and manage the disability adjudication process.
Representatives from the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review discussed initiatives to improve
the quality of decisions made by administrative law judges and processes used to monitor progress.
Afterward, the Board traveled to a SSA field office to observe interaction with the public and to
speak with employees about ground-level concerns. Field office staff discussed their accomplishments
and suggested methods for improving service to the public. The Board then met with a Cooperative
Disability Investigations unit and learned about efforts to catch individuals fraudulently obtaining Social
Security benefits. Finally, the Board met with union representatives for SSA administrative law judges
(ALJs). The Board listened to concerns from the representatives about SSA policies impacting ALJs and
suggested reforms that could be taken to improve conditions.
I certify that the minutes written for the May 7-8, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
June 24-25, 2014
Location: Seattle, Washington
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. (June 24)
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (June 25)
SSAB Members: Barbara Kennelly, Acting Chair
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
David Warner
Jackie Chapin
Joel Feinleib
Sarah Weaver
Sterling Laudon
Participants
Center for Disability: Barbara Wong, Director
Liz Permann, Deputy Director
Natalie Quist, Social Insurance Specialist
Karla Schwarz, Social Insurance Specialist
John Denney, Social Insurance Specialist Laura White, Disability Program Administrator Idaho and Oregon
Alan Heim, Assistant Regional Commissioner Management and
Operations (ARCMOS)
Jim Burkett, Deputy Assistant Regional Commissioner
Management and Operations (DARCMOS)
Office of Inspector Joseph Veiling, Special Agent-in-Charge, OIG OI
General: Joe Rogers, Criminal Investigator, Team Leader, CDI
Kent Zwicker, Criminal Investigator, Team Leader, CDI
DCPS Steering Duane French, WA DDS administrator
Committee: Nancy Vasquez, ID DDS administrator
Center for Human Kelly Wittman, Director of the Center for Human Resources
Resources: Darla Anderson, Supervisory Team Lead for Benefits and
Employee Development Team
Mark Knepper, Regional Training Officer in the Employee
Development Team
Sharon Cheadle, Project Manager in the Employee Development
Team
Simon Ravona, Project Manager in the Labor and Employee
Relations Team
ODAR: Cynthia Rosa, Acting Regional Chief Administrative Law Judge
Sue Brown, Regional Management Officer
Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Auburn Teleservice: Nathan Cox, Deputy Director ATSC
Kim Phillips, 800# Coordinator
Betty Malloy, Section Manager
Manny Hernandez, Section Manager
Al Blackman, Adminstrative Officer
Mike Hallum, Section Manager
Barry Ellingson, Section Manager
Brett Eckelburg, Section Manager, Office of General Counsel,
Leadership Management Development Program Associate
Lisa Black, Section Manager, Workload Support Unit
Seattle Field Office Chris Kuhel, Seattle Metro District Manager
Management: Tracey Kincaid, Seattle Metro Assistant District Manager
Joanie Thomas, Seattle Metro Operations Supervisor
Marsha Jollenston, Seattle North District Manager
Paul Flores, Seattle North Operations Supervisor
ALJ Union: Randy Frye, President, ALJ Union Cheri Filion, ALJ Union
AFGE: Steve Kofhal, AFGE representative for employees from the FO,
TSC, ODAR, and OQP in the Seattle region
OGC, DOJ, and fraud David Morado, Regional Chief Counsel
prosecutors with US Vikash Chhagan, Deputy Regional Chief Counsel
Attorney’s Office: Helen Cooper, Special Assistant US Attorney
Seattle Region: Stanley Friendship, Regional Commissioner
Gail Leon, Deputy Regional Commissioner
Liana Mezo, Executive Officer for the Office of the Regional
Commissioner
Steve Hughes, Area Director for Area 2
Terry Temple, Area Director for Area 1
Barbara Wong, Director for the Center for Programs Support
Nancy Dunham, Deputy for the Center for Programs Support
Bill Shie, Region’s Civil Rights and EEO Manager
Kevin Rack, Program Manager for the Center for Material
Resources
Ann Mohageri, Director of the Regional Public Affairs Office
Michael Webb, Senior Public Affairs Specialist
Bill Laudon, Team Leader in the Seattle Center for Automation.
