Social Security Disability - A
long and Complex Process
by Tim Moore
Youve become injured, developed a crippling illness, or youve finally
succumbed to the advanced effects of a number of medical conditions. You follow
a friend or relatives advice and you contact the social security administration
for the purpose of filing a disability application. All you have to do now is
wait a few weeks and then your benefits should start, right?
Unfortunately, the disability system in the U.S. of A doesnt quite work that
way. Quite the contrary, the system is heavily bureaucratic and correspondingly
slow, and is geared for neither fairness nor empathy with regard to either your
medical or financial considerations.
To allow yourself the chance to make the best decisions later on, you need to
understand from the very beginning that if you are disabled and are applying for
either social security disability or ssi disability benefits, the process is
very, very long. In fact, if you are not approved for benefits when you
first apply for ssd or ssi--this is called the initial phase--then it is likely
that you will have to go through the entire social security disability appeals
process. This can literally take years to get through--and, typically in most
states, especially those with large hearing office backlogs, can take as much as
three years.
How long does each step take? The initial claim phase, or application phase,
can take anywhere from a month (not likely) to a year (yes, an application can
really take this long in some cases). The middle step, which is called the
reconsideration stage and is really just a repeat of the application phase, can
take just as long; meaning, in most instances, several months.
Most individuals are denied their disability benefits at the reconsideration
level, but, nonetheless, are required to go through this stage if they want the
opportunity for a hearing before a judge. After the reconsideration stage comes
the disability hearing stage. And this is where the wait really begins.
After youve been denied at the reconsideration level, you request a
disability hearing before a federal judge. How long is the wait this time? Well,
depending on where you live, it might take you a year or longer to get a hearing
date. But the waiting doesnt end there. After a hearing has been conducted, a
claimant will be required to wait for a decision notice. How long does this
take? Some judges will inform a claimant that a decision may be rendered in six
weeks. But, often, it takes several months. Even after you have the hearing, you
may only have about a one out of two chance (according to national
statistics--the win rates do vary by state) of being granted your social
security disability or ssi benefits.
So...if you are thinking of applying for ssa benefits, think about how long
the process might take and get prepared, if you are able. Applying for
disability will seldom ever be an easy process, but if you know in advance how
long it can really take, you can make better decisions (regarding your finances,
housing situation, etc) along the way.
The author of this article is Timothy Moore, who, in addition to being a
former food stamp caseworker, medicaid caseworker and AFDC caseworker, is a
former disability claims examiner. He publishes information at
Social Security Disability Tips and
Secrets which features a helpful and informative
Disability faq
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