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Thread: New York State Disability Retirement System

  1. #76
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  2. #77
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    It's NYS what do expect!

  3. #78
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    Assembly Districts WNY

    Robin Schimminger District 140 this covers Tonawanda and the City of Tonawanda
    3514 Delaware Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217
    Phone: 716-873-2540
    Fax: 716-873-2540
    Email: Schmmr@assembly.state.ny.us

    Crystal Peoples District 141 this covers east side of Buffalo
    790-792 E. Delavan, Buffalo, NY.14215
    Phone: 716-897-9714
    Fax:
    Email: Peoplec@assembly.state.ny.us

    Michael Cole District 142 this covers Aurora, Wales, Elma, Marilla, Alden, Clarence
    5763 Seneca Street, Elma NY 14059
    Phone:716-675-7170
    Fax: 716-675-1608
    Email: colem@assembly.state.ny.us

    Dennis Gabryszak District 143 this covers Cheektowaga , Lancaster
    2560 Walden Ave, Suite 109 Cheektowaga, NY 14225
    Phone: 716-686-0080
    Fax: 716-686-0083
    Email: Gabryszakd@assembly.state.ny.us

    Sam Hoyt District 144 this covers Grand Island, West Side of Buffalo
    936 Delaware Ave Buffalo NY 14209
    Phone: 716-855-9630
    Fax: 716
    Email: Hoyts@assembly.state.ny.us

    Mark Schroeder District 145 this covers S. Buffalo OP. WS. Lackawanna
    2019 Seneca St. Buffalo, NY 14210
    Phone: 716-826-0152
    Fax: 716-826-1347
    Email: schroem@assembly.state.ny.us

    Jack Quinn District 146 this covers N. Collins, Collins, Holland, Colden, Boston, Eden,
    Hamburg, Evens, Brant
    3812 South Park Ave, Blasdell, NY 14219
    Phone: 716-826-1878
    Fax: 716-826-0808
    Email: Quinnj@assembly.state.ny.us

    Jim Hayes District 148 this covers Amherst, Pendleton
    5555 Main St , Williamsville, NY 14221
    Phone: 716-634-1895
    Fax: 716-634-1250
    Email: hayesj@assembly.state.ny.us

    Hear is an updated list of our assemblymen and the districts they cover, people emailing me asking who is our assemblyman and what area do they cover. I am missing a couple of faxes as soon as I get them I’ll post them. You can call, email, and fax these people with your complaints about the reforms needed to the disability part of the NYSRS. The two laws that have to be reformed are Retirement and Social Security Law, Section 63,74 or 374 this is what protects the state and not the disabled from their disability benefits. You cannot tell me that the politicians do not know about this and what is going on after the fact you received your Federal SSD and the comp board says you are disabled for the same injuries. How about the Senator (Lancaster area) that has been in office for about 32 years and knows how broken this system is and does nothing about it. (post #2 & #56). Election this Nov. we need some new people in Albany that represent the people not their own political agenda. If you are going to the comp board for a hearing you can pick up the forms to register to vote and also any DMV office. You can fill the form out and mail it right to the board of elections their address is right on the application. Remember assemblyman is a two year term, I will post the senators contact information for this area next and other information , thanks RB for the help with this.

  4. #79
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    Remember that idiot Alan Hevesi New York’s disgraced comptroller he resigned in shame less than two years ago. He used state employees and other resources to help him care for a sick wife. (But could careless about the i-w who are disabled in this state and are in the NYSRS) Well it looks like big AL has some more problems he has been linked to a probe being conducted by a secret grand jury about a possible illegal pay off scam linked to the state pension fund. (What a guy) According to reports that just surfaced big Al ‘s involvement in this pay to play investigation is tied to one of Hevesi’s political henchman. This is being lead by Andrew Como and the thought among political insiders in Albany is that the end result will lead to more criminal charges for big Al. Remember this guy who resigned because he defrauded the public after ordering people in his staff to chauffeur his sick wife to and from the doctors, drop off their dry cleaning and water the house plants, at a cost to the public $210,000.00.(never seen jail) As his run as comptroller for four years he handled the NYSRS with over one million members and 154.5 billion in the pension fund. He ran the worst system in the country that handles disability cases for the injured worker in this state and that continues to this day. Seems like that’s all big Al cared about was himself the usual for a politician. I’ll have more on this crooks story during the week as soon as more information comes in.

