Social Security Administration Makes Disabled Workers Wait for Help
August 5th, 2007It’s just not right.
Today, 745,000 Americans are waiting an average of 17 months for the Social Security Administration to review their Social Security Disability claims. Of these individuals, almost 50,000 are Michigan residents.
These Social Security claimants had been working and supporting themselves, until they were disabled by serious illness or injury.
The long delay at the Social Security Administration puts many Social Security Disability claimants in desperate circumstances, because they have no other source of income and no health insurance. Due to the Social Security Administration backlog, some claimants may have to use up their savings, borrow money from family and friends, run up staggering credit card debts, lose homes to foreclosure, declare bankruptcy, or end up homeless.
If that were not bad enough, some people die from terminal illness while waiting for the Social Security Administration to look at their applications for Social Security Disability benefits.
According to the National Council of Social Security Management Associations, which represents local Social Security Office administrators, there are two reasons for the long delay in processing for Social Security Disability claims.
First, the aging of “baby boomers” has significantly increased the number of people applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Claims rose 62% in just four years between 2000 and 2004.
Second, the federal government has ignored this trend. Rather than increasing Social Security Administration staffing to handle additional Social Security Disability claims, the federal government cut funding. Now four-fifths of local Social Security Offices cannot keep up with current workloads, and nearly two-thirds of the office cannot even provide prompt telephone service.
Clearly, this is not how America should treat disabled workers or their families.
If you agree, take the time to contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Congressperson, and ask them to make sure that the Social Security Administration has the staffing and resources to start giving every Social Security Disability claim fair - and timely - consideration.