New figures are out about the Social Security backlog (September 2008 issue of the Social Security Forum):

• The number of cases waiting for a decision at Social Security reached a record high of 767,000. 
• The average wait time is 532 days, with wait times varying between 283 days and 943 days (just under three years).

In my own experience, Colorado cases are processed a bit faster than the national average: I see wait times are approximately 12-18 months (365- 545 days),  with most cases having a hearing scheduled around the 14 months after a request for hearing this filed.

Funding for Social Security for the first six months of fiscal year 2009 (which began on October 1, 2008), is at fiscal year 2008 levels.

In other words,  Social Security will not receive any additional funds for the first six months of fiscal year 2009, greatly limiting Social Security’s ability to deal with the backlog. 

Source: NOSSCR Forum September 2008.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes about three people who were awarded Social Security disability benefits after waiting years for a decision:

Social Security spokesman Mark Lassiter said the three cases were reviewed following an Aug. 3 article about the 21,000 people waiting for their day in court at the agency’s two Atlanta offices. Catherine Mulhall, Tony Mata and Dale Free each had appealed after being denied twice for benefits.

…

The offices in Atlanta – known as “the backlog capital of the country” – are among the worst. On average, claimants wait 793 days for a decision from the agency’s North Atlanta office and 769 days from its downtown Atlanta office.

So, did publicity help get these three people a faster decision?  Yes, I think it did.

Does this mean that publicity will help in every case?  I don’t think so.

Let me be a wet blanket for a moment.   My opinion is that this type of story plays into the notion that if you can embarrass Social Security by disclosing the long wait most people endure, you are more likely to be approved.  I think this is wrong.  It is not just publicity that helped these three (out of 21,000 waiting for a decision), it was the right publicity for the right three people.  

I am guessing here, but I would not be surprised that the newspaper carefully chose the three individuals because of their ultimate likelihood of winning.  After all, if the original article had been about three people that readers felt did not deserve Social Security, then the reader would not respond with sympathy for the long wait the three endured.

So, while publicity have have resulted in a faster decision, I doubt it resulted in a different decision than Social Security would ultimately have made.

“But I know that I am disabled now, what’s wrong with wanting a faster decision?!?”

You may know that you are disabled, but can you prove it? Right now? While it may feel that Social Security arbitrarily denied your case, chances are there was something missing in your evidence or your disability was not framed properly.  

A lot of what I do is figuring out what went wrong.  Why did Social Security deny you?  Then I work to develop evidence, obtain missing elements, and frame your case to give you your best chance of winning your case. But, this takes time.  

It is like building a house.  If you try to move in before the house is done, you may fall through a floor and end up in the basement.  Ouch!

One concern about just focusing on how fast you can get your case decided, is that you may forget to think about whether your case is ready to reviewed by Social Security.  

Ask yourself:  do you just want your case decided quickly?  Or, do you want to win?

Read the entire article here.

Social Security Administration is establishing a National Hearing Center (NHC) so that a centralized cadre of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) can use video hearing technology to hear cases in the most backlogged parts of the country. … The agency also plans to hire about 150 ALJs and some additional hearing office support staff in the spring of 2008. SSA Press Release. 

All I can say is that it cannot come soon enough.

photo credit: ronnie44052