HAWAII AT WORK
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Vikki Nakamura, a unit supervisor for the state Vocational Rehabilitation Division, supervises eight examiners who talk to people over the phone to determine their eligibility for disability benefits under the federal Social Security program.
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Making sure you’re eligible
Vikki Nakamura supervises a staff that determines who can qualify for disability benefits
Vikki Nakamura
Title: Disability claims specialist V
Job: Supervises eight examiners who determine claimant eligibility for Social Security benefits
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Vikki Nakamura is on the front line for the Social Security Administration, and she doesn't even work directly for the federal agency. Her employer is the state Vocational Rehabilitation Division, which is contracted by the federal agency to screen local claimants for its disability benefits and determine who qualifies. Nakamura is a unit supervisor in the division's Disability Determination Branch, which she joined about 4 1/2 years ago. She is a graduate of Kaimuki High School and the University of Hawaii, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology. Nakamura, 29, is single and lives in Kaimuki with her dog, a shi-tzu named Hulu.
Question: What is your title?
Answer: Right now I am a unit supervisor; I just got promoted about four months ago, and prior to that my title was disability claims specialist. Actually, technically, my title is disability claims specialist V.
Q: How big is the unit you supervise?
A: Right now we have, let's see, about seven examiners and one clerical.
Q: And each of those people does what?
A: They do the disability claims for Social Security.
Q: Isn't Social Security a federal program?
A: Right. We're contracted by Social Security, and before I forget, I have actually eight examiners under me. (Laughter)
Q: So this isn't for workers' comp.
A: No, we are a state agency, fully funded by the federal government, and we are responsible for developing medical evidence and making determinations on whether a claimant is disabled under the Social Security guidelines.
Q: How does a person qualify for disability benefits under this program?
A: Basically, Social Security's definition of disability is the individual must be unable to engage in any substantial, gainful work activity, due to their impairment, which can be physical or mental. And that impairment must be expected to last for a continuous 12 months or result in death.
Q: What kinds of evidence do your examiners need to prove that applicants are eligible for the benefits?
A: We request any kind of medical evidence, from treating doctors, hospitals ... . We also provide exams for those that are unable to see anyone for medical treatment.
Q: What types of disabilities are most common among those who apply?
A: We have here in Hawaii, I would say, a lot of diabetes cases. We also see a lot of orthopedic impairments.
Q: Like what would some of those be?
A: Oh, like back problems, like arthritis -- arthritis is number one.
Q: Anything else?
A: We have a lot of kidney failures.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Six of the eligibility claims specialists that Vikki Nakamura supervises are actually trainees. Above, Nakamura last week spoke with trainees Kristi Kunihiro, left, and Marcella Gunawan, right. In the background is Mary Lynn, a trainer in the office.
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Do these people call you? How does that work?
A: Well, they basically would go down to the Social Security office, and our particular office does the entire disability determination for the entire state of Hawaii. Every island has their own local field office, and that's where the applications are taken, and we get forwarded every application that qualifies for disability.
Q: How long does it take to review somebody's case?
A: (Laughter). That's the question. It really depends on how soon we get medical records from the treating doctors and hospitals. And recently, actually, Social Security had a push, and we're turning everything into electronic evidence, and it's really cutting the time it takes to get the medical records. We've seen some improvement in the time that it takes.
Q: Do you encounter cases of fraud very much?
A: Not particularly in our office. I think Social Security handles the fraud and investigation part of that. Our office is basically just medical determination.
Q: Is there much personal interaction with the applicants, or is most of the interviewing done over the phone?
A: Yeah, almost all -- I would say close to 99.9 percent -- is done over the phone and through written correspondence.
Q: About how many folks do you talk to on the phone every day?
A: It's hard to say, but I remember when I last had a case load, I had about five to 10. But it all depends on how people prioritize their case load.
Q: So what's the working environment like there? Everybody's on the phone?
A: We sit at our desks with our computers and phones and it's a lot of computer work. We have doctors that come in and work with us, so there are a lot of consults, and we have a vocational specialist in the office, in case we have any specialized vocational questions that require more knowledge about the types of jobs people have done and whether they can adjust to some other jobs.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Part of Vikki Nakamura's job involves consulting with doctors. Above, Dr. Darnell Richey goes over medical terminology with Nakamura in her office.
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What's it like being the supervisor?
A: Well, right now I've got my hands full, with the eight examiners that I have. Six of them are actually in the trainee level, so basically I'm being a mentor to them, reviewing their cases.
Q: Is it tough to do that?
A: Only because of the amount there are. I'm kind of outnumbered. (Laughter) But I enjoy it. Very much.
Q: Do you have a lot of paperwork?
A: Not anymore. Everything is done on the computer.
Q: I guess what I meant was, do you have a lot of administrative work?
A: Oh yeah, that's the other part of this job. (Laughter)
Q: What would that involve?
A: It's basically stats -- statistics --of keeping track of everyone's case load, checking on them, pushing them if certain cases are getting old, keeping up with regulations that might change, like Social Security regs, and also we have to deal with the state.
Q: How did you get to be the supervisor?
A: Hard work? (Laughter) I'd like to say I earned it. Our previous administrator took another job in another state -- this field has a lot of opportunity because it's nationwide, -- so my previous supervisor is now the administrator, and I became the supervisor.
Q: When did you first start with the division, and what was your role?
A: Well, this particular division I started with 4 1/2 years ago, and prior to that I was a welfare worker. You want the technical term for that?
Q: Yeah sure.
A: They're called eligibility workers now, and we did food stamps and financial assistance, medical ... .
Q: What were you doing before you joined the state?
A: I had been working with special-needs kids as a skills trainer.
Q: What was that age group?
A: It varied. It was basically any children in Hawaii that had special needs. They were referred to the agency that I was working for. The last few months I was working there I was working with two autistic kids and they were in the first, second grade.
Q: Was that your first job out of college?
A: Yeah, pretty much. I had been working through out college, pretty much part time and full time, but that was my first job using my degree, you could say.
Q: Have you ever had to apply for disability benefits?
A: Not me.
Q: But you know what to do if you ever have to.
A: Oh yeah.
