SSA Delays

A few days ago, I wrote about intentional delays in the Social Security Disability (“SSD”) process. The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) claims that delays are caused by budgetary problems. Last December, the average wait for a hearing was 450 days. 

I filed an SSD application for a 55 year old floor trader with hand and arm injuries on December 4, 2012. It took the State agency almost a year to deny the application initially, which was on November 8, 2013. I requested a hearing that same day. The claimant had to wait until April 4, 2015, 17 seventeen months for a hearing, well over the 450 day average. 

The good news is that the claimant’s SSD application was approved today. The bad news is that it took over five months, another 157 days, to get the hearing decision from the Administrative Law judge. The actual cause of the delays is unknown. Regardless of whether the delays are intentional or inevitable, they are unacceptable.