An estimated 736,000 Americans are awaiting word on their Social Security disability claims -- a 30 percent increase from a year ago. The waiting period has now stretched to 505 days, on average. And the Social Security Administration says it may get worse.
The Des Moines (Iowa) Register explained how difficult the process can be:
"There are 7.4 million Americans who receive disability benefits. The average monthly check totals $1,063.
"Not all applicants have to wait years for their first check. For some, particularly those with obvious physical disabilities, the wait can be as little as three months. Others never receive a check because they don't meet the federal definition of disabled.
"Many applicants fall in the middle of those extremes: They are clearly handicapped, but there's some question as to whether they are truly unable to work for a living.
"Answering that question can be difficult and time-consuming. Almost two-thirds of claims for benefits are denied at the outset. That can lead to a series of appeals that move through the system at a glacial pace.
"Although applicants who go down that path often succeed in getting benefits, perseverance is the key: At some points in the appeal process, applicants must wait several months to advance to the next stage of having their case reviewed. For example, it may take 18 months to have one's claim reviewed by an administrative law judge, but judges approve 63 percent of those claims."
One big reason for the backlog is the steady increase in the number of claims Americans are filing,
MarketWatch reported:
"The number of U.S. adults reporting a disability increased by 3.4 million between 1999 and 2005, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 47 million people, or an estimated one in five adults, report having a disability. The three most common causes are arthritis or rheumatism, back problems and heart disease.
"Those numbers are expected to rise as the baby boomers age, with many becoming disabled and being pushed out of the work force. So it can pay to know how to approach the claims process."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said one in five American adults now "reports a disability":
"The study of data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation found that women (24.4 percent) have a higher prevalence of disability compared with men (19.9 percent) at all ages. The study also found that disability prevalence doubled for each successive age group -- 11.0 percent for ages 18-44, 23.9 percent for ages 45-64, and 51.8 percent for ages 65 or older."