Bao Phung, Project Manager for Office of the Regional
Commissioner
In June, the Board travelled to Seattle, Washington, for a series of meetings over a two-day
period. On the first day, the Board visited the Seattle Regional Office for the first day of discussions with
SSA staff. The Board met with staff of the Center for Disability components—including the Disability
Processing Unit, the Disability Programs and Systems team, and a Cooperative Disability Investigation
team. Each component discussed their operations, accomplishments, challenges, and answered questions
from the Board about ways to improve the program. The Board then met with the Office of General
Counsel and SSA fraud prosecutors working with the U.S. Attorney’s office. Prosecutors discussed
efforts taken to collaborate with other government offices to prevent Social Security fraud.
During a working lunch, the Board met with regional office executives and management to learn
about the region and gather ideas for improving Social Security nationwide. Executives spoke about a
variety of activities the region is involved in and efforts to maximize service with limited resources. The
Board heard from SSA public affairs and their efforts to publicize SSA online resources and provide
service in rural areas. Next, the Board held an open session with cross-component staff members who
provided comments and questions directly to the Board.
The Board met with the SSA’s human resources department to discuss hiring and training
challenges in the agency. Employees discussed retaining employees during a period of low morale, pay
freezes, a government shutdown, and sequestration. The Board learned about new methods being used by
SSA to train employees, allowing new hires to learn at a self-directed pace using software and live video
feeds being broadcast from SSA studios. The Board met Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
management to discuss the disability appeals process. The Board conversed about challenges facing this
component, including a backlog of disability cases due to the inability to hire enough judges and a steep
increase in appeals during the economic downturn.
On the second day of the trip, the Board visited a SSA field office. The Board held separate
meetings with front line employees and management, and listened to the concerns of each. The Board
toured the facility and observed field office employees taking claims and interacting with the public.
Afterward, the Board met with representatives of the administrative law judge union who suggested
reforms for the disability hearing process. During the Board’s working lunch, they spoke to a
representative of the American Federation of Federal Employees, representing SSA employees from the
Seattle region.
In the afternoon, the Board traveled to Auburn, Washington, to visit the co-located interactive
video technology (IVT) studio and teleservice center. The Board observed the studio and learned about
how the studio is used to train SSA employees live via satellite. The Board then toured the teleservice
center – one of four “mega” teleservice centers in the country. SSA staff explained how the teleservice
center can be directed to expand service to callers across the country.
I certify that the minutes written for the June 24 - 25, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
July 14, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
SSAB Members: Barbara Kennelly, Acting Chair
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Presenters: Linda Stagno, International Federation of Professional and Technical
Employees (IFPTE) Vice President, New York Region Administrative
Law Judge, Brooklyn Hearing Office, Social Security Administration
(SSA)
Dale Glendenning, Union Secretary, Atlanta Region Administrative
Law Judge, Atlanta Hearing Office, SSA
Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, SSA
Alice H. Wade, Deputy Chief Actuary, SSA
Karen Glenn, Executive Officer and Supervisory Actuary, SSA
Mark Sarney, Director, Office of Policy Analysis, Office of Retirement
Policy, SSA
Kevin Whitman, Director, Office of Policy Research, Office of
Retirement Policy, SSA
Dr. Jane L. Snowdon, Chief Innovation Officer, International Business
Machines Corporation (IBM)
David K. Barnes, Consultant, IBM
Dr. Christopher F. Codella, Engineer, IBM
Townley Cozad, SSA Lead – Global Business Services, IBM
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin, Policy Chief
Jeremy Elder, Executive Assistant
Joel Feinleib, Staff Economist
Sterling Laudon, Policy Attorney
Sarah Weaver, Research Assistant
Bethel Dejene, Summer Associate
Connor Dowd, Summer Associate
Ismael Martinez, NASI Fellow
Morgan McKenna, Summer Associate
The July Board meeting consisted of four fact-finding sessions – two in the morning and two in
the afternoon. The first session hosted Social Security Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) Linda Stagno
and Dale Glendenning. Judge Stagno and Judge Glendenning are officers in the International Federation
of Professional and Technical Employees (IFPTE), the union that represents SSA ALJs. The primary
topic discussed was concern over the relationship between SSA management and ALJs and the union’s
suggestions as to how the disability hearings process can be improved.
Later that morning, the Board met with SSA Chief Actuary Steve Goss, Deputy Actuary Alice
Wade, and Supervisory Actuary Karen Glenn. Mr. Goss and staff provided an update on the publication
of the upcoming 2014 Trustees Report, and discussed some recent analysis of calculating retirement
benefit replacement rates.
