Social Security commissioner expedites disability cases

Many people in the United States find themselves victims to crippling illnesses and disabilities. For these people, though help may be slow in coming, it does exist.

According to information found on a Social Security Web site located at www.ssa.gov, life changing disabilities can occur to anyone.

"Disability is a subject you may read about in the newspaper, but not think of as something that might actually happen to you. But your chances of becoming disabled are probably greater than you realize. Studies show that a 20-year-old worker has a 3-in-10 chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age.

"While we spend a great deal of time working to succeed in our jobs and careers, few of us think about ensuring that we have a safety net to fall back on should we become disabled. This is an area where Social Security can provide valuable help to you," the Social Security Administration said.

According to the information provided, in order to qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)), a person must be 65 years of age or older, blind or disabled. In addition, the person seeking disability should have a limited income; have limited resources; be a U.S. citizen or national or in a specific category of aliens; be a resident in one of the 50 states; not be absent from the country for more than 30 consecutive days; agree to pay for any other cash benefits he or she is entitled to and meet other specified requirements.

In May 2007, Commissioner of Social Security Michael J. Astrue appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to present an aggressive plan, which is designed to reduce the backlog of SSI applicants and improve the disability process. Astrue's plan included a compassionate allowances initiative.

"We need to identify and fast-track disability cases that are certain or near-certain to be allowed. The compassionate allowances initiative will allow the Social Security Administration to make decisions on cases involving certain categories of condition in days or weeks instead of months or years," Astrue said.

According to Astrue, the length of time many people have to wait to find out if they will be awarded social security benefits is too long and is unacceptable. In order to reduce SSI backlogs, Astrue said, there are four areas that he would like to see addressed.

Compassionate allowances, according to the Social Security Web site, will enable applicants to be identified more quickly.

"Compassionate allowances are a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that invariably qualify under the Listing of Impairments based on minimal objective medical information. Compassionate allowances will allow Social Security to quickly target the most obviously disabled individuals for allowances based on objective medical information that we can obtain quickly. Many of these claims can be allowed based on confirmation of the diagnosis alone; for example, acute leukemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and pancreatic cancer. In these cases, allowances can be made as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed or the other necessary objective medical evidence is obtained," the Web site said.

Astrue also recommended improving hearing procedures, a procedure that will speed up the applicant process.

"We have already begun to attack the problem of aged cases starting with the cases that are or will be 1,000 days old as of Sept. 30, 2007. I consider this initiative to be a moral imperative. An applicant should not have to wait three or four years for his or her day in court. We have established a goal of reducing these cases to a negligible level by the end of this fiscal year, and I am pleased to report that the number has already dropped from more than 63,000 on Oct. 1 of last year to about 14,000 as of last week. We have made this progress by reallocating resources and redefining the metrics by which we measure success," the Web site said.

Increasing adjudicatory capacity will also help the program run smoother, according to Astrue.

"Hiring additional ALJs (Administrative Law Judge) is an essential element in a successful plan for reducing the backlog. Further improvements are expected from our plans to increase efficiency of support staff. Before a hearing can be held, there is a large amount of work that must be done to prepare the case to be reviewed. With advances in technology and improved management, there are a number of ways to increase the efficiency of this behind-the-scenes work, and we will pursue them all," the Web site said.

Finally, knowing that technology is instrumental in improving performance, Astrue recommended increasing efficiency with automation and business processes.

"At the hearing level, we need the ability to sign decisions electronically. Currently, decisions are printed, signed and then scanned into the electronic folder. By implementing electronic signature capacity, the adjudicator will be able to complete the decision-making process electronically, thus sending the signed decision directly to the folder with a click of a mouse," according the Web site information provided.

Individuals who have questions about SSI or would like to speak with an SSI representative are encouraged to call (800)772-1213 or visit the organization's online Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov.