The Social Security Administration has not had an Senate-confirmed
Commissioner since Michael Astrue, nominated by President George W.
Bush, left the post in 2013.
President Obama failed to appoint a
replacement after his first nominee encountered trouble in the Senate.
In April, President Trump announced his intent to nominate
Andrew Saul, a
New York businessman who serves on the MTA Board. That nomination is
awaiting confirmation.
T
he White House
announced President Trump’s plans to nominate Andrew Saul as
Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. If confirmed, he
would serve the remainder of the six-year term that expires Jan. 19,
2019, and the following six-year term that expires Jan. 19, 2025. Trump
also announced David Black of North Dakota as his nomination for SSA
Deputy Commissioner for the remainder of the six-year term that expires
Jan. 19, 2019.
The SSA has been without a Senate-confirmed commissioner since
Feb. 13, 2013, when Michael Astrue stepped down. The lack of a
commissioner was the topic of a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee hearing held March 7, “Lacking a Leader: Challenges Facing the SSA After Over 5 Years of Acting Commissioners.”
According
to the release, Saul is a partner with Saul Partners, LP, and
previously held roles in public service as chairman of the Federal
Retirement Thrift Investment Board and vice chairman of the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA). Currently, he is a commissioner for
Westchester County, New York.
Saul
held other business roles as board chairman for Cache Inc., president
of Brooks Fashion Stores Inc., and president of BR Investors. Additional
community involvement includes serving as vice chairman of the Mt.
Sinai Health System in New York City, vice chairman of the Icahn School
of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, and as trustee for the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York and National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Saul
graduated from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of
Pennsylvania in 1968, at the same time as President Trump, and serves on
its board of overseers.
Black
currently serves as White House senior advisor at the SSA. He served as
general counsel from October 2007 to July 2015, according to the
release. His background includes serving as deputy assistant secretary
at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, and as
lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was deployed to
Afghanistan and Iraq during the Global War on Terrorism and earned a
Bronze Star. He has a J.D. from the University of Minnesota and B.A. in
political science from the University of North Dakota.
Once the nominations are formalized, they will go to the Senate to be considered for confirmation.
On January 23,
2017,
Nancy A. Berryhill became the Acting
Commissioner of Social Security, with responsibility for overseeing one
of the nation’s largest and most important domestic programs. (When will SSA get a real Commissioner? President Obama appointed only Acting Commissioners.)
With a $12
billion budget and almost 64,000 employees serving in more than 1,500
offices across the country and around the world, plus 16,000 State
employees making disability determinations, the Social Security
Administration issues more than $960 billion in payments to nearly 66
million people each year.
Previously, Ms. Berryhill served as the Deputy Commissioner
for Operations, Social Security’s largest component, where she
successfully implemented many expanded service delivery options for the
public. Prior to that position, Ms. Berryhill served two years as the
agency’s Regional Commissioner for the Chicago Region and five years as
Regional Commissioner for the Denver Region. In Denver, she developed
numerous innovative, mission-focused initiatives such as video service
delivery, use of webinar technology, and the creation of the first
American Indian outreach guide.
Ms. Berryhill began her Social Security career as a GS-2
student employee. In her 40 years at the agency, she has held many
frontline positions, including Claims Clerk, Service Representative,
Claims Representative, Operations Supervisor, District Manager, and Area
Director for the State of Illinois.
Ms. Berryhill has received numerous agency awards, including
the Commissioner’s Citation, the agency’s highest recognition. In 2010,
she received the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, and
in 2015, she received the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished
Executive, the highest honor awarded career executives in the Federal
Government. Her work and achievements consistently demonstrate
professional excellence, exceptional leadership, integrity, and
commitment to public service.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Ms. Berryhill obtained her
degree in Computer Science at the Control Data Institute in Chicago. She
is a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University.
PREVIOUS ACTING COMMISSIONER:
Meet The New Acting Commissioner Of THe Social Security Administration, Carolyn Colvin.
On February 14, 2013,
Carolyn W. Colvin became the
Acting Commissioner of Social Security. Prior to this designation, she served as the
Deputy Commissioner, having been confirmed by the
United States Senate
on December 22, 2010 as President Obama’s nominee. In addition to her
role as the Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Ms. Colvin serves as
a Trustee to the Social Security Board of Trustees.
