Long Island Railroad, the Railroad Retirement Board, and Disability Claims Processing

[mkrishnan]

This expose from the NYT yesterday was really interesting....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/us/15rail.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

After learning that most of her career employees were retiring early and getting disability payments, the Long Island Rail Road’s president, Helena E. Williams, set out in October to learn more about the obscure federal agency in Chicago that was dispensing the money, a quarter of a billion dollars since 2000.

But when Ms. Williams asked to attend the next meeting of the agency — the federal Railroad Retirement Board, rail workers’ version of Social Security — she got a surprise.

The board, with about $34 billion in assets, had not met formally in nearly two years, and no new meeting was scheduled. The three board members, all full-time presidential appointees, rarely met even in private, employees of the agency say.

Operating out of public view, with little scrutiny from Congress and even from its former inspector general, the retirement board has become the agency that cannot say no, last year approving virtually every single disability application it received — almost 98 percent. It did not matter where rail employees lived or where they worked.

[freeny]

seems par for the course.

[mkrishnan]

seems par for the course.

Actually, I've never heard of any other federal agency (or any other agency of any kind) that had a disability claims granting rate like that.... Although the government does grant lots of disability claims for its various agencies, I've never heard of anything like this....

[rdowns]

Note to President-Elect Obama. Here's a good place to start reforming the budget.

[Desertrat]

But is this not the same government which has given us the Patriot Act and the TSA? The same government to which some would entrust our health care?

'Rat

[CalBoy]

But is this not the same government which has given us the Patriot Act and the TSA? The same government to which some would entrust our health care?

'Rat

Thankfully we've voted that government out of office.

[mkrishnan]

Thankfully we've voted that government out of office.

And this seems to have been going on long before 9/11 or the Bush administration....

[CalBoy]

And this seems to have been going on long before 9/11 or the Bush administration....

Yes, unfortunately this particular source of bad government seems to have been going on for decades.

However, the Patriot Act and TSA are squarely on this administration, and that's why I'd be more trusting of a new administration to handle things like healthcare.

[Desertrat]

'Scuse me, but what was the vote on the Patriot Act? How much effort since the swearing in of January, 2007, has been spent by the Congress in amending it?

IOW, what I'm saying is that it doesn't matter which party has the White House or the majority in Congress. Hey, the government--IRS--took over the Jackrabbit Ranch and then went broke--which is sorta hard to do, selling what the JR was selling...

All this talk about "change"? Hey, Blago-baby ran as a reformer...

'Rat

[iJohnHenry]

Hey, the government--IRS--took over the Jackrabbit Ranch and then went broke--which is sorta hard to do, selling what the JR was selling...

Was that in addition to the Mustang Ranch in Nevada??

[mactastic]

All this talk about "change"? Hey, Blago-baby ran as a reformer...
So did Tom DeLay, IIRC...

[Desertrat]

iJohnHenry, thanks for the correction.

mac, you're probably right. We keep being told of "change", "reform" and "God, Mom and apple pie" and about all we get is the same-old same-old. I dunno. This was my thirteenth time to vote in a presidential election and I've seen little real change through all these years.

Well, not for the better, anyhow...

'Rat

[iJohnHenry]

iJohnHenry, thanks for the correction.

Damn, they should have put me in charge. ;)

[CalBoy]

'Scuse me, but what was the vote on the Patriot Act? How much effort since the swearing in of January, 2007, has been spent by the Congress in amending it?

The first Patriot Act was passed at a time of great fear and Congress wasn't being careful (not to mention the fact that at the time, the Republicans controlled the House and had a 49 seat hold on the Senate).

Incase you didn't notice, the current Patriot Act has been changed in some ways from the original, and will likely to be changed even further now that both branches are in control of the Democratic Party.

All this talk about "change"? Hey, Blago-baby ran as a reformer...



The new administration hasn't even taken office yet; give them a chance to fix the enormous mess left by their predecessors.

I personally don't know the record of the Illinois governor. He may be a corrupt politician, but if he reformed what he promised in his campaigns, then you can't blame him for that.

[szark]

I personally don't know the record of the Illinois governor. He may be a corrupt politician, but if he reformed what he promised in his campaigns, then you can't blame him for that.

From what I've read recently, he ran on a platform to eliminate corruption in Illinois politics. :p

[mactastic]

From what I've read recently, he ran on a platform to eliminate corruption in Illinois politics. :p
Getting himself put in jail would seem to go a long way towards fulfilling that promise then, eh? :p

[alphaod]

This is rather old isn't it?

[Desertrat]

CalBoy, I don't see much sign of any lessening of fear on the part of Congressfolks. And I notice that Obama has changed his tune a good bit in the last month or so about foreign wars and the seriousness of terrorism--as though he's taking it all a lot more seriously than when on the campaign trail. Damfino. Maybe these transition briefings are having some impact...

'Rat

[CalBoy]

CalBoy, I don't see much sign of any lessening of fear on the part of Congressfolks. And I notice that Obama has changed his tune a good bit in the last month or so about foreign wars and the seriousness of terrorism--as though he's taking it all a lot more seriously than when on the campaign trail. Damfino. Maybe these transition briefings are having some impact...

I think we're going to see some of the more vile parts of the Patriot Act reversed under this president.

If not that, we're going to get Supreme Court appointments who aren't going to tolerate it.

[freeny]

Actually, I've never heard of any other federal agency (or any other agency of any kind) that had a disability claims granting rate like that.... Although the government does grant lots of disability claims for its various agencies, I've never heard of anything like this....

I was referring specificly to the lirr and not government in general. I ride the lirr every day... Im riding it right now ;)