The average wait time for disability benefits is three times longer than a decade ago according to an CNBC article. An initial decision takes an average of six month and a final decree typically takes two years or more.
From 2010 to 2021 the operating
budget of the Social Security Administration (SSA) was reduced by 14%.
Meanwhile the number of recipients climbed by 22% over the same period.
This has put a strain both on those waiting for news about their
applications and the employees working to ease the pressure. The average
wait time for a call to an SSA office is roughly thirty-one minutes.
The 2020 COVID pandemic closed all Social Security offices from March 2020 to July 2022. The effects of COVID left Social Security crippled with a smaller workforce, high employee turnover, inadequate funding and other problems that spell excessively long wait times for those served by the agency.
It now takes 3 times longer to get an initial disability decision compared to two years ago. And it usually requires an additional 18 to 24 months before the claim is finally settled - due to the long appeal process that is usually required.
AARP sent a letter
to both party leaders in the senate requesting updates and funding to
help alleviate the long wait times.
In October 2022 the US Congress provided a modest lifeline to Social Security, providing an additional 400 million dollars for fiscal year 2023. (Social Security had twice asked for an additional $800 million). This funding may be enough to tread water but it won't solve Social Security's many customer service problems. It won't solve the long, long wait times to get decisions on disability claims.
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