Throughout her career, Ms. Colvin has managed programs that help
people with their healthcare and financial needs. She previously held
key executive positions at Social Security Headquarters: Deputy
Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs (1994–1996), Deputy
Commissioner for Programs and Policy (1996–1998), and Deputy
Commissioner for Operations (1998–2001).
Prior to returning to SSA, Ms. Colvin was the Director of Human Services for the
District of Columbia (2001-2003); the Director of the Montgomery County
Department of Health and Human Services
(2003-2007); the Chief Executive Officer of AMERIGROUP Community Care
of the District of Columbia (2007–2008); and, the Special Assistant to
the Secretary of
Maryland’s
Department of Transportation (2009-2011). In addition, Ms. Colvin
served as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Human Resources
(1989-1994).
Ms. Colvin has received numerous awards and recognition for her
managerial expertise and creativity, including Maryland’s Top 100 Women
Award from the Daily Record (2005) and the Women of Achievement Award
from Suburban Maryland Business and Professional Women (2005). She has
served on a variety of boards and commissions, including the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Ms. Colvin earned her graduate and undergraduate degrees in business administration from
Morgan State University. Additionally, she completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at
Harvard University,
the Maryland Leadership Program, and the Greater Baltimore Leadership
Program. Ms. Colvin is from Maryland and currently resides in
Anne Arundel County. She has one son and six grandchildren.
https://judgelondonsteverson.me/2013/01/14/who-will-president-obama-select-to-be-the-new-commissioner-of-the-social-security-administration/
Who Will President Obama Select To Be The New Commissioner Of The Social Security Administration?
Michael Astrue
Michael J. Astrue was sworn in as
Commissioner of the
Social Security Administration (SSA) on February 12, 2007 for a six-year term that expires on January 19, 2013.
President Barack Obama is expected to soon nominate a new Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Astrue was appointed by
President George W. Bush.
The White House is silent about who will take the helm at SSA. The SSA
faces voluminous backlogs and claimants may have to wait up to 5 years
just to get a hearing before an
Administrative Law Judge
(ALJ). Some extreme cases have taken more than 10 years from the date
of filing a claim to get a final decision on whether they are entitled
to disability retirement benefits.
Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue’s six-year term
expires January 19, 2013. His successor must be confirmed by the Senate,
in a process that Sen.
Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, expects will take a couple of months from the hearings to a vote.
Michael Astrue was still Commissioner of Social Security on 25
January. His term ran out on January 19 but the Social Security Act says
he can stay in his job until a successor is confirmed. He hasn’t
resigned so he’s still Commissioner. The same is true for Deputy
Commissioner Carolyn Colvin. The rumor had been that Astrue did not
intend to stay on after his term ended. So far, he’s proving that rumor
wrong. Astrue does seem to be clearing items off his desk. Take a look
at what he
just sent over
to the Office of Management and Budget. I wonder if he’s planning to
send over his version of new mental impairment listings before leaving.
The SSA has more than 11,000 employees at its headquarters in
Woodlawn, Maryland. It provides benefits to retirees, disabled Americans
and the children of deceased workers. The SSA paid more than
$778,000,000,000 (that is billion) in benefits to 56 million people. The
SSA’s budget rivals that of the Department Of Defense.
Carolyn Colvin is Astrue’s Deputy, but she is not considered
to be a serious contender to replace him. She was confirmed by the
Senate two years ago. Her term also expires January 19, 2013. She is a
former secretary of the state Department of Human Resources and served
as special assistant to Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation.
One possibility that comes to mind is that there will never be an
announcement of an Obama nominee for Commissioner of Social Security.
Astrue will leave the job in the near future and Carolyn Colvin will
become the Acting Commissioner for the rest of Obama’s term as
President. Colvin as Acting Commissioner, unlike Astrue and unlike a
nominated and confirmed Commissioner of Social Security, would be
serving at the President’s will. If Colvin displeased the President, she
could be removed from the job by Obama nominating and the Senate
confirming a Commissioner. I think it is more than possible that
the President has had his fill of an independent Social Security Commissioner and wants someone who is truly on his team. I have no inside information. This is just my speculation. Of course, this can’t happen if Astrue keeps hanging around.
