I really get upset when readers tell me that they talked to a Social Security Administration employee hoping to get an understanding of some confusing Social Security rule and the only reply they got was this: “It’s the law.” In my opinion, that’s a bad answer. People should be given a reason why a particular Social Security law exists in the first place.
I’ve always prided myself on not just knowing Social Security rules and regulations, but on being able to explain the reasoning behind the laws, many of which some people (even SSA employees) find confusing and perplexing. That’s why, while I still worked for the SSA, I used to conduct a training session for employees I simply called “Rationale.” And in that class, I provided the rationale behind rules and laws that were sometimes difficult to understand. (And judging by the number of “It’s the law” responses that readers tell me they get from SSA employees, maybe somebody at the agency needs to pick up where I left off when I retired 18 years ago!)…