In the early afternoon, the Board was joined by Mark Sarney and Kevin Whitman from SSA’s
Office of Retirement Policy (ORP). Mr. Sarney and Mr. Whitman provided a brief overview of the
background and mission of ORP and the type of research and policy analysis their office is responsible
for. They also spent time discussing Modeling Income in the Near Term, or “MINT,” ORP’s primary
micro-simulation model that is used to make future projections about retirement income, marital trends,
Social Security benefits, income, and poverty. Such projections allow researchers and policy analysts to
study retirement conditions in the future as well as the effects of various policy changes and proposals.
In the final session, the Board met with IBM executives Dr. Jane Snowdon, Dr. Chris Codella,
Townley Cozad, and consultant David Barnes. IBM representatives were invited to discuss IBM Watson,
a cognitive computer system that learns and interacts naturally with people to extend what either humans
or computer could do on their own. The presenters provided some history both on Watson and IBM’s
seventy-nine year relationship working with SSA. IBM discussed its work with large medical facilities
and insurance companies and how the Watson technology might assist SSA in its disability determination
process.
I certify that the minutes written for the July 14, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Barbara B. Kennelly
Acting Chair
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board Minutes
Board Meeting September 16, 2014
Location: 6401 Security Blvd, 700 Altmeyer Building Baltimore, MD 21235 Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. SSAB Members: Henry Aaron, Chairman Lanhee Chen Alan Cohen Bernadette Franks-Ongoy Jagadeesh Gokhale Dorcas Hardy Barbara Kennelly Presenters: Carolyn Colvin, Acting Commissioner, Social Security Administration Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration
Eli N. Donkar, Deputy Chief Actuary – Short-run Estimates, Social Security Administration
Alice H. Wade, Deputy Chief Actuary – Long-run Estimates, Social Security Administration Ruby Burrell, Chief Strategic Officer and Performance Improvement
Officer, Social Security Administration Roger Kodat, Project Director, National Academy of Public
Administration SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director Jeremy Elder, Executive Assistant Joel Feinleib, Staff Economist Sterling Laudon, Policy Attorney Sarah Weaver, Research Assistant Hong Han, Associate Ellen Skirvin, Associate
During its September Meeting, the Board welcomed three new Board members: Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution who will now serve as Chairman of the Board, Lanhee Chen of the Hoover Institution and Stanford University, and Alan Cohen of the Center for American Progress.
In the morning, the Board met with SSA’s Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, who welcomed the three newest Board members. After introductions and opening remarks, the Commissioner discussed
topics that included the issues and challenges currently facing the agency and the public it serves. Later that morning, the Board met with Stephen Goss, Eli Donkar, and Alice Wade from the Office of the Chief Actuary. The Actuaries presented on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds based on key results under intermediate assumptions as reported in the 2014 Annual Trustees Report.
In the afternoon, the Board met with Ruby Burrell, Chief Strategic Officer at SSA and Roger Kodat, Project Director at the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Mr. Kodat gave an overview of a report commissioned by SSA which requested that NAPA make suggestions regarding SSA’s long-term strategic planning. Ms. Burrell provided an update on the agency’s Vision 2025 report, which will draw from many of the insights that are in NAPA’s report, but which will also include suggestions and input from SSA staff. Board members expressed particular interest in plans for upgrading access by computer and stressed the need to maintain high quality in-person service.
I certify that the minutes written for the September 16, 2014 meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Henry J. Aaron Chairman Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
October 20, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
SSAB Members: Henry Aaron, Chair
Lanhee Chen
Alan Cohen
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Barbara Kennelly
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin, Policy Chief
Jeremy Elder, Policy Analyst
Joel Feinleib, Staff Economist
Sterling Laudon, Policy Attorney
Alec Moore, Policy Analyst
David Warner, Management Chief
Hong Han, Associate
Kathleen Romig, Detailee
Ellen Skirvin, Associate
The Board met in Executive Session
I certify that the minutes written for the October 20, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Henry J. Aaron
Chairman
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
November 17, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
SSAB Members: Henry Aaron, Chair
Lanhee Chen
Alan Cohen
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Barbara Kennelly
Presenters: Marianna LaCanfora, Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and
Disability Policy, Social Security Administration
Glenn Sklar, Deputy Commissioner for Disability Adjudication and
Review, Social Security Administration
Jack Allen, Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge, Office of
Disability Adjudication and Review, Social Security Administration
Bill Zielinski, Deputy Commissioner for Systems, and Chief Information
Officer, Social Security Administration
SSAB Staff: Claire Green, Staff Director
Jackie Chapin, Policy Chief
Jeremy Elder, Policy Analyst
Joel Feinleib, Staff Economist
Sterling Laudon, Policy Attorney
Alec Moore, Policy Analyst
Sarah Weaver, Management Analyst
David Warner, Management Chief
Bethel Dejene, Associate
Hong Han, Associate
Kathleen Romig, Detailee
Ellen Skirvin, Associate
During its September meeting, the Board held three fact-finding sessions – one in the morning,
and two in the afternoon. It also met in executive session at various points throughout the day.
