WHY DISABILITY CASES TAKE SO LONG

Social Security disability claims are among the slowest, most difficult procedures on earth. It usually takes at least 12 months to get a claim approved and paid. It involves a series of denials before approval.

Here are some of the reasons:

1. Social Security assumes that most of the people who apply are not eligible for benefits under their rules. The initial stages are a weeding out process, designed to eliminate all but the most catastrophic disabilities.

2. Social Security is governed by layer after layer of regulations, rules, burdens and laws. Most claimants don't know how to begin to meet all the rules.

3. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is understaffed and underfunded. It is doing twice the work it did ten years ago with less staff and almost no increase in funding. They are slow and unresponsive.

4. There seems to be very little accountability for employees. It takes as long as it takes. There are no deadlines to be met, little real supervision and nobody pushing for higher turnout.

5. COVID-19 has put many employees at SSA working from home. Someone comes in to the office once or twice a week to clear the fax machine and pick up mail. This has taken a very, very slow system and slowed it down even more.

Can your claim be expedited? No. Everyone wants their claim expedited. It usually isn't possible. A very few claimants may qualify for expedited processing. Veterans with a 100 percent permanent and total disability may qualify. Persons with a terminal disease may be expedited. Individuals who cannot get emergency medical care or who are homeless (literally) may be expedited. Everyone else waits.

It is important to get your claim handled properly the first time. An attorney/advocate may be able to give Social Security what it needs to process your claim as fast as possible. You certainly want to win at Step 1, not Step 4.