The recent budget measure that passed Congress may offer a glimmer of hope to Central Florida residents who have been waiting months or even years to get a hearing on their Social Security Disability benefits application so that they can get the money they need in order to survive financially despite having a serious illness or injury.
Although the Trump Administration only requested half this amount, the final Congressional measure granted the Social Security Administration $12.9 billion that it can legally put toward operating costs, including hiring the necessary staff and taking steps to reduce the wait time for disability hearings, which is now on average over 600 days, or over 18 months.
This appropriation was on par with what two senators who have been following the backlog had requested for funding. One of the senators took the occasion to celebrate what he saw as the fruit of his advocacy.
Hopefully, this money will help the Social Security Administration better manage its caseload and, in the end, mean more reasonable wait times for Florida residents and others who are awaiting an opportunity to present their disability claims for review.
However, until this money has the chance to make a meaningful impact, those who need disability benefits will continue to have to do what they can to get a prompt approval of their applications or, failing that, to reduce their wait time for an administrative appeal. When the time for a review does finally come around, it is obviously also very important for a person to make that opportunity count. To do so, it is helpful to have the help of an experienced Florida Social Security Disability attorney.
Source: KTVZ 21, “Wyden cheers move to cut Social Security disability backlog,” March 23, 2018