In the morning, the Board met with Marianna LaCanfora, Deputy Commissioner for the Office of
Retirement and Disability Policy (ORDP) at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Ms. LaCanfora
described her role as Deputy Commissioner as well as the current organizational structure of ORDP, an
office that encompasses a broad spectrum of responsibilities relating to policy, research, and data
exchange agreements. She also discussed current ORDP projects as well as their respective challenges.
Projects focused on areas such as improving payment accuracy, representative payees, disability and
work, online applications and automation, and disability and retirement research.
In the afternoon, the Board met with Glenn Sklar, Deputy Commissioner for the Office of
Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) and Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Jack
Allen. Mr. Sklar and Judge Allen were invited primarily to discuss the growing backlog at the hearing
level of disability adjudication, and to address potential solutions to that backlog. For example, it
currently takes over 300 days, on average, for a disability claimant to receive an ALJ decision. Also
discussed was the strained relationship between SSA and OPM over the hiring of ALJs, and ways that
this process could be improved or at least streamlined for SSA.
Lastly, the Board met with Bill Zielinski, Deputy Commissioner for Systems and Chief
Information Officer at SSA. Mr. Zielinski discussed the agency’s Disability Case Processing System
(DCPS) initiative, which aims at making disability case processing more seamless by integrating over 50
state disability systems into one, centralized federal system. Currently, the project is being reviewed
based on several challenges that were recently encountered during beta testing. Mr. Zielinski also shared
insights on the broader efforts to modernize SSA’s technology infrastructure, and how SSA is prioritizing
certain projects based on limited resources and budget.
I certify that the minutes written for the November 17, 2014
meeting of the Social Security Advisory Board are correct.
________________________________________
Henry J. Aaron
Chairman
Social Security Advisory Board
Social Security Advisory Board
Minutes
Board Meeting
December 16, 2014
Location: 400 Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 625
Washington, D.C. 20024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
SSAB Members: Henry Aaron, Chair
Lanhee Chen
Alan Cohen
Bernadette Franks-Ongoy
Jagadeesh Gokhale
Dorcas Hardy
Barbara Kennelly
Presenters: Terrie Gruber, Chief Program Officer, Disability Case Processing
System, Social Security Administration
Ken Nibali, Former Associate Commissioner for Disability, Social
Security Administration
Andrew Biggs, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Jack VanDerhei, Research Director, Employee Benefit Research
Institute
Virginia Reno, Vice President for Income Security, National Academy
of Social Insurance
SSAB Staff: Jackie Chapin, Policy Chief
Jeremy Elder, Policy Analyst
Joel Feinleib, Staff Economist
Sterling Laudon, Policy Attorney
Alec Moore, Policy Analyst
Sarah Weaver, Management Analyst
David Warner, Management Chief
Bethel Dejene, Associate
Hong Han, Associate
Anita Kelly, Detailee
Kathleen Romig, Detailee
Ellen Skirvin, Associate
During its December meeting, the Board met with a representative of SSA about the Disability
Case Processing System (DCPS), a member of the Board’s Disability Policy Panel (DPP) about its
upcoming report, and a panel of economists about retirement security. It also met in Executive Session
throughout the day.
In the morning, the Board met with Terrie Gruber, chief program officer for the Disability Case
Processing System at SSA. Ms. Gruber briefed the Board on the history of DCPS and SSA’s oversight
efforts to improve oversight and development. Ms. Gruber detailed inadequacies of the DCPS and the
missteps that led SSA to initiate a reboot. Ms. Gruber explained that SSA had hired an outside group to
evaluate the entire program and was using recommendations from that report to improve oversight. Ms.
Gruber explained that SSA has taken steps to improve oversight and implement the DCPS while
minimizing expected cost overruns.
Later, the Board met with Ken Nibali, former SSA associate commissioner for disability, and
current member of the Board’s DPP. Mr. Nibali shared the DPP’s findings from its upcoming report. Mr.
Nibali described five recommendations included in the report: 1) sustained funding for continuing
disability reviews; 2) retention of the medical improvement review standard and improving