With government officials making reports about Social Security Disability backlog to Congress, and disability advocates criticizing the institution’s perceived failures, your Tulsa disability attorneys thought it might be a good time to clear the air. Here are some of the facts surrounding the disability hearing waitlist.
7 Facts About the Social Security Disability Backlog
- The estimated wait time to get an in-person hearing now stands at an estimated 605 days.
- Almost 1.1 million people are currently on the waitlist.
- According to Allsup, most of the people waiting in the backlog have already weathered a 213 day wait just to see if their original application for SSDI was denied.
- According to the Social Security Administration, 70 percent of the people in the backlog worked and paid FICA payroll taxes.
- It takes approximately 85 days to get a decision back on whether a claimant was awarded benefits after their hearing.
- Current estimates say that 8,699 people died while waiting for their benefits hearing in 2016.
- The SSA anticipates that it will be able to reduce the waitlist down to an acceptable level by 2022. But the SSA’s acceptable level is a 270-day waiting period, or nine months.
Right now, the United States has the most strenuous approval criteria for disability services in the entire world. Though these processes are meant to prevent people from defrauding the system, less than one percent of claims are found to be fraudulent every year. This has led to a long backlist of people deserving of benefits, waiting. Thousands die, while waiting for their chance to prove that their claim is real. In the meantime, they often lose their vehicles, homes and health because they do not have the money to pay their bills.
Are There Ways to Avoid the Waitlist?
A properly filled out disability claim, with supporting evidence, is one of the few ways to avoid this long wait. However, this can be hard unless you have the knowhow to handle these government forms and requirements. That’s why it’s essential to consult an experienced disability attorney who knows how to deal with the Social Security Administration.
These facts were brought to you by the Tulsa disability attorneys at Troutman & Troutman—helping Oklahomans with disabilities since 1993.
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