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Muse Disability Services News
Memphis Area Brian Injury Support Group Meeting - Tuesday, February 28, 2012
C. Greg Cates, Ed.D, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Case Development (ACD), Muse Disability Services' subsidiary, will be speaking at the Memphis Area Brain Injury Support Group Meeting on Navigating the Social Security Disability Application and Appeals Process on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (CT) at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Meeting Room A, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111. Cates' experience includes providing evaluations and testimony for the Social Security Administration for more than 25 years.
This meeting is FREE and open to the public. For more information, call 901-266-9970. In case of bad weather, call 901-545-8487 to learn if the meeting has been canceled. To learn more about the Brian Injury Association of America or to find a Brian Injury Association in your state, visit www.biausa.org. Multicultural All In The Family Summit 2012 - Saturday, February 25, 2012
Bruce Johnston, one of Muse Disability's social security disability representatives, will be speaking as well as participating in the panel discussion at the 2012 Multicultural All In The Family Summit. The Summit will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2012, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (CT) at the Learning Resource Center, 1005 Dr. D.B. Todd, Jr. Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee. The Summit's goal is to provide information and strategies that will assist families in the journey to exercise leadership through active involvement in decision making processes related to members with special needs and to ensure Tennessee is a State that values cultural policies, practices, and procedures. Each of us have the ability to influence systems and effect positive change in our community, and this event has been designed to ensure resources to sustain and enhance advocacy with the extensive network of private and public entities. We hope you can attend the Summit! Together We Can Bring Unity to Our Community of Mental Illness.
Visit the Summit's organization websites to learn more: www.namitn.org and www.tnstep.org or contact Kelly Dorsey at kdorsey@namitn.org or call 877-7401-7002.
Community Forum - Saturday, February 11, 2012
Jay Philley, one of Muse Disability’s representatives, will be participating in the Community Forum’s panel discussion and question and answer session on Saturday, February 11, 2012, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (CT) at the Meridian District of the United Methodist Church, 6210 Hwy. 39 N, Meridian, Mississippi. Jay Philley will be explaining what Social Security Disability is and how to get help. The Health Forum is open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Fox 40 Morning Show Appearance - Monday, January 23, 2012
Tune in to Fox 40 WDBD – Jackson, Mississippi at 8:00 AM (CT) on Monday, January 23, 2012, to listen to Muse’s Jay Philley explain what Social Security Disability is and how we can help!
Social Security Administration’s What You Can Do Online page. Follow this link to view the updated page www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/ SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release Social Security Announces 3.6 Percent Benefit Increase for 2012
Cost-of-Living Adjustment is First Since 2009
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 60 million Americans will increase 3.6 percent in 2012, the Social Security Administration announced today.
The 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that nearly 55 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2012. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2011.
Some other changes that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $110,100 from $106,800. Of the estimated 161 million workers who will pay Social Security taxes in 2012, about 10 million will pay higher taxes as a result of the increase in the taxable maximum.
Information about Medicare changes for 2012, when announced, will be available at www.Medicare.gov. For some beneficiaries, their Social Security increase may be partially or completely offset by increases in Medicare premiums.
The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. To read more, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
Free Social Security Disability Application and Appeals Process Workshop - Sunday, January 15, 2012 C. Greg Cates, Ed.D, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Case Development (ACD), Muse Disability Services' subsidiary, will be speaking at a free workshop titled Social Security Disability: The Application and Appeals Process from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on January 15, 2012, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111. Cates' experience includes providing evaluations and testimony for the Social Security Administration for more than 25 years.
You are cordially invited to attend this seminar and to share information concerning it with others who may be seeking or are considering applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Seating is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to reserve seating, call (901) 396-6300. NAMI Mississippi 2011 Walk - November 5, 2011 Muse Disability Services is proud to support the annual Mississippi National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walk - Changing Minds...One Step at a Time event as a Bronze Sponsor. The walk will be held on November 5, 2011, at Winner's Circle Park in Flowood, Mississippi. The walk is a nationwide fundraising and mental health awareness program that is being held in more than 80 communities around the country in 2011. It is expected that these walks will raise approximately 9 million dollars in 2011 for NAMI and the mental health services it provides to thousands of families across the country. All the funds collected by Walkers will be used to fund NAMI's programs. These programs include support, education, research, and advocacy involving schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and severe anxiety disorders. The walk is a rain or shine event. We hope to see you there!