(BIOGRAPHY of Catolyn Colvin)
QUOTE: On February 14, 2013, Carolyn W. Colvin became the Acting
Commissioner of Social Security. Prior to this designation, she served
as the Deputy Commissioner, having been confirmed by the United States
Senate on December 22, 2010 as President Obama’s nominee. In addition
to her role as the Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Ms. Colvin
serves as a Trustee to the Social Security Board of Trustees.
Throughout her career, Ms. Colvin has managed programs that help
people with their healthcare and financial needs. She previously held
key executive positions at Social Security Headquarters: Deputy
Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs (1994–1996), Deputy
Commissioner for Programs and Policy (1996–1998), and Deputy
Commissioner for Operations (1998–2001).
Prior to returning to SSA, Ms. Colvin was the Director of Human
Services for the District of Columbia (2001-2003); the Director of the
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (2003-2007);
the Chief Executive Officer of AMERIGROUP Community Care of the District
of Columbia (2007–2008); and, the Special Assistant to the Secretary of
Maryland’s Department of Transportation (2009-2011). In addition, Ms.
Colvin served as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Human
Resources (1989-1994).
Ms. Colvin has received numerous awards and recognition for her
managerial expertise and creativity, including Maryland’s Top 100 Women
Award from the Daily Record (2005) and the Women of Achievement Award
from Suburban Maryland Business and Professional Women (2005). She has
served on a variety of boards and commissions, including the National
Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Ms. Colvin earned her graduate and undergraduate degrees in business
administration from Morgan State University. Additionally, she
completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at
Harvard University, the Maryland Leadership Program, and the Greater
Baltimore Leadership Program. Ms. Colvin is from Maryland and currently
resides in Anne Arundel County. She has one son and six grandchildren.
UNQUOTE.
Nancy Altman, who helps lead two Social Security advocacy
groups, has emerged as a potential contender. She has been endorsed by
the AFL-CIO and the Association of Administrative Law Judges (AALJ), a
network of 1,400 ALJs who decide disability insurance claims. The
endorsement of the AALJ is the kiss of death; so, she cannot really be
considered a serious contender for the job.
Nevertheless,
Judge Randall Frye, president of the AALJ, has said the AALJ is backing
Ms. Altman for Commissioner because of her expertise.
For her part,
Ms. Altman has said “My goal would be to restore confidence in the agency and to let the workforce know how appreciative I am and the
American people are for the work that is being done.”
One of the major challenges the next commissioner will confront is
building administrative support to decrease the long backlogs in the
disability insurance program. This is something that Commissioner Astrue
was not able to accomplish despite all of the ALJs he was allowed to
place on the federal pay roll and the increase in budget that he was
granted. The new Commissioner will also be challenged to improve the
quality of service that SSA employees are reputed to provide to the
public. Case workers and administrative staff members at SSA are
notorious for their abrupt manners and surly attitudes resulting in a
low level of public service. The Agency will be challenged to provide a
higher level of service.
Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, was noted to remark
that “This is an opportunity at the Social Security Administration to
really take it to the next level, and it’s important to make sure it has
the resources it needs”.
James Robinson Jr.
My choice for the next Commissioner is something of a dark horse. He is
James Roosevelt Jr. He is a Health Care Insurance man and considering the controversy surrounding the implementation of
ObamaCare, he would be a natural choice for President Obama for his 2nd term.
President Obama’s reelection lifted much of the cloud that hung over
the health care industry in Massachusetts, where caregivers and insurers
anticipated a push to repeal the national health care overhaul if
Mitt Romney had become president. But Romney was not elected.
“This outcome provides an opportunity for greater cooperation and less contention,” said
James Roosevelt Jr., chief executive of Tufts Health Plan.
But health care organizations are still seeking clarity on many
features of ObamaCare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, many of
which have not yet taken effect. The federal overhaul includes
regulations requiring insurers to invest in new technology and funds for
expanding Medicaid and revamping Medicare payments as the states press
forward with their own efforts to rein in costs and build more
integrated health care networks.
