There have been a lot of factors contributing to the size of the waitlist for Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI) hearings recently. The president’s federal hiring freeze and an ever-growing claims list are just a few of those worries, but it is the effect of these delays that is truly troubling. The waitlist is leaving people with disabilities in dire circumstances, and you won’t believe how far some have to go in order to get out…
Social Security Disability Waitlist Is Getting Worse
One of the most in-demand degrees in today’s workforce is Chemistry. Having such a degree opens up great avenues when it comes to jobs, yet a 56-year-old woman with a Master’s Degree in Chemistry sits jobless. That’s because doctors diagnosed her with complicated colon issues and so the woman is no longer able to work. So, she applied for SSDI in November 2015, but her application has been in purgatory ever since.
Between March and October of 2016, this 56-year-old received two denials and was forced to appeal. To make matters even more complicated, the woman’s partner died in June of 2016, making her unable to afford her rent. She was soon evicted and forced to live in her car in the parking lot of a grocery store/pharmacy.
Her disability attorney took her case to the Social Security Administration (SSA), urging the agency to speed up the process, but the powers-that-be continued to drag their feet. That’s when the attorney got inventive and revealed the woman’s story to a local news station. Within a month of the news station’s investigation, the SSA forwent this woman’s hearing and issued a decision based on the evidence in the case. She is now living in a hotel as she searches for an apartment to rent.
The waitlist for an SSDI hearing is currently estimated to be around 560 days, which means getting the process started as soon as possible is critical. Having an experienced disability attorney by your side can also help you cut through the red tape in ways you didn’t even know were possible. For more info on this subject, stick with our Tulsa disability attorneys on this blog, and follow our Twitter and Facebook.
