The “Social Security Hot Topics” Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program provided quite a bit of information about the state of Social Security.

More judges on the way:

• 150 new judges already hired in 2009.
• 20-30 additional judges to be hired before end of 2009
• ~200 more judges to be hired in 2010.

Applications on the rise:

With the poor economy, more people are filing for disability benefits. There has been approximately a 25% increase in new claims filed in 2009.

Psychological problems loom large in disability cases:

35-40% of disability cases involve mental limitations.

New National Hearing Centers (NHC) coming online:

National Hearing Centers handle video hearings only, and can hear cases from around the country to try to reduce backlog. As previously noted, the Falls Church Virginia, and Albuquerque New Mexico hearing centers are already up and running.

Another NHC in Chicago is set to open in 2009, with a fourth center to open in Maryland in 2010.

Social Security has opened a National Hearing Center (NHC) in Albuquerque New Mexico. This is Social Security’s second NHC — a hearing office which only handles video hearings. 

Albuquerque initially will hear disability cases for Kansas City and Portland, Oregon — two of the most backlogged offices in the US. Social Security’s first NHC, located in Falls Church, Virginia, opened in December 2007 and has contributed to improve processing times in Atlanta, Georgia, Cleveland, Ohio and Flint, Michigan.

Read Social Security’s press release here.

The April 2009 NOSSCR Social Security Forum  notes that two additional NHC offices are planned for Chicago, Illinois in 2009 and in the Baltimore Maryland, in early 2010.

When you are waiting for your Social Security hearing, it can come as a shock to receive a letter telling you that your case has been transferred to a different hearing office in another state.  

Attorney Donald Chewning writes about this on the Wisconsin Disability Blog.

If you are awaiting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge in Wisconsin you may have noticed that the hearing has been scheduled before a judge in California.  In my practice in northeastern Wisconsin,  most of my cases  would ordinarily be heard by judges from the Milwaukee Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).  However, since March 2008 the Social Security Administration has shifted responsibility for cases normally heard by Milwaukee judges at the Green Bay and Oskhosh hearing offices to other ODAR branches.  For instance, cases heard at the Green Bay hearing office are being sent to the Oakland, CA ODAR.

For many people, having their case moved to another state causes a lot of stress and worry.

Why was my case moved?

What does it mean for my case?

How much of a delay is THIS going to cause?

Does Social Security think I can travel out of state for my hearing?

Often, there is a good reason for moving the case and it can actually help you!

Moving a case usually speeds up processing time.

Fortunately, having your case moved out of state usually means FASTER processing and LESS TIME waiting for your hearing.

When Social Security moves a case out of its home state, or to a different Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) office, they are trying to ease the caseload on an overburdened office. Cases that would otherwise be kept waiting, are moved to a less busy ODAR office.

As you know the wait time for Social Security hearings varies greatly accross the country.  By moving cases around, Social Security hopes to balance out the more congested ODAR offices and reduce those 3+ year waiting times.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to travel out of state for your hearing.

When Social Security sends a case to another ODAR office, they either physically bring in the judge to your nearest ODAR office to hold the hearing, or they hold the hearing via video conference at your ODAR office. You go to your nearest ODAR office (Social Security will tell you where it is), and the judge stays in his/her home state.  The hearing is done over video.

Social Security is even expanding the video hearing system by building a new hearing division that will just handle video hearings in backlogged states.  

Update 05/21/09: Social Security just opened its second National Hearing Center (NHC), a video only hearing center, in Albuquerque New Mexico (the first was in Falls Church, Virginia).  Three additional NHC are set to open between 2009 and 2010.

If you receive a notice that your case is being moved, don’t worry.  Nothing bad is happening.  Social Security is just trying to get your case done sooner.

Via Wisconsin Disability Blog.