  5. #80
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    A number of Western New Yorkers have gone broke waiting two years or more to collect Social Security Disability benefits.

    Dawn, who lives in Hamburg and who didn't want her last name published is like countless others for whom a quirk of fate, changed their lives forever.

    She was a nurse who while on the job and while lifting a piece of equipment injured several discs in her spine, which lead to a vestibular disturbance, rendering her unable to see or even walk straight, let alone continue her job.

    "It's like being out on an all night drunk and you lay on the bed and the bed spins. that's my daily life," Dawn said, in describing her chronic condition.

    After a litany of medical procedures and a doctor's determination in 2005, that it was not possible for her to work any job, she applied for social security disability, albeit reluctantly.

    "I don't like relying on people, I've always been self sufficient," she said.

    Dawn was denied benefits and hired an attorney to handle her appeal which she was entitled to under the law. Though he told her it could take quite some time because of a backlog in the system,...but neither of them expected her case would last three years. In that time, with no money coming in, she's gone through her life savings, and her kid?s college funds. There's no money to pay bills or fix the roof on the trailer she lives in which is falling apart.

    The stress of it all also lead to another common diagnosis among those caught in the backlog. Clinical depression.

    "I'm no longer a caretaker, I'm no longer a nurse, I'm no longer a bread winner, and I?ve lost my identity. I'm no longer the person I was before I was injured," Dawn said.

    "That doesn't shock me at all, said Linda Fullerton, who founded the Social Security Disability Coalition, (Click Here for Their Website) a grass roots organization fighting to break the backlog.

    And it's not because of her position that she's heard stories similar to Dawn's.

    Fullerton speaks from the experience of having gone through the same thing.

    A once vibrant computer program purchasing agent who loved to travel, the Rochester woman was similarly snared in what is supposed to be a safety net.

    She became disabled after simply bumping her head on the roof of her car, which lead to a brain hemorrhage, and a host of other medical maladies. initially denied, ...she eventually did get benefits

    "Yeah, a year and a half later after I lost everything!" she said, "I lost my pension money, I lost my life savings and obviously I'm too sick to work so I'm never gonna recoup that money back again."

    Not content to become just another victim of circumstance, she has instead become one of the nation's foremost advocates for change.

    "What people don't understand is this is permanent devastation on somebody's life. It just doesn't go away when those social security checks finally do come."

    More than 7,000 visitors to the Social Security Disability Coalition Website have signed her on line petition demanding reform in a system she says is broken from top to bottom.

    "It's an insurance policy! Like life insurance, like car insurance, like health insurance, that you pay for every week out of you pay check. It's not a handout, not welfare, and if any other one of these companies that you are paying a premium on turned around and said they weren't going to pay you'd think nothing of suing them. Yet, the government is doing this to people every day," Fullerton said.

    While the massive disability case backlog Fullerton and others seek to break is being felt nationwide, it?s worse in Western New York. Because while nationally the average wait for an appeal is 529 days, --it is 691 days in these parts. That makes the waiting period in the Buffalo Region, (which includes Rochester) the 20th longest the 147 regional offices nationwide

    Rep. Brian Higgins (D-New York) of South Buffalo is among those demanding changes. He recently met with two Deputy Commissioners of the Social Security Administration to review the Agency's newly adopted plan for dealing with the backlog. But Higgins also demanded they tailor a specific plan to cut down on the backlog of cases in Western New York.

    "The Social Security Administration has an obligation, a moral obligation and otherwise, to review these claims and to make a determination in a reasonable period of time," Higgins said.

    Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) has also taken up the cause and recently got the Social Security Administration to commit to assigning two additional Administrative Law Judges to the Buffalo region, where existing judges carry an average load of 849 pending cases, in hopes of bringing relief.

    Higgins has also introduced a bill which would have the Social Security Administration report its funding needs directly to Congress, instead of the White House, which prepares the budget every year.

    But in a written response to question's posed by Two On Your Side, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration, while acknowledging the backlog is "unacceptable", inferred that perhaps members of Congress including Higgins and Schumer, ought to look in the mirror if they'd like to help break the backlog by giving the Agency the staff and resources it needs.

