Backlog of Social Security Disability Claims and What You Can Do About It
October 19, 2017
If you are unable to work due to a debilitating condition, you are supposed to have the right to file for SSD, or social security disability. Though you’ll be living on a fixed income, it’s a failsafe for multitudes of people nationwide who aren’t able to perform normal job duties due to illness or injury. You didn’t plan to become disabled — no one does, but your government is supposed to be able to help you if this happens.It’s not ideal, but it sounds like a workable solution, right? Think again. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is so overwhelmed with people — over 1.1 million throughout the country — applying for disability and waiting for hearings, that there’s a huge backlog in all 50 states.
In Pennsylvania, SSD backlog is unacceptable
As reported by Nasdaq, a recently released report revealed that people are waiting often almost two years, or even longer, for their social security disability (SSD) hearings. The average person in the United States waits 583 days before appearing to determine their eligibility for social security benefits. Many of the people who filed for disability in 2015 still have not received a date or schedule for their eligibility hearing.
As far as the worst of the backlog, Pennsylvania ranks fourth — behind California, New York, and Florida — in the top ten states for these terrible wait times. Over half the country is reporting wait times of more than 600 days for initial hearings. If you want to speed up the awarding of your disability, you will need to make sure you’re working with a knowledgeable and aggressive Pennsylvania disability lawyer.
What you can do
The most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your rights is retain the counsel of a reputable lawyer to help you understand your best path forward to securing disability benefits. Although Congress recently bestowed $90 million on the SSA specifically earmarked to deal with this issue, we’re not confident things will let up any time soon.
Once you have your lawyer, the next step is ensuring that your initial application is as succinct and accurate as possible. Working with your Philadelphia disability benefits attorney to avoid the need for an initial hearing can be the difference between a normal processing wait time and waiting years to be approved.
Larry Pitt & Associates wants you to have the disability benefits you deserve in a timely manner. We work with clients that have all types of disabilities and impairments. You are in compassionate hands when you call our office, and we know how frustrating the SSD process can be. Please call 888.PITT.LAW or fill out our contact form today, and we will get you on the schedule for an appointment to consult with us about your SSD application. We work with clients in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. Give us a call today!
