Disability Judge Spurs Benefits Investigation

Investigators from the Social Security Administration's inspector general's office descended on Huntington, W.Va., on Thursday, the same day a Wall Street Journal front-page article detailed the high award rate of administrative law judge David B. Daugherty.

At least two congressional probes are being launched or expanded as a result of the article, congressional aides said. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said he planned to look at how the agency grants disability claims. And the House Ways and Means Committee plans to broaden an existing investigation into how Social Security disability programs are administered.

"Taxpayers fund this essential safety net, and they have every right to be outraged," a committee spokeswoman said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704816604576333682478147922.html?KEYWORDS=disability+judge


AND:

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/05/19/the-judge-who-rarely-rules-no/?KEYWORDS=disability+judge

The comments are nasty, for the most part, of course, it's the WSJ. Also, will there be investigations by Hatch of judges who always rule "No".

...

Who doesn't make the disabled jump through hoops to get benefits.

nt.