Sent to Disability Law Center, for inclusion in letter to Social Security

October 31, 2011

 

To Whom it May Concern:

 

The Employment Now Coalition is a Massachusetts state-wide advocacy group that works to identify and address programmatic barriers to the full employment of people with disabilities.   We currently have approximately 350 members, representing a wide range of disabilities.

 

We are very concerned about the recent change in policy in the Social Security Administration that permits Social Security administrators and employees to deny physical access to Social Security offices if a person's behavior is deemed dangerous or potentially dangerous. While we recognize the need to protect employees from harm, it is our view that this policy may have an unexpected negative impact on people in the disability community.

 

Many of our members have sensory disabilities, such as blindness or deafness, that prevent them from reading print materials or using the telephone or a computer.  In-person visits to a Social Security office are sometimes the best way to get answers to important questions.  People with cognitive disabilities may also benefit from having material explained to them in person.  As you know from experience, a Social Security check is critically important to the financial well-being of many individuals, and people with disabilities are two to three times more likely than people without disabilities to be living below the poverty line.

 

With budget cuts, over-worked employees, long lines, and questions from people with disabilities that may relate to portions of the code that are not consulted daily, one can easily imagine a dozen scenarios in which a person with a complicated situation  who may need some individualized assistance is unable to resolve their concern satisfactorily and the conversation may become emotional.

 

We are concerned about the absence of a clear and objective appeals process that could address situations in which consumers are misidentified as dangerous, and   denied the right to appear in person for three years, which we feel is a period of time that puts already vulnerable people at greater risk.

 

For these reasons, we strongly support the inclusion of language that will provide for a meaningful appeals process and which will shorten the period of time that a person is denied access to Social Security offices.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Sincerely,

 

DeAnn Elliott

Coordinator, Employment Now Coalition

(617) 542-3822

delliott@employmentnowcoalition.org