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The time for Social Security Disability hearings gets longer.
The Social Security Administration doesn’t always make it easy for those who are disabled to get the Social Security benefits they deserve. It’s not uncommon for initial applications, and even requests for reconsiderations, to be denied and, as a result, the Social Security Disability applicant has to file a Request for a Hearing.
What’s a Request for a Hearing?
A Request for a Hearing asks that the case to be transferred to a Social Security Disability Administrative Law Judge to have a hearing on an applicant’s right to Social Security Disability benefits. At the end of fiscal year 2012, the average processing time was 353 days and, by the end of September 2014, it was over 454 days. The amount of pending cases has increased every month in 2014 and went over the one million mark by the end of November 2014. Clearly, justice delayed is justice denied!
What Else do the Statistics Show?
The number of Social Security judges has declined from 1,366 as of March of 2013 to 1,264 in November of 2014. That’s 100 fewer judges doing cases. Worse yet, the number of ALJ dispositions has dropped steadily from a high of 783,061 in 2012 to a low of 679,091 in 2014.
Unfortunately, the number of cases that are being denied at the ALJ level is also increasing.
We urge Congress to appropriate more funds or more administrative law judges and an increase use of senior attorney advisers to assist the judges in making decisions.
Need Help With Your Social Security Disability Case?
The Law Office of Nancy L. Cavey can help you with your Social Security disability questions and concerns. Give us a call today at 727-477-3263 to talk about your options!
Article sited from ALJ Hearing Processing Times and Pending Claims: The Statistics Tell All, December 2014, Volume 36, Number 11.