Every day that a person is too sick or injured to work can prove to be quite costly. Not being able to work means that you may not be collecting an income; on top of that, there can be extraordinary medical expenses that come with treating a condition. Seemingly overnight, your life can be turned upside down.
This is why it can be so frustrating to try and navigate the Social Security disability system. The process of applying for benefits is notoriously problematic and lengthy. People can end up waiting for months and sometimes more than a year to get a decision made on their application leaving many to wonder: why is this taking so long?
An article in The Washington Post does a good job of pointing out some of the primary reasons that people have to wait so long to get a ruling on their application for benefits.
The reasons for the excruciatingly slow pace of the Social Security Administration and SSDI claims include:
- An enormous backlog of applications that has never been able to be tackled
- Outdated rules regarding potential jobs an applicant could work in
- The state of the Social Security disability program being too far gone for smaller reforms to be successful
- Too many applicants and not enough judges
- High rate of initial denials
These are system-wide problems that plague the SSDI program and there is no immediate hope that anything will change dramatically.
However, it is important not to lose hope if you are in the position to apply for benefits. Working through the process with an attorney can be an effective way to minimize the chances of making a mistake or oversight on your end which could slow down the process even more. An attorney with experience navigating the Social Security system can prove to be a valuable asset and can also help you understand what to expect as your pursue a claim.