Obama’s victory “removes a layer of uncertainty for health plans,
providers, and employers,” said Andrew Dreyfus, chief executive of Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest health insurer.
In 2012 James Robinson Jr wrote an op-ed with Robert L. Reynolds, a Republican and CEO of Putnam Investments, where
he advocates raising the Social Security retirement age at a brisker pace and cutting back the growth of benefits with a different Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Robinson wrote “..
we should accelerate the rise in Social
Security’s full-benefit retirement age from age 67 to 68 by 2030 and
then index the full benefit age for future generations to gains in
longevity. Life expectancy past age 65 has risen nearly 50 percent
since 1940, when Social Security first began regular monthly payments.
That said, we should improve disability options for those engaged in
physically demanding jobs. No one expects coal miners or telephone line
crews to work into their late 60s.”
He went further to say “On the benefits side,
we should change the
way we calculate the cost-of-living adjustment for all beneficiaries,
by utilizing a revised Consumer Price Index which most economists agree
more accurately reflects the rate of inflation for the expenses most
seniors incur. Such a change would curb the rate of increase in benefits
for future generations of retirees […]”
Considering President Obama’s attitude and behavior with respect
to the “Fiscal Cliff” negotiations I am betting he will select James
Robinson Jr to be the next Commissioner of the Social Security
Administration.
This just in from former Democratic Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey.
The press and public have understandably focused in recent weeks on
high-profile appointments such as the secretaries of state, defense and
treasury as President
Barack Obama
builds his second-term team. They also should pay close attention to
the search for a man or woman to serve as commissioner of the Social
Security Administration — a post central to the national welfare and,
with a six-year term, an appointment that will continue into the next
presidency.
The Social Security Administration, headquartered just outside
Baltimore in Woodlawn, touches the lives and pocketbooks of nearly every
American. With this cornerstone of our social compact under demographic
pressure and political threat, the president’s choice for a successor
is vitally important.
Washington is a land of partisan extremes these days, a place where
compromise is an orphan and dealmakers are a rare sight. Inevitably,
Social Security will again be a political football as
Congress
attempts to manage America’s fiscal challenges. As a veteran of more
than a few policy debates and political fights — some of which didn’t
end the way I’d have liked — I want suggest what I think are key job
requirements for the new commissioner:
•The nominee should bring substantial managerial experience. The
Social Security Administration has roughly 62,000 employees. The agency
processes payments of $4.5 billion to 6 million recipients every month.
It needs a strong CEO capable of running a large and complex
organization that does high-stakes work.
•The nominee should bring considerable policy expertise. For more
than 20 years, actuaries have battled, often very publicly, over the
viability of Social Security’s funding mechanism. It would be profoundly
foolish today to ignore the demographic challenges the retirement of
baby boomers will pose to the system. The remedy should not be a
Band-Aid, but structural reform for the long haul.
The next commissioner, unlike some predecessors, should bring to the
job a detailed historical knowledge of Social Security — of decisions
that have made the system stronger and of others that have weakened it.
•Diplomatic skills will be essential. The commissioner of Social
Security will need to deal not only with criticism from his or her
natural political opponents but also with substantial pressure from
natural allies. A commissioner perceived as a zealot or out of touch
with the private sector will have a hard time advancing arguments for a
new structure of benefits or changes to Social Security’s long term
funding.
•The commissioner of Social Security needs considerable fortitude.
One of the most important aspects of the job is appearing before
Congress (approximately four times a year, though the frequency can
shift). For at least the next two years, that will mean confronting a
Republican-controlled Congress whose leadership lives in fear of tea
partiers whose rhetoric would suggest they’d like to see Social Security
dismantled altogether. The next commissioner of Social Security will
need the strength of will and command of facts necessary to stand
toe-to-toe with well-prepared congressional foes.
•Finally, the next commissioner will have to be someone passionately
dedicated to the principles that underlie the Social Security system and
eloquent in articulating those principles.
The vast majority of Americans want a fair system that offers dignity
to the elderly while preserving economic opportunity for current and
future workers. They deserve a commissioner who can ensure Social
Security operates properly, provide a vision for its long-term future
and lead the fight to preserve it from political critics or demographic
threats.
(Bill Bradley)
