The U.S. Congress is taking the Social Security backlog seriously. On April 27, it held a joint hearing between the (U.S. Congress) House Social Security Subcommittee and the (U.S. Congress) House Ways and Means Committee on Income Security and Family Support. The hearing was set only a week after the House Social Security Subcommittee elected its new chairman, Early Pomeroy.

The hearing will address the backlog in pending applications for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). There was been a lot of news about the unprecedented backlog in Social Security hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (the second state of the appeals process). The Congressional hearing will discuss a newly emerging backlog in initial disability applications. The Social Security Administration projects that disability claims will increase by nearly 29 percent from FY 2008 to 2010, and are not expected to drop significantly until after 2012. It further estimates that by the end of fiscal year 2010, more than 1 million people in the U.S. will be awaiting a decision on their initial disability applications.

DURHAM, North Carolina (November 19, 2009) Rick W. Fleming, head of the Social Security Disability Department at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, is co-chair and speaker for the “Social Security 2009.” The event, to be held at the Downtown Marriott in Winston-Salem, is sponsored by the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. It will be held on Dec. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Fleming, vice chair for the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, will be presenting “View from the Vocational Expert’s Chair” at 1:30 p.m., in conjunction with Julie Sawyer-Little, a vocational expert from Fuquay-Varina, NC. This session pairs Sawyer-Little, an expert witness on vocational issues, with Rick Fleming, a  North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law. The pair will discuss “best practices” for attorneys when cross-examining vocational experts, and provide advice on the most effective ways attorneys can advocate for clients who have challenging vocational issues.

As one of three program chairs, Fleming will also be providing welcoming remarks to the conference.

Fleming joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2002 and became a shareholder in 2008. Certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law, Fleming concentrates his practice on people who have been injured at work or have suffered a catastrophic physical and economic loss.

The bad economy has hit the disabled especially hard. Statistics from the Social Security Administration shows some states have a backlog of more than 800 days before a social security disability claim comes up for a hearing.

This is much longer than most applicants can afford to wait. Social Security Disability is limited to people who are so sick and disabled they can no longer work in any position. Proving that a disability is severe enough to qualify is an arduous process and often takes multiple appeals.

By the time some applicants go through the complicated procedures and are approved for benefits, they have already lost their homes – or worse.

The reasons for the long wait include a population of aging baby boomers who are more likely to get sick and injured. But much of the problem has to do with the economy. Claims always rise during economic downturns.

One and a half million people are now waiting a decision on their Social Security Disability claim. The backlog hit a pick last year, but is starting to drop due to several improvements at the federal level. The Social Security Administration has used teleconferences and other innovations to make things quicker, and congress has allocated money to hire 7,000 new employees.

But progress is often delayed at the state level, the entities that handle the first application for benefits. As their staffs are cutback, furloughed and frozen – applications for Social Security Disability are being delayed. As of Dec. 2008, there were 281,531people in North Carolina receiving Social Security Disability benefits. If you or a loved one have become too sick or disabled to work and wish to apply for Social Security Disability benefits or have been denied your Social Security Disability benefits  – call the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin for assistance –  24-hours-a day, 7-days – at week at 1-800-832-6573 or visit us on the Web at www.Farrin.com. James Scott Farrin may have the resources you need to help you with your claim.


Source: NPR and statistics from the Social Security Administration for North Carolina