Database Error Costs Social Security Victims $500M 299
Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Posts reports that the Social Security Administration has agreed to pay more than $500 million in back benefits to more than 80,000 recipients whose benefits were unfairly denied after they were flagged by a federal computer program designed to catch serious criminals. At issue is a 1996 law, which contained language later nicknamed the 'fleeing felon' provision, that said fugitives were ineligible to receive federal benefits. As part of its enforcement, the administration began searching computer databases to weed out people who were collecting benefits and had outstanding warrants. The searches captured dozens of criminals, including some wanted for homicide, but they also ensnared countless elderly and disabled people accused of relatively minor offenses such as shoplifting or writing bad checks and in some cases, the victims simply shared a name and a birth date with an offender." (Read more, below.)
"The lead plaintiff in the class-action suit, Rosa Martinez, 52, of Redwood City, Calif., was cut off from her $870 monthly disability benefit check in January 2008 because the system had flagged an outstanding drug warrant in 1980 for a different Rosa Martinez from Miami. Officials said it is difficult to estimate how many social security recipients might be affected by the agreement but said the number is fewer than 1 percent nationally. 'What's remarkable about this case is thesheer number of individuals who were unfairly denied benefits and the size of the financial settlement they will receive,' said David H. Fry of Munger, Tolles & Olson, one of the pro bono attorneys who represented victims."
And that's what happens (Score:5, Interesting)
when you make everybody do the job that the police are supposed to be doing. Who thought it would be a good idea for Social Security people to be screening criminals? (Newt Gingrich and his Contract on America congress in 1996, that's who). Screening criminals is what the police should be doing. What's next? Is the FBI going to be paving the roads?
Re:And that's what happens (Score:3, Interesting)
Or the IRS and SSA enforcing Health Insurance regulations?
What a stupid law. (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm not getting this law. First off, social security isn't some charity program, paid for by other taxpayers. It is money that the citizens/criminals paid into the system and deserve to get back, regardless of what else they have done in life. Besides, are we really doing ourselves a favor by denying ex-cons their own money that they need to survive in their old age?
Furthermore, if it really is about current fugitives, then wouldn't the government love to know a mailing address for these people so they can arrest them, rather than just refusing SS payment?
Re:Not a database error (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Um - No, not yet at least (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Um - No, not yet at least (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:How on earth... (Score:1, Interesting)
LET'S LET THEM RUN HEALTH CARE NEXT!
Yes, let's.
On the one hand, are you under some delusion that your health insurance company is somehow doing a better job? With greater reliability, efficiency, and accountability? Fewer errors, fewer denied valid claims?? Do you just take it on faith, or do you have any evidence at all that your insurance company is doing a better job?
Whether you like it or not, the people actually paying the freight for health care in the US (us taxpayers) right now do have this thing called FREEDOM. And we have CHOICES we can make regarding health care.
And people like you are all too willing to TAKE THAT FREEDOM OF CHOICE AWAY.
Why?
So you can funnel more power to a corrupt and incompetent federal government that along with a Social Security Administration that can't properly identify criminals, gives us the TSA and the Wonderful Security Shell Game?
We're supposed to trust the goverment that conducts warrantless wiretaps against us with OUR LIVES?
We're supposed to give even more power to an ambitious charlatan who until the day he was elected was swearing up and down that 95% of us would see a tax CUT but is now going around trying to tax everything that moves and is about to start vacumming sofas looking for loose change?
What the hell is going to get BETTER by turning health care over the the US government?
Costs are going to be contained? Yeah, right. If you're really batshit insane enough think the US government is going to actually control the COST of anything like health care, I really want to know how on God's good Earth you can possibly come to that conclusion. Seeing the contorted "thought" processes it would take to come to that conclusion would be like watching a Chinese porn movie dubbed into Swahili - in reverse. It's so fucked up it's bound to be entertaining and hilarious.
Yeah, sure.
Putting the US government in charge of health care is a GOOD IDEA.
Keep fooling yourself. Maybe one day reality will show up in your life.
Re:DB indexed on the wrong key, obviously ... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:DB indexed on the wrong key, obviously ... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:One would think .... (Score:3, Interesting)