Tightening up disability judgements

[SteadyMercury]

Government Pulls in Reins On Disability Judges - WSJ.com

The agency is rewriting the job descriptions of its judicial corps, allowing officials more latitude to crack down on judges who are awarding disability benefits outside the norm.

Many judges have operated as if they were independent of the agency and awarded or denied benefits based on their own judgments. A few weeks ago, the SSA notified the judges of the changes.

The job descriptions will no longer include the words "complete individual independence," and will also clarify that the judges are "subject to the supervision and management" of other agency officials, according to a draft reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Sorely needed given the outlier judges who rubber stamp whatever comes across their desk or have cozy relationships with disability lawyers.