Social Security Disabilities: See If You Qualify, Long Waits

"The Social Security Disability Insurance application process is experiencing a huge crunch right now, and it's expected to last for the next couple of years. This will make it even more important for people to find out if they are likely to be eligible before they apply and for those with severe disabilities to get representation from the beginning, according to Allsup, which represents tens of thousands of people in the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application and hearing process each year.

The Social Security Administration recently reported that the average time to process initial disability claims will increase by 20 percent.¹ The length of time is expected to grow from 129 days in FY 2009 to 156 days in FY 2010.

"It's amazing the difference one year can make," said Jim Allsup, founder and CEO of Allsup, which provides SSDI and Medicare services to people with permanent disabilities who can no longer work. "The current economy and the aging baby boomers are driving the growth in disability applications. The backlog is now hitting the earliest level of the process -- the initial application.""

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Social_Security/Disability_Benefits/prweb2478494.htm