What is the Office of Quality Performance (OQP)? Is it Doing its Job?

The Office of Quality Performance is a division of the Social Security Administration that is in charge of randomly selecting cases for review.  The purpose of their intervention on a case is to ensure that decisions made at the local level are consistent with the regulations.  Bear in mind that at the initial application stage, cases are reviewed by DDS examiners who are not employed by the Social Security Administration.

Obviously, one of the purposes of this office is to prevent any particular state or region from issuing decisions that are too generous to claimants.  According to the SSA, one in every 100 cases are pulled from DDS for review.  If your case is selected for review, your case is likely to take longer to be decided.  

In my involvement in cases that have been reviewed by OQP, I usually find that the quality review process rarely works in an effective way.  All that QR does is to create an unnecessary layer of adjudication.  OQP employees aren't any smarter DDS workers.  OQP conducts yet another de-humanized paper review of a disabled person's claim, prolonging the time that it takes the agency to decide a case.  

In light of all the accusations of corruption in Kentucky, West Virginia, New York and Puerto Rico, I wonder where OQP has been.  The SSA and the critics of the disability program act as if these cases of corruption happened without their knowledge.  Really?  Any person reviewing 1 out of 100 cases at DDS in Kentucky or Puerto Rico could have easily spotted a pattern of deception by certain representatives.
OQP has an important mission.  More should be done to improve the quality of its work.  Its role shouldn't be to slow down the process and create a further layer of review.  Instead, the Office should concentrate in ensuring that the disability programs are fairly administered to protect the system from corruption and to safeguard the rights of the disabled.       

   

Benefits for Disabled Widows or Widowers

The loss of your spouse can be a devastating event specially if you suffer from an illness or condition that does not allow you to support yourself financially.  Under Social Security rules, you may be eligible for disability benefits based on your spouse's earnings record if your spouse was fully insured under the SSDI program at the time of his or her death.  

Moreover, to be able to receive benefits under your spouse's record you must also meet the following criteria:

• You must be at least 50 years old.
• You must show that you are disabled.  Note that the criteria used to determine whether you are disabled is the same one used to determine eligibility for all other adult applicants.  (SSA will use the 5 step sequential evaluation process.)
• Your disability started between the age of 50 and 60, and
• Your disability began before your spouse's death or within 7 years of his or her death.

Widows and widowers who are eligible to receive this benefit get 71.5% of the SSDI benefit that their spouses' would have received if they were alive.  Also, if you divorced prior to your spouse's death, you might be eligible for benefits if your marriage lasted 10 years or more.  However, if you were married to your spouse at the time of his or her death but your marriage lasted 9 months or less, you will not be eligible for benefits.  There are some exceptions to this rule.  For example, if you were married for 9 months or less, you might still be eligible for benefits if you are the parent of your spouse's child. 

Unfortunately, you cannot apply online for widow or widower benefits.  (Don't ask my why.  Its just the way the SSA bureaucracy works.)  You need to call by telephone and make an appointment or, visit your local SSA field office.