Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Many Die Waiting on SS

Two year backlog to get a disability case heard. Pretty pathetic.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/U...-09-17-08-29-32

A LOT of work left to do in that swamp. Folks need to be fired

That indeed, but I don't think it will ever be completely clean.

Naw too many to list

A friend of mine waited for 3.5 years and just now got his disability. He almost died. He is legit disabled. Will never be able to work again.

It's a shame that all these able bodied people just sit on their ass and do nothing but let the rest of us support them.

The backlog to get an ALJ hearing is about 18-24 months depending on the hearing office the case is assigned to. When the B'ham HO got a little caught up, they started shipping them in from other states.

The problem is that people are allowed to file repeatedly for the same issues after having been denied repeatedly and they cannot provide ANY new medical proofs showing they have new or worsened conditions. A lot folks think that if they continually file and appeal the denials they will eventually get approved. I know a lot of the ALJ's here in B'ham, and some are very liberal when it comes to approving a case if there is any doubt, and others are very hard nosed in applying the law. All of them are running wide open with hearings all day, every day.

On the initial claim side, they can tell us they broke their toe and we have to take the claim. The law says you have to be suffering from a condition that is expected to last more than 12 months and prevent you from working at ANY job, or the condition is expected to in death.

The appeals are heard on a first in first out basis so they have to give all the BS claims the same attention as a truly deserving individual.

Y'all do realize the real problem right? Folks that are actually on SS are by and large NOT disabled. I'd say we'll over 50%, and I'm not even close to joking. It's pathetic.

Yeah, then maybe you should come spend a day with my wife. 12 years ago, she was working, driving and doing anything she wanted on her own. Now she can barely get around the house or eat without choking...Don't asks to write anything, hell, I can barely understand her at time because she can't speak clearly either. She has a disease called SCA1.

....and your wife is the very person SS is needed. All the jack legs that are mooching on SS for "back pain" are literally stealing money from your wallet. You should get more and they should get zero. In fact, they should be in jail.

I have a friend who has been trying to get on disability for a few years. By all means he would work if he could. He has 4 children, and was employed until his problems with diabetes kept him in the hospital more than he was out. He finally got Medicaid to help with his medicines, but has no way to support himself. After months in the hospital with mrsa recently, he finally thought he got better. He was out maybe a week, got work lined up, and then once again right back in the hospital. This time they cut his leg off. Now with no leg, of course he can't do the labor he was lined up to do. He told me today that he has another unemployment hearing in December. I asked him what in the world are you going to do until then. I just think it's a damn shame someone like that can't get help.

According to SS rules you're supposed to be homeless and starving before you even apply for SS.
Then if you do ANYTHING to earn grocery money during your 3 year appeal process, they'll throw out your application.
They created their own cluster*uck.
Tipical government circle jerk.

With all due respect, as bad as the system is, none of that is factually correct.

Really?
I suppose it isn't "factually" correct that about 90% of initial applications are denied?
It must also be incorrect that a lawyer is required to sort through the bullshmit and finally get approved.
Because if all that is incorrect then a whole lot of "fact" Fixing is in order.

I have a friend that is retired from SSA. He told me that if you were working when your illness or accident occurred they are mandated to deny your claim no matter how legit to encourage you to re-enter the work force. If you've never worked you get approved the first time through. That is so the workers can pay for the non workers.

The VA has a denial system just like the SSA does. Its called the three D's "Delay, Deny, until they Die" Before I found I had lung cancer I had several of the guys I served with contact me urging me to get to the VA because they were having serious health problems. So in 1996 I went to get an appointment for a physical and was delayed until 2006. When I got in they cycled me through without checking me over like they should or they would've found the cancer before it got to other parts of my body. It almost cost me my life and would have if I'd went much longer.

I had an uncle who was self employed and had no insurance other than the VA. He had a heart attack on a Thursday and was sent to the VA hospital and told he needed immediate bypass surgery. They told him that unfortunately they were backlogged and it would be two weeks before they could get him in. They sent him home and he died that weekend at home. This was in the late 90's before people started realizing how bad VA healthcare was.

There is something seriously wrong with a system and people that will give benefits to those who they know do not need them and will deny those who actually do need benefits. Which county in Alabama is it that almost the whole county is on disability?

No, it is correct that the majority of claims are initially denied, I don't know the exact percentage, but that was not a point you made in your previous post.

It is incorrect that a lawyer is required. I process claims every week for people that get approved WITHOUT a lawyer.

I'm not here to defend the system, because it is very flawed. I see it daily, but if you want to put information out as fact, you may want to get the fact straight before taking a stance.

This is also incorrect. You can work while receiving or even filing for disability benefits AND get approved. Having said that, that amount of money you can make is very low. Currently the limit is $1170.00 gross monthly....and no, I couldn't live on that.

As for those who have never worked, they CANNOT receive Social Security disability, they will only be eligible for SSI disability which has the same medical requirements, but is not funded by employee/employer contributions

The problem, as I mentioned earlier are all the BS claims we HAVE to take and process if a person insists on filing. If we cold somehow screen those out and clear up the back log, the process would move a lot faster. We have performance indicators we have to meet one we take a claim. I can assure you that 99% of all our clams are processed and sent to the state agency for a medical decision the same day a person files. If the case is approved, it's paid as soon as the claimant provides any necessary info they didn't give at the initial app...I have 3 case right now I can't pay because the claimant is dragging their feet.