Chris's blog

Recently, the Social Security’s Inspector General, Patrick O’Carroll, has been spending more time focusing on a tropical island in the Caribbean, and not in hopes of a vacation. Last March, an article was launched in the Wall Street Journal alleging that rates of acceptance for Social Security Disability benefits were much higher in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico than they were in the rest of the United States.

It a continuing effort to streamline the disability claim determination process and eliminate its load of backlogged cases, the SSA has been working closely with health care providers to provide a new way for them to submit the necessary medical records, known as Electronic Records Express.

Social Security retirement benefits, SSDI, and SSI (also known as Title XVI benefits) have long been hot topics between opposing political parties and candidates. This year, in particular, the issue of a much-needed reform the Social Security system has been the cause of intense debates in both the House and Senate. As incumbent President Obama’s term nears an end, rival politicians have risen to the challenge of debating these and other issues in efforts to sway popular opinion and win a presidential nomination from their parties.

There is a debate going on right now regarding whether or not to raise Social Security payroll taxes.

While many have heard that Republicans want to raise Social Security taxes in order to address the budget deficits, President Obama has other plans. In fact, Obama wants to keep taxes lower, leaving more money with American households where people are struggling due to the current economic crisis.

Everyone understands the financial challenges that the Social Security Administration is currently facing. We keep hearing that the programs that are run by this Administration will do not have adequate funding to meet their financial responsibilities. We keep hearing rumors that Social Security Disability recipients may stop receiving their checks at some point in the future, and that if something is not done to change the system, the retirement benefits that so many rely on will soon be diminished or cut altogether.

It's no secret that funding is an issue for the Social Security Administration lately. You would think that in times such as these, the SSA would be keeping a watchful eye over its funds. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, not only is the SSA not doing everything possible to cut unnecessary costs, but it has also recently come to light that the SSA actually blew $8 billion in improper payments.

Prior to 2008, every Social Security Disability applicant had to go through the same disability claim process, regardless of how severe the disability may have been. Needless to say, there was public outcry for those individuals whose disability claims warranted immediate attention. After all, someone who may have only six months to live cannot possibly be expected to wait two years or more for the first disability payment. In response to this issue, the Social Security Administration rolled out the Compassionate Allowances program.

Many applicants used to wonder if getting approved for Social Security Disability benefits at the hearing stage of the appeal process depended on which Administrative Law Judge was hearing a particular disability case. Now that the Social Security Administration is publishing the decision records of all of its Administrative Law Judges, it will be clear whether or not some judges do indeed award more cases than others, and who has a better chance of receiving an award at the hearing stage of the appeal process.

We all know that the fight for Social Security Disability benefits can be a struggle. A mere 30 percent of claimants are awarded disability benefits during the initial stage of the application process, and that process alone can take three to six months to complete. The remaining Social Security Disability applicants must endure a complicated and lengthy appeal process. While many of us are familiar with the statistics and timelines related to disability claims, we don't really understand what happens to these applicants as they fight for disability benefits.

In a perfect world, a disabled worker would apply for Social Security Disability benefits and be approved for those benefits in just a few short months. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. Estimates state that a mere 30 percent of disability claims are awarded during the initial stage of the application process. The remaining 70 percent of disability applicants must appeal the SSA's decision to deny their Social Security Disability benefits if they hope to receive disability payments at some point in the future.