• 07
  • July
    2010

There is an incredible backlog in processing Social Security disability claims. In states such as Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan, it can take more than a year and a half before a disabilities claim is processed. Other states, such as Delaware, have a much shorter wait time. (Delaware processes its claims in an average of 300 days, compared with Ohio's average 591-day wait time.) Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) says the wait time is too long.

In testimony before a joint hearing of two House Ways and Means committees, Filner said, "This is inhumane and unacceptable treatment of our disabled, many of whom are children, the elderly and veterans who have nobly served this country."

Part of the problem is that many states, including Ohio, have implemented a furlough system to help ease budget constraints. In this system, many Social Security workers are furloughed three days per month, which only adds to the wait times. Filner has called the Social Security Administration furlough system a "substantial failure" when it comes to living up to its responsibilities. He advocates ending the furlough system, which would effectively federalize all Disability Determination Services (DDS) workers.

However, some experts have testified that this furlough does not lengthen the wait time, adding that with the unemployment rate rising, more people who had previously worked with their disabilities are out of work and applying for benefits. These cases are the cause of the excessive wait times and not the worker furloughs. Still, for workers from California to Ohio, any increase in DDS workers on the job should help ease wait times. But with 3.3 million disability claims expected in 2010 (roughly 700,000 more than in 2009), Social Security Administration officials say it will be tough to finally close the backlog gap for good, regardless of what happens to the furlough system.