    "...because of systematic under-funding, Social Security's budget allocations since the late 1990's left the Agency over a billion dollars short of what the President had requested...", wrote Everett M. Lo, an SSA New York Regional Public Affairs Officer, who added, "...because of systematic under-funding, Social Security's budget allocations since the late 1990's left the Agency over a billion dollars short of what the President had requested..."

    Some believe the backlog could get worse before it gets better, because working Americans are most prone to becoming disabled between their mid 40's and early 60's....and that is precisely the current age of the nation's largest population segment--the baby boomers, ...and may go a long way in explaining why the amount of claims has doubled since 2001.

    "Personally, I firmly believe that this program was purposely set up to be as difficult as possible so that we give up or die so then they don't have to pay us, said Fullerton, in urging the public to take action.

    After all, she concluded, "Unless you go through this personally you have no clue what's going on...but at any second you could be in my shoes and the millions of others that are going through this."

    Click here for the Social Security Administration's Website


    E-Mail Us to tell us your story

    WGRZ

  6. #81
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    A number of Western New Yorkers have gone broke waiting two years or more to collect Social Security Disability benefits.

    Dawn, who lives in Hamburg and who didn't want her last name published is like countless others for whom a quirk of fate, changed their lives forever.

    She was a nurse who while on the job and while lifting a piece of equipment injured several discs in her spine, which lead to a vestibular disturbance, rendering her unable to see or even walk straight, let alone continue her job.

    "It's like being out on an all night drunk and you lay on the bed and the bed spins. that's my daily life," Dawn said, in describing her chronic condition.

    After a litany of medical procedures and a doctor's determination in 2005, that it was not possible for her to work any job, she applied for social security disability, albeit reluctantly.

    "I don't like relying on people, I've always been self sufficient," she said.

    Dawn was denied benefits and hired an attorney to handle her appeal which she was entitled to under the law. Though he told her it could take quite some time because of a backlog in the system,...but neither of them expected her case would last three years. In that time, with no money coming in, she's gone through her life savings, and her kid?s college funds. There's no money to pay bills or fix the roof on the trailer she lives in which is falling apart.

    The stress of it all also lead to another common diagnosis among those caught in the backlog. Clinical depression.

    "I'm no longer a caretaker, I'm no longer a nurse, I'm no longer a bread winner, and I?ve lost my identity. I'm no longer the person I was before I was injured," Dawn said.

    "That doesn't shock me at all, said Linda Fullerton, who founded the Social Security Disability Coalition, (Click Here for Their Website) a grass roots organization fighting to break the backlog.

    And it's not because of her position that she's heard stories similar to Dawn's.

    Fullerton speaks from the experience of having gone through the same thing.

    A once vibrant computer program purchasing agent who loved to travel, the Rochester woman was similarly snared in what is supposed to be a safety net.

    She became disabled after simply bumping her head on the roof of her car, which lead to a brain hemorrhage, and a host of other medical maladies. initially denied, ...she eventually did get benefits

    "Yeah, a year and a half later after I lost everything!" she said, "I lost my pension money, I lost my life savings and obviously I'm too sick to work so I'm never gonna recoup that money back again."

    Not content to become just another victim of circumstance, she has instead become one of the nation's foremost advocates for change.

    "What people don't understand is this is permanent devastation on somebody's life. It just doesn't go away when those social security checks finally do come."

    More than 7,000 visitors to the Social Security Disability Coalition Website have signed her on line petition demanding reform in a system she says is broken from top to bottom.

    "It's an insurance policy! Like life insurance, like car insurance, like health insurance, that you pay for every week out of you pay check. It's not a handout, not welfare, and if any other one of these companies that you are paying a premium on turned around and said they weren't going to pay you'd think nothing of suing them. Yet, the government is doing this to people every day," Fullerton said.

    While the massive disability case backlog Fullerton and others seek to break is being felt nationwide, it?s worse in Western New York. Because while nationally the average wait for an appeal is 529 days, --it is 691 days in these parts. That makes the waiting period in the Buffalo Region, (which includes Rochester) the 20th longest the 147 regional offices nationwide

    Rep. Brian Higgins (D-New York) of South Buffalo is among those demanding changes. He recently met with two Deputy Commissioners of the Social Security Administration to review the Agency's newly adopted plan for dealing with the backlog. But Higgins also demanded they tailor a specific plan to cut down on the backlog of cases in Western New York.

