| As the publisher of a website devoted to disability | | | | and wiser if you hedge your bets.The federal |
| issues, and as one who receives occasional mail from | | | | disability system in the U.S. is presently in a |
| claimants, one thing stands out amazingly loud and | | | | "slow-mode" meltdown and (that's just my opinion) |
| clear: too many disability claimants are waiting way | | | | and right now, start to finish, it can take up to three |
| too long to get their applications going.In fact, it's | | | | years to get through the whole process (initial claim, |
| almost stunning how many people are out there in | | | | reconsideration, alj hearing). So, don't THINK about |
| their forties, fifties, even in their late fifties, with | | | | filing. Just FILE.You may have read in the news that |
| significant physical and/or mental impairments and yet | | | | the social security disability system is slated for |
| have not filed for social security disability or ssi.I don't | | | | improvement soon. Again, this is just my opinion, but |
| use the word stunning lightly, either. In the last few | | | | don't count on it. The reform proposals being |
| years, I've been, in varying capacties, in daily contact | | | | advocated by the current SSA Commissioner may |
| with disability claimants (several thousand). Even prior | | | | arguably make things a lot worse for claimants and |
| to becoming | | | | the process in general. Commissioner Barnhart's |
| a disability examiner, I had been a medicaid | | | | proposals will certainly make the SSD-SSI system |
| caseworker, taking applications for medicaid that | | | | more hostile and adversarial to claimants. And there's |
| would go to disability determination services for a | | | | good reason to believe that her proposals will not |
| medical determination Yet, not in any of that time, | | | | even speed things up. They may, in fact, have quite |
| did I get a clear picture of how many disabled | | | | the opposite effect. Please remember that this is the |
| individuals there must be who are not pursuing their | | | | same administration that thought it was ok NOT to |
| benefits.Why do so many people put off filing for | | | | pay overtime to people working 50 hours a week as |
| benefits? There are lots of different reasons, I | | | | long as they would classified as "working supervisors". |
| suppose, and one that I can't discount is that a | | | | It's also the same group that thinks it's ok for |
| certain percentage of individuals have probably been | | | | individual citizens to be barred from debt relief while |
| intimidated by all the "bad stuff" they've heard about | | | | individuals occupying the ivory towers (I'm thinking of |
| the program (high denial rates, files and paperwork | | | | "The Donald" here) seem to be filing for bankruptcy |
| getting lost, rude social security employees, etc, | | | | protection every time you turn around.I will leave you |
| etc).However, I have the strong impression that | | | | with this thought. It was under the current Social |
| many potential claimants either do not file or put off | | | | Security Administration Commissioner that HPI was |
| filing because A. | | | | instituted. This was an efficiency program that, |
| they feel embarassed about filing or B. they want to | | | | instead of bringing efficiency to the disability hearing |
| go back to work and are truly hoping their condition | | | | process |
| will improve to the point that this will become | | | | actually slowed things down by at least a FACTOR |
| possible.This is what I would tell a friend, relative, | | | | OF THREE (hearings in north carolina, for example, |
| neighbor, and anyone who reads this: if you believe | | | | used to take at most 5 months to get---now they |
| you are disabled, file your application ASAP. Because | | | | take up to 15-24 months, depending on |
| if your medical condition does | | | | what hearing office you have to deal with).To |
| indeed prevent you from returning to work, any | | | | reiterate: If you are disabled, don't think about filing. |
| embarassment you feel over filing will weigh very | | | | Just file and get it done.The author of this article is |
| little against your immediate financial concerns. And if | | | | Timothy Moore, who, in addition to being a former |
| you're hoping that your condition will improve to the | | | | food stamp caseworker, medicaid caseworker and |
| point where you can work again, that's a great | | | | AFDC caseworker, is a former disability claims |
| attitude...but what if it doesn't. You're always safer | | | | examiner. |