It takes SSA several months, and sometimes years, to adjudicate a disability claim. While this can be very frustrating for a disabled person waiting for an individual decision, SSA is not delaying claims on purpose – there is simply a very large caseload. The following is a summary of the numbers of cases, approvals and denials, decided in Fiscal Year 2015, organized by appeal level.
Initial Applications: 2,756,319 claims were received by SSA nationally.
2,677,870 Initial decisions were made by SSA
Of these, 33% claims were approved and 67% were denied
Reconsideration: 704,341 Requests for Reconsideration were filed after Initial Denial
701,072 Reconsideration decisions were made by SSA
Of these, 12% were approvals and 88% were denials
Disability Hearings: 746,300 Requests for Hearing were filed nationally
507,883 Decisions were issued by Administrative Law Judges
Of these 18% were dismissals and 37% were denials
45% of the claims were approved after a hearing
Appeals Council: 149,437 Requests for Review of Hearing Decisions were filed
116,078 decisions were issued by the Appeals Council
Of these, 4% were dismissals and 83% were denials
1% of the appeals were allowed and 13% remanded for
another hearing
Federal Court: 18,078 cases were filed in Federal District Court after AC denial
18,348 decisions were issued by the Court
Of these 8% were dismissals and 45% were denials
2% of the cases were remanded for payment of benefits,
and 45% were remanded for another disability hearing
If you are waiting for a decision at any level of the process, we feel your pain. Know that you are not alone, however, and that the delays are neither intentional nor unusual. Although the waiting times vary considerably at different offices across the country, expect the following in Western Washington:
3-8 months at the Initial Level
1-5 months for Reconsideration
10-18 months for a hearing to be scheduled
12-24 months at the Appeals Council
8-14 months in Federal District Court
For more information contact Maddox-Laffoon today. We can help answer questions you may have about SSA and Disability benefits.