    "The Social Security Administration has an obligation, a moral obligation and otherwise, to review these claims and to make a determination in a reasonable period of time," Higgins said.

    Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) has also taken up the cause and recently got the Social Security Administration to commit to assigning two additional Administrative Law Judges to the Buffalo region, where existing judges carry an average load of 849 pending cases, in hopes of bringing relief.

    Higgins has also introduced a bill which would have the Social Security Administration report its funding needs directly to Congress, instead of the White House, which prepares the budget every year.

    But in a written response to question's posed by Two On Your Side, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration, while acknowledging the backlog is "unacceptable", inferred that perhaps members of Congress including Higgins and Schumer, ought to look in the mirror if they'd like to help break the backlog by giving the Agency the staff and resources it needs.

    "...because of systematic under-funding, Social Security's budget allocations since the late 1990's left the Agency over a billion dollars short of what the President had requested...", wrote Everett M. Lo, an SSA New York Regional Public Affairs Officer, who added, "...because of systematic under-funding, Social Security's budget allocations since the late 1990's left the Agency over a billion dollars short of what the President had requested..."

    Some believe the backlog could get worse before it gets better, because working Americans are most prone to becoming disabled between their mid 40's and early 60's....and that is precisely the current age of the nation's largest population segment--the baby boomers, ...and may go a long way in explaining why the amount of claims has doubled since 2001.

    "Personally, I firmly believe that this program was purposely set up to be as difficult as possible so that we give up or die so then they don't have to pay us, said Fullerton, in urging the public to take action.

    After all, she concluded, "Unless you go through this personally you have no clue what's going on...but at any second you could be in my shoes and the millions of others that are going through this."

    Click here for the Social Security Administration's Website




    WGRZ

  7. #82
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    Hello anybody out there..... zinger you are not answering any of the questions
    and no posts in awhile. I hope some idiot politicain didn't get to you for trying to help people because they sure could give a rats ass about helping anyone.

  8. #83
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    The other day I received a letter from Senator Clinton’s office, as her office waited over three months for an answer from the NYS Comptrollers office regarding my case with the NYSRS. The letter states just a lot of the same bull that all i-w receive when getting jerked around by this system. Here are some of the contents of this letter that her office received on July 14th 2008 from the NYS Comptrollers office.

    “On the basis that an injured worker (he or she) is not permanently incapacitated for the performance of his or her duties.

    Also, the NYSRS is not bound by any decisions made by any other agency, such as SSD or the WCB, regarding an applicants eligibility for benefits since the statutory standards for determining eligibility for the benefits through these three programs differ greatly.”

    Like I have been saying the injured worker is screwed when you are up against this system and the laws that they have made for themselves.

  9. #84
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    Dear Senator Clinton:

    I received my copy of the letter from the NYSRS that was sent to your office in response to your letter regarding my case of disability. With a system that has set so many laws to protect itself and not the injured worker (as you can see) it is not bound by SSA, WCB in any of their decisions and has set standards that benefit this broken system and could care less about the injured worker! As this system has ignored so many injured and disabled workers, reforms are needed. The New York State Social Security Law, Section 63,74, and 374 is what protects the state and not the disabled worker from their disability benefits. As the NYSRS determination of finding the applicant “not permanently incapacitated” meaning you are one hundred percent to perform your duties. Then how does that person receive SSD benefits for the same injuries that the NYSRS continues to ignore? The same with WC, you are awarded workers compensation with a marked degree of disability from work related injuries and the NYSRS continues to ignore that too. As for the hearing on my case, it is my understanding (attorney) that SSD cannot by brought to the attention of the law judge and a decision on your case could take over a year. So from the time I filed for disability with the NYSRS on 7/05 this has been going on for four years. Legislation needs to be passed for reforms to this evil and broken system as it has denied thousands of injured workers their disability benefits. Please let me know if I can provide you with any more information regarding my case.






    cc: W. Stachowski Senator 58th
    D. Volker Senator 59th
    A. Thompson Senator 60th
    M. Rath Senator 61st
    G. Maziarz Senator 62nd
    J. Hayes Assemblymen 148th
    J. Quinn Assemblymen 146th
    M. Schroeder Assemblymen 145th
    S. Hoyt Assemblymen 144th
    R. Schimminger Assemblymen 140th
    F. Delmonte Assemblywomen 138th

  10. #85
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    It is very important to all members of the NYSRS to contact your area rep for reforms to this system. As you have read if you are not permanently incapacitated from your job(by the state) you are not getting your benifits.
    But you are receiving ssd and wc for the same injuries the state ignores. So what do you think your employer will do if you are disabled. You guessed it fire you! I was told not to use the that word its terminate sorry T.R. you idiot!