MsAHQ Annual Fall Conference - October 13-14, 2011
Muse Disability Services will be exhibiting at the Mississippi Association for Healthcare Quality Annual Fall Conference (MsAHQ) on October 13 - 14, 2011, at the Vicksburg Convention Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We welcome you to visit our exhibit!
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release
Employees Rank Social Security as One of the Best-Managed Federal Agencies
The Social Security Administration ranks as one of the top agencies in the federal government, according to the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The survey, conducted by the Office of Personnel Management, measured responses from more than 250,000 federal employees across the nation.
“This survey confirms what many of us already know: Social Security is a wonderful place to work,” said Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security. “The fact that our own employees rank us among the leaders in federal government speaks to the satisfaction that working for Social Security brings.”
Social Security earned the number four ranking in two of four categories: leadership & knowledge management, as well as job satisfaction. The leadership & knowledge management index indicates the extent employees hold their leadership in high regard; the job satisfaction index indicates the extent employees are satisfied with their jobs.
The survey is a government-wide assessment of federal employees’ job satisfaction and perceptions of their agency. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions that characterize successful organizations are present in their agencies.
To learn more about careers with the Social Security Administration, please go to www.socialsecurity.gov/careers.
To learn more about the report, please go to www.fedview.opm.gov.
2011 NAMI Convention - September 23-24, 2011 Bruce Johnston, one of Muse Disability's social security disability representatives will be speaking at the 2011 Tennessee National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Convention to be held on September 23-24 at the Millennium Maxwell Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. We hope you can attend this convention! For more information, visit www.namitn.org or call 800-467-3589.
2011 MCSW Conference – September 15-16, 2011
Muse Disability Services will be exhibiting at the 2011 Mississippi Conference on Social Welfare (MCSW) at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi on September 15-16. We welcome you to visit our exhibit!
Free Social Security Disability Screening – Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Muse Disability Services will be offering a Free Social Security Disability Screening at the 13th annual St. Dominic’s Senior Wellness Fest on Wednesday, September 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson, Mississippi. We’re anticipating another excellent Senior Wellness Fest and look forward to seeing you there! Come and enjoy free health screenings, vendor booths, food, and entertainment! Over the past 12 years, St. Dominic Health Services has hosted this event which targets over 800 senior adults, their families, and caregivers from the greater Jackson metro area. 2011 MAER Conference – August 30-31, 2011
Muse Disability Services will be exhibiting at the 2011 Mississippi Association for Education and Rehab of the Blind and Visually Impaired (MAER) Conference at the River Room Conference Center in Flowood, Mississippi on August 30-31. We welcome you to visit our exhibit! Muse's Jay Philley was on Fox40, explaining what Social Security Disability is, and how we can help!
Social Security Benefits Will Be Paid On Time - Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced today that Social Security payments for August 3rd will be made on time and as scheduled. Payments for August 10th, 17th, and 24th also will be made as scheduled.
“I am happy to announce there will be no delay in the payment of August Social Security benefits,” Commissioner Astrue said, “which should be a relief to those people who were concerned about their benefits. I’m pleased the President and Congress were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to avoid an interruption in payments.”
People still receiving paper checks from Social Security should consider signing up for Direct Deposit, the secure and convenient way to receive Social Security payments. All current beneficiaries must switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013.
Free Social Security Disability Application and Appeals Process Workshop - Sunday, July 17, 2011
C. Greg Cates, Ed.D, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Case Development (ACD), Muse Disability Services' subsidiary, will be speaking at a free workshop titled "Social Security Disability: The Application and Appeals Process" from 3-5 p.m. this Sunday, July 17, 2011 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111.
You are cordially invited to attend this seminar and to share information concerning it with others who may be seeking or are considering applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Seating is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to reserve seating, call (901) 458-5302. SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release
Under the Law No Social Security COLA for 2011
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 58 million Americans will not automatically increase in 2011, the Social Security Administration announced today.
