Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 12/15/2003

Dear Sgt Shaft
My husband and I were both in the service. He, during the occupation of Japan beginning in 1946. I was in the service beginning in 1951 and served in England. We took your article from THE WASHINGTON TIMES, dated July 21,2003 and our discharge papers to The SS office on West RD here in Baltimore, MD. We were told it would be investigated. Since we heard nothing I called them after a month. When we still heard nothing we made an appointment and returned to SS for the status of our inquiry. It has now been over 2/12 months without any word from SS, We are at a loss. Can you give me the address of the National office and /or some other advice? I wonder if they are waiting for us to die or give up on the inquiry. We get THE Washington Times every Monday just to read your column. Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
Violet M,
Baltimore, MD.

Dear Violet,
I have referred yours and other veteran’s Social Security complaints to the Chairman of the House subcommittee on Social Security. The following is his response.

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
Like you, I remain concerned about the improper crediting of military wage Credits toward veterans' Social Security benefits. I asked the Social Security Administration's Inspector General to review the status of the Agency's efforts to improve administration of military wage credits and The effect on beneficiaries. Knowing of your ongoing interest in this area, I have enclosed a copy of Inspector General Huse's response.

Since 1957, military personnel have been covered under Social Security, and members of the military receive special credits that boost their earnings when computing Social Security benefits. Veterans who served before the military was brought into the Social Security system are also provided with special credits. Today, military veterans represent one out of four Social Security beneficiaries.

Although well-deserved, military wage credits have made the claims process more complex. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released two reports in recent years on military earnings. In September 1997, the OIG made 13 recommendations to improve processing of military earnings, noting that military earnings account for about 60 percent of all earnings record errors caused by field offices. In a second report, released in October 2002, the OIG stated that 10 of the 13 recommendations had been put into action and three were in the process of implementation.

According to the Inspector General, there are a number of factors that complicate proper accounting of military wages: credit amounts depend on the date of military service; the Agency must verify several factors related to military service and whether the earnings were used toward another Federal pension; and lack of information in Social Security's computer systems. While military wage errors are far from being resolved, the IG did commend the Social Security Administration (SSA) for its proactive approach in addressing these challenges, including improvement in field office employee instructions and procedures, as well as computer system enhancements. Additional improvements are planned for 2004. In addition to these steps, the SSA Office of Quality Assurance and Performance Assessment continues to devise ways to identify beneficiaries who may have had their military wages processed incorrectly.

Please be assured I will continue to monitor the SSA's progress in this matter. Should you have further questions, please contact Subcommittee Staff Director, Kim Hildred, at (202) 225-9263, who will be happy to assist you.

Sincerely,
E. Clay Shaw, Jr.
Chairman Subcommittee on Social Security

Dear Sgt Shaft
Kudos to you and the Honorable Clay Shaw.
On October 28th, the Social Security Inspector General provided a report to discuss the issue of military wage credits when calculating benefits. The IG has found that in some instances the Social Security Administration does not properly apply these credits. To all of those who have sent letters, emails, faxes and have made phone calls -- It is important to contact the local Social Security field office and apply for wage credits. Also, submit your request in writing and ask that your benefit be recalculated to insure proper credit of military wage credits. And -- ask the local Social Security field office to provide written documentation to show how the wage credits were included in the calculation. If you are being stymied by the bureaucrats then contact the district office of your member of Congress or U.S. Senator. These offices have caseworkers that work with federal agencies to resolve complaints.

There is no absolute answer to how these wage credits will affect the current level of benefits. As with other federal programs, offsets can occur. VA disability compensation is not one of the offsets.

Again, please insure that you get a proper explanation of how your Social Security benefit was calculated.

Mark H. Olanoff
Assistant Director, Legislative Commission
The American Legion

Dear Mark
Thanks for bringing this important issue to the Sarge’s attention. I urge Chairman Clay Shaw and Veteran Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Smith to hold joint hearings on this important issue.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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