  11. #86
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    Its about time.... keep on them big guy your doing one hell of a job.

  12. #87
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    Clarify please...

    Can you please clarify where you can find the NYS Social Security law? Since Social Security is the responsibility of the feds, how can NYS change that law. I couldn't find NYS Social Security law in the law books at the library...There's a social services law....

  13. #88
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    Clarify please...

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Can you please clarify where you can find the NYS Social Security law? Since Social Security is the responsibility of the feds, how can NYS change that law. I couldn't find NYS Social Security law in the law books at the library...There's a social services law....


    NYS Social Security Laws (many not just one) is part of the NYSRS, it has nothing to do with SSD on the Federal level. As you read the posts you can see this you can be awarded SSD (feds) like so many people do but the NYSRS is not bound by any outside laws, they did this to protect itself from giving any injured worker their benefits. If you google “New York State Retirement System Social Security Laws” links will come up with different laws that pertain the retirement system. There are numbers of social security laws in this system much like civil service laws basically they protect the employers and not the workers.

  14. #89
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    VESID=Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities this group started out to promote education for disabled children.
    Not to long ago it worked its way into the nys workers comp this was being pushed by the insurance companies. So if you are out of work due to injuries and have been going to court the ic will suggest vesid. From some people I haved talked to it is being force that you start the program. It is a retraing program for disabled workers. If you refuse and show up at your next WC hearing the ic could cut your comp benifits. I know when I was in my mess of a case I did follow through with some of the program. There is a lot to the program and from what i-w tell me at pain managment sessions it is very good. This email was sent to me by a person that was in the program.


    I was an injured worker and in the "system" for 11 years, everything that could have happened by the carrier, did happen to me. Denied claim, cut off payments, refused meds, appeals, late checks, spying and all the other things the carriers do they did, Had 3 kids, single parent, house payment, car payment and getting $105.00 per week WC. After all was said and done I won by finding a job at a WC attorneys office, getting VESID to kick in for retraining and an at home office for when I can't get to work d/t my disability and finally settled my claim. Now, love my job, making great $$, understand the system from the "inside out" and the disability remains there but found ways around it to get "on with my life" on my terms and not the carriers terms. Just remember who is in charge, YOU ARE!!

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    (continued from post 79)

    Hevesi's pal cashed in on pension payoff scheme, so Mr. Hevesi and his band of crooks continued to deny injured and disabled workers when he was our state comptroller. Sources have said Hank Morris took in an incredible $25 million in fees from companies doing business with the pension fund in the four years before Hevesi resigned in shame. (2003to2006) None of the major pension fund players, including Hevesi and Morris, has been called to testify before the grand jury, which has been hearing evidence in Manhattan for three months.
    New York's controller at the time( big al) is the sole trustee of the state's whopping $154 billion fund. (But lets screw the disabled while al plays with the money)Public records show that Morris, a longtime Democratic operative for Hevesi and Sen. Schmuk Schumer, quietly got his financial broker license months after Hevesi took office in 2003.

    Morris was employed by a little-known Connecticut-based brokerage firm, Searle & Co., which is headed by an old friend.

    Companies winning business with the state pension fund made placement fees to Searle & Co., which sources close to the company have said gave 95% of the money to Morris.

    Morris created five limited liability corporations, four of which shared his East Hampton home address, public records show. Sources have said investigators believe the LLCs were designed to further hide his involvement.

    Searle lawyer Peter Anderson said he was unaware of a grand jury hearing evidence in the case. There is no evidence at this point that Hevesi knew what Morris, his close friend and consultant, was doing, sources said. Hevesi, through his lawyer, has repeatedly denied any knowledge.

    Cuomo's office has been investigating the matter since last year all and all we have another ex public offical playing games with pension money. As I get more information on this story I will post it.

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