The Social Security Act provides for an automatic increase in Social Security and SSI benefits if there is an increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the last year a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) was determined to the third quarter of the current year. As determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008, the last year a COLA was determined, to the third quarter of 2010, therefore, under existing law, there can be no COLA in 2011. Read More
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release
Social Security Breaks Ground on Jackson Teleservice Center
New Call Center Will Help Agency Handle Growing Demand for Services
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today joined Congressman John Tanner and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency’s new teleservice center (TSC) in Jackson, Tennessee. The Jackson TSC will be the first new call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade. When completed, it will create almost 200 new jobs for residents in the Jackson area.
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release
Social Security Fast-Track Disability Processes Get Even Faster
New Rules Will Further Speed Benefits to Tens of Thousands of Americans with Disabilities
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency has published final rules that will further reduce the time it takes to decide applications for disability benefits from those persons with the most severe disabilities—a process that currently takes less than two weeks on average. The new rules allow disability examiners to make fully favorable determinations for adult cases under the agency’s Quick Disability Determination (QDD) and Compassionate Allowance (CAL) processes without medical or psychological consultant approval. It also will help the agency process cases more efficiently as it will give medical and psychological consultants more time to work on complex cases where their expertise is most needed.
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release Friday, June 10, 2011 Get Direct Deposit to Stay Ahead of Hurricane Season With the 2011 hurricane season underway, Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, has an important message for people receiving checks from Social Security: please sign up for Direct Deposit before the first storm hits. "Direct Deposit is a secure and convenient way to receive Social Security payments, particularly when a natural disaster strikes," Commissioner Astrue said. "This is a simple step people can take to eliminate one concern as they prepare for the hurricane season. Having funds available in the event of a storm is critically important. Eighty-seven percent of our beneficiaries already take advantage of Direct Deposit, and I urge anyone not yet signed up for electronic payments to do so now."
As of May 1, 2011, anyone who applies for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits will receive payments electronically, and all current beneficiaries must switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013. To sign up or learn more, please visit www.godirect.org.
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release Friday, May 13, 2011
The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds will be exhausted in 2036, one year sooner than projected last year. The DI Trust Fund, while unchanged from last year, will be exhausted in 2018 and legislative action will be needed soon. At a minimum, a reallocation of the payroll tax rate between OASI and DI would be necessary, as was done in 1994. The Trustees also project that OASDI program costs will exceed non-interest income in 2011 and will remain higher throughout the remainder of the 75-year period. SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release Monday, May 9, 2011
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the agency is publishing data on its Open Government website www.socialsecurity.gov/open about verifications the agency conducts for States under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. Under HAVA, most States are required to verify the last four digits of the Social Security number of people newly registering to vote who do not possess a valid State driver's license.
“I strongly support President Obama’s commitment to creating an open and transparent government,” Commissioner Astrue said. “As we approach another federal election year, it remains absolutely critical that Americans are able to register to vote without undue obstacles. Making this data publicly available will allow the media and the public on a timely basis to raise questions about unexpected patterns with the appropriate State officials.”
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release Friday, February 4, 2011
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today dedicated the Robert M. Ball Federal Building at the agency’s Woodlawn headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Ball’s son, Jonathan Ball, and other members of the Ball family joined Commissioner Astrue in dedicating the building. “This is a very exciting day for our family,” said Jonathan Ball. “My father truly dedicated his life to the advancement of Social Security. It is a great satisfaction to have this building, where vital Social Security work takes place, be dedicated to him.”
Robert Ball began his career working in a local Social Security field office in 1939. He held a number of key executive positions and, in 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed Mr. Ball Commissioner of Social Security. He continued to serve as Commissioner under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon until his retirement in 1973. He is Social Security’s longest serving Commissioner.
SOCIAL SECURITY
News Release Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Social Security Invites the Public to Comment on its Regulations Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced a new way for members of the public to participate in open and transparent government. In response to President Obama’s executive order on improving regulations and regulatory review, Social Security is inviting people to provide direct feedback on its rules and regulations. Ideas and comments may be emailed to RegsReview@ssa.gov. “Social Security values the public’s input and wants to provide a meaningful opportunity for people to participate in the regulatory process,” Commissioner Astrue said. “I invite the public to share their thoughts and I am excited to hear their ideas.”
Call one of our helpful representatives today.
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