[NFBF-L] FW: [The Conduit] FW: [Ccb-presidents] FW: [Leadership] Article: Social Security Change in Notice Policy Could Affect Visually Impaired

[Sylvia Young]

Thanks Kaye.
*Sylvia Young*
*850-322-5937*
*"Phenomenal Woman; Phenomenally"*

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08/10/21,
09:39:59 PM

On Tue, Aug 10, 2021 at 8:28 PM Kaye via NFBF-L <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> I got this article from another list I am on and thought it might be
> interesting information for some.
> Note, after a little research, I found that if you do not have a "My SSA"
> account, your notices will not change, but if you do, check this out.
>
>
> Social Security Change in Notice Policy Could Affect Visually Impaired
>
>
> Renewed opt-in needed for many to keep getting mailed notices in formats
> like large print and braille
>
> Article Link:
> https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/info-2021/blind-beneficiaries-special-notice-option-change.html
>
>
>
> Many of the hundreds of thousands of Americans with vision loss <
> https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/causes-of-blindness.html>
> who receive specially formatted notices from the Social Security
> Administration (SSA) will stop getting them this summer unless they act now
> to continue this service.
>
> For more than a decade, the SSA has offered visually impaired
> beneficiaries special notice options (SNO) to receive communications in
> formats such as large print, braille and CD. Even those who chose, via
> online My Social Security accounts <
> https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/what-is-my-social-security/>
> , to no longer get printed letters from the SSA could still receive special
> notices in their chosen format, along with an online message.
>
> Starting Aug. 14, these Americans will get only the online version of SSA
> messages unless they or someone assisting them logs in to their account and
> opts in for paper mailings. Those who do so will continue receiving special
> notices in their preferred format as well as online notices in the Message
> Center of their My Social Security account.
>
> The SSA says the change reflects how most My Social Security users want to
> receive official communication.
>
> "The agency began planning for this initiative several years ago, as it
> aligns with our agency strategic plan as well as customer preference,” SSA
> spokeswoman Nicole Tiggemann explained in an email.
>
> "This change does have the potential to save some money for the agency,
> but we expect minimal savings in the short term,” she said. “The focus is
> on customizable service-delivery options."
>
>
>
>
> Experts: Change is ‘concerning'
>
>
> About a half million people use special notice options, according to data
> from the SSA. More than 388,000 do so in large print. Nearly 47,000 have
> opted for a phone call, about 27,500 for a certified letter, 23,000 for a
> data or audio CD, and about 11,700 for braille communications.
>
> Tiggemann said the SSA sent messages to My Social Security users on June
> 14 “that explained that we will no longer provide SNO format notices for
> notices available online to our customers who opted out of paper notices.”
> The agency followed up two weeks later, she said, with “certified mail
> notices, in the SNO format,” to make sure affected recipients got the word.
>
> Some people with vision loss can use assistive technology products <
> https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/low-vision-technology.html>
> such as specialized magnifiers, electronic braille notetakers and
> screen-reading software. Others may rely on friends or family to help them
> create and use a My Social Security account.
>
> Even so, requiring the visually impaired to take steps online to avoid
> being dropped from the SNO list is “a little concerning,” says Phil Armour,
> a labor economist who studies Social Security and disability insurance <
> https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/apply-for-ss-disability/>
> .
>
> "As the pandemic has shown, not everybody has internet or is internet
> savvy or has reliable internet,” says Armour, a professor of policy
> analysis at Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California.
>
> Clark Rachfal, director of advocacy and governmental affairs at the
> Alexandria, Virginia–based American Council of the Blind, also calls the
> shift “concerning” and potentially “confusing” for visually impaired
> beneficiaries.
>
> "As individuals age they are more likely to develop a disability,
> including age-related vision loss,” he says. “This change has the potential
> as something to impact millions of Americans.”
>
> The nonprofit American Foundation for the Blind estimates that about 32
> million American adults, including 9.2 million age 65 or older, experience
> significant vision loss, based on 2018 data from the National Center for
> Health Statistics.
>
>
>
>
> How to Set Up Special Notices
>
>
> If you do not get special notices and want to start, log in to your My
> Social Security account and open the Preferences page. Click the Request a
> Special Notice Option link in the blue information box at the bottom of the
> page and choose one of these communication methods:
>
> *       Standard print notice by first-class mail
> *       Standard print notice by certified mail
> *       Standard print notice by first-class mail, with a follow-up phone
> call
> *       Standard print and braille notices by first-class mail
> *       Standard print and large-print (18-point font) notices by
> first-class mail
> *       Standard print notice and Microsoft Word file of text on a data
> CD, by first-class mail
> *       Standard print notice and voice recording of the text on audio CD,
> by first-class mail
>
>
>
>
> Lawsuit expanded options
>
>
> The American Council of the Blind filed a class-action suit against the
> SSA in 2005, charging that the agency was denying visually impaired people
> equal access to benefits and programs by failing to provide them with
> broader communication options.
>
> "Someone would receive in standard small print a letter from Social
> Security saying they had 30 days to respond but be unable to read or
> complete the information request and their benefits would be terminated,”
> Rachfal said.
>
> Before that case, notice options for visually impaired beneficiaries
> included certified and first-class mail and phone calls. After a federal
> judge ruled for the plaintiffs in 2009, the SSA added specialized formats
> such as large print, braille and CDs.
>
> Noting the cost savings from potentially reducing SNO mailings, Rachfal
> says it is “laudable to eliminate waste,” but the SSA “should do it in a
> manner that does not diminish service."
>
> Armour says he's “seen movements in the opposite direction, where
> [government] agencies have been trying to think about ways of getting the
> news out.” He cites Internal Revenue Service efforts to notify taxpayers
> who lack health insurance about Affordable Care Act coverage options.
>
> The SSA has conducted similarly targeted outreach in other areas. For
> example, since late last year the agency has been sending notices to those
> receiving Social Security benefits who may also qualify for Supplemental
> Security Income <
> https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/what-is-ssi/>
> , an SSA-administered program that provides cash assistance to older,
> disabled and blind people with low income.
>
> "Making it more difficult to find out about and apply for disability
> benefits really does screen out people,” Armour says. “It tends to
> disproportionately screen out those most likely to qualify for benefits."
>
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