SSDI Disability Backlogs News

[Guest guest]

AAPD and Allsup Release State Rankings for Disability Backlogs

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/7/emw543829.htm

(good chart at link)

Call for increased funding to address exploding backlog of claims.

As this information clearly demonstrates, the disability appeals

process is in crisis as 730,000 disabled Americans are currently

facing delays at the hearing level alone, causing extensive delays

in obtaining their rightful benefits

Washington, DC (Vocus) July 31, 2007 -- The American Association of

People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-

disability membership organization, and Allsup Inc., the nation's

leading Social Security disability representation company, today

released state rankings based on the growing backlog in the federal

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.

More than 1.4 million Americans are currently struggling through the

SSDI application, reconsideration and appeals processes, which take

at least two years to complete for most people.

Those receiving the worst disability backlog rankings are Kansas,

District of Columbia, North Dakota, Michigan and Alabama. Virginia,

Arizona, Massachusetts, Nevada and Hawaii receive the best

disability rankings. Separate backlog figures are not available for

Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. For the complete

list of rankings, log on to http://www.allsup.com

" As this information clearly demonstrates, the disability appeals

process is in crisis as 730,000 disabled Americans are currently

facing delays at the hearing level alone, causing extensive delays

in obtaining their rightful benefits, " said J. Imparato,

AAPD's president and chief executive officer. " Congress and the

Social Security Administration desperately need to work together to

deploy additional resources to address this urgent and growing

problem that affects the financial well being of disabled citizens

and their families. "

According to the Social Security Administration, the average

processing time at the hearing level for disability cases has

increased from 308 days in 2001 to 524 days in 2007. A key reason

for this growth is the shrinking SSA field staff, largely due to

retirement. The Social Security Administration was 30 percent

smaller in 2002 than 20 years before. From August 2005 to January

2007, about 2,000 field office employees left SSA without being

replaced. Meanwhile, since 1990, the number of disabled workers

drawing SSDI benefits has more than doubled, from 3 million to 6.8

million, as the aging baby boom generation begins to put far greater

demands on the agency's resources.

" The disability backlog challenge is so immense that it will take an

all-hands-on-deck approach to resolve, " said Jim Allsup, president

and CEO of Allsup Inc. " Government and industry must work together

to meet the demands of the disabled today and in the future. We see

the impact of the problem every day as we work with tens of

thousands of disabled individuals and their families. There is no

question the Social Security Administration needs more resources to

meet this challenge. Companies like Allsup contribute by providing

solutions in the marketplace -- helping disabled Americans navigate -

- and reduce the time spent in -- the SSDI process. It is important

that citizens with disabilities know they have options available to

assist them in their time of need. "

The rankings were created by comparing the number of backlogged

disability applications to the number of disabled beneficiaries in

each state. Both figures, which became publicly available only in

the last few weeks, are from year-end 2006.

Congress created the payroll tax-funded SSDI program in 1956 to

protect Americans who became disabled and could no longer work.

Individuals who become disabled qualify for benefits if they have

worked and paid into the program for at least five of the last 10

years.

AAPD's mission is to organize the disability community to be a

powerful force for change--socially, politically and economically.

Toward that end, AAPD is dedicated to educating policymakers,

businesses and the general public about disability issues, providing

membership benefits, cultivating emerging leaders, promoting

mentoring and career exploration, and conducting non-partisan voter

registration and voter mobilization campaigns. AAPD helps unite the

diverse community of people with disabilities, including their

family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for

change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities

Act (ADA): equality of opportunity, full participation, independent

living and economic self-sufficiency. For more information, visit

AAPD's website at www.aapd.com.

Allsup has helped more than 85,000 disabled Americans obtain about

$1.4 billion in retroactive payments from Social Security and

Medicare. This number does not include ongoing payments, which are

much higher. Allsup screens individuals to ensure eligibility,

develops an accurate factual record, and helps shepherd applicants

through the disability decision process, leaving the Social Security

Administration to focus on issuing disability decisions and clearing

back-logged claims. For more information, log on to

http://www.allsup.com