Can the economic stimulus package eliminate the SSD claim backlog?

If you’ve ever had any involvement with the disability claims process at the Social Security Administration, you know it moves a little slowly.  Glacially slow.  Mind-numbingly slow.

But all that could change over the next few years, if the promises of the recently approved economic stimulus package have the intended effect.  The SSA is going to receive one billion dollars from the stimulus plan, part of which is to be used to reduce the enormous backlog of disability claim cases.

This is great news for New Yorkers, whose injured and disabled workers often have to wait up to 2 years to have their SSDI claim heard.  A spokesperson for SSA said that they hope to reduce the backlog of well over a half-million cases with the stimulus money.  In addition, the agency expects to reduce wait times to around 270 days over the next five years.  That’s still a fair time to wait, but not nearly as bad as two years.

What may also help the backlog is a revamp of the SSA’s aging computer data center.  New technology and more employees – both to be funded by the stimulus package as well – will hopefully have a positive impact.  This is change that injured and disabled New Yorkers desperately need.

If you need help with your SSDI claim, please contact the experienced New York Social Security disability attorneys at Markhoff & Mittman, P.C. at (914) 946-1452 or (866) 205-2415.