When you apply for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, patience is required. Typically, it takes three to six months for the Disability Determination Services (DDS) to approve or deny an application for disability benefits. Right now, the DDS backlog exceeds 1 million cases. But it only gets worse from there, unless you have the help of a SSDI attorney on your side.
The Waiting Game
Waiting to have your case addressed is the first problem, but most cases, particularly in the initial application stage, are denied. This makes the process take even longer. Getting your materials ready for reconsideration is time-consuming and, again, there is no guarantee that the results will come out in your favor.
If you are officially part of the appeals process and request an administrative hearing, it can take about a year between the filing of the appeal and the actual hearing date. And you go that much longer without the benefits you need – and there’s no guarantee that your appeal will be approved.
Why Is There a Backlog?
It should come as no surprise that the backlog for approving Social Security Disability benefits is mostly because of COVID. When the pandemic began and the agency switched to working remotely, not all DDS employees were able to telework, which led to reduced staffing and, therefore, fewer employees to review and process applications. The numbers of pending claims have simply gone up over the past two years.
The administrative law judges who rule on disability cases were also scheduling fewer hearings during the pandemic which extended the already unbearable average wait time for appeals. Though we are working our way into an endemic stage with COVID and much of life has gone back to normal, that doesn’t mean the backlog of Social Security Disability benefits applications automatically disappears. Each application must be addressed on a case-by case basis.
Other factors that contribute to this backlog include the increasing size of applicant case files – with detailed medical records and work history – as well as judges’ other workloads beyond ruling on SSD benefits.
How to Get Your SSD Claim Approved Faster
The SSD system is already overloaded. Even if you think your claim is flawlessly done, there could be something wrong, and that one small error can set you back six months to a year at least while you rework everything for an appeal.
It is smart to work with a Social Security Disability attorney from the start to ensure that you get all the paperwork completed properly the first time around and get into the queue faster. The U.S. Government Accountability Office offers up research that shows people who hire a disability advocate to help them apply for benefits have their claims process three times faster than if you try to do everything on your own.
Get help from an SSD attorney who knows the claims process, the laws, the paperwork, the best presentation skills, and what information is mostly likely to land you a favorable decision. Don’t wait longer than you have to for the benefits you deserve. Don’t take a chance that something could go wrong with your application.
Contact Thurswell Law for help expediting Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and getting you the compensation your family deserves. Call us at (248) 354-2222 today. We do not charge any fees until we win.