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Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/nj_residents_wait_longer_for_s.html
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TRENTON – New Jersey lags behind most other states in processing Social Security Disability Insurance claims, according to a study released today.
The average New Jerseyan will wait as long as 16 months before a hearing to determine whether they are eligible for benefits. Although that’s an improvement from more than 17 months in September 2008, it’s still the 13th longest wait in the country.
The data was released by Allsup, an Illinois-based company that processes Social Security Disability Insurance claims.
The longstanding problem with claim backlogs has been exacerbated by aging baby boomers and high unemployment, according to company officials and the Social Security Administration.
Allsup said some people sink deeper into financial hardship while waiting for their claim to be approved, despite recent efforts to reduce the backlog.
"They improved it from horrible to very bad," said Dan Allsup, the company’s director of communications. "They’re doing what they can with limited resources. Not enough progress has been made."
Allsup said the wait for a hearing is even longer than it appears: claimants only receive access to a hearing after having two previous applications for benefits rejected.
Reviewing the first two applications in New Jersey takes an average of six months, said Kevin Smith, spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. That makes the full wait for New Jersey residents as long as 22 months before the entire process is completed. There are 16,500 applications pending in New Jersey, Smith said. Another 10,547 people are waiting for a hearing, according to Allsup.
Ohio had the worst backlog, with an almost 20-month wait after the second denial, according to Allsup. Delaware was the fastest, at 10 months. Twenty-four states have shorter wait times than they did two years ago.
The federal program provides financial support to people who can no longer work because of a disability expected to last at least one year and are younger than 65, making them ineligible for regular Social Security retirement checks. The average disability payment nationwide is $1,065 a month, Social Security Administration spokesman Mark Hinkle said. The number of people seeking benefits through the program is expected to increase from 3 million last year to 3.3 million this year.
The Social Security Administration has attempted to reduce wait times that Commissioner Michael Astrue called "unacceptable" in September 2007. That year the agency expanded a pilot program to rush claims that are easily verifiable and likely to be approved.
Hinkle said the agency was hurt by 15 years of underfunding but recently hired more staff to process claims and more administrative law judges to decide cases.
"Obviously we still have a lot of work to do," he said. "We’re slowly turning the tide."
Maybe the can review why there are so many people on disability that are getting around just fine, also why are there so many people that don't speak english but knew how to work the system and get benefits that somebody like me has been paying into for years. I would probably have to go thru hell if I ever needed disability.
Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
Conceptually, there is very little difference between Bernie Madoff's fraud and the government run social security program. The both pool massive amounts of money to make "payouts", and they both know that it will collapse one day, even though they continue to take in new money.
This story doesn't tell you that the people waiting for a hearing for Disability have ALREADY been found NOT DISABLED at least twice. With our crappy economy, more people are filing for claims hoping that they will get money so it's a miracle that the waiting time has actually been reduced.
If you don't like that Aliens, etc can collect from the fund that we pay for-contact your government representatives and let them know. The program has become far from what it was intending for with children and everybody else jumping on the bandwagon.
It amazes me how the uninformed masses make such bias and ignorant blanket statements.
Ladies and gentlemen I am disabled. I was rendered a paraplegic as a result of a car accident almost four years ago. I and my family have had to fight TOOTH and Nail, to try and obtain the equipment I require to just get through my day. There are those people in Trentron, such as Dr. Cirelli, who's job it is to instantaneously refuse whatever application request you may have without even taking into account the fact that you have included a medical needs necessity form filled out by more than one physician.
I fought for 31days to recieve a Low Air Loss mattress so that my skin would not break down. I incurred the cost of the bed rental because it is what was necessary. However, if Trenton had simply approved my application the first time, this never would have happened. The irony, the bed was approved anyway because my needs were legitimate. Therein lies the difference, there are many "us" disabled people who simply want the assistance we have been promised after years of paying into the system, which I did as an employee of the State of New Jersey, which makes this even more ironic.
The disabled masses will just continue to grow, I assure you. The Baby Boomer generation is getting into their golden years now and they will soon discover that depending on the Federal government could very well be their final uphill battle.
Federal and State governments are trained to first refuse and then start the possible appeal process. This unspoken of tactic is utilized because they feel that people in need will become confounded by such a process and will ultimately give up their much needed requests. This saves the system money. This they like very much.
I am not so naive as to think that every claim is legit because I now that many if not most are not. However, why do you need to make it so difficult for those of "us" that follow proper protocol and can provide the legal and forthright documentation that says we need the help?
WHY INDEED?
The system needs to be overhauled because if not, someone is going to slowly perish on a bed that is either to small or to hard for them to have to spend so much time on awaiting approval from Trenton.
Mark my words. This will get worse.
My aunt who had cancer was still waiting and working to get her benefits until the day she died... now its too late. The money she was owed she never got and it goes back into the system so some poor bastard faking it can work the system to get his sooner. Nice how government works right?
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Jay, a fan of the Jersey Shore
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