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SSA Disability Backlog: Long Time Coming
 By Tom Shoop | Monday, July 30, 2007  |  10:03 AM

USA Today hops on the story of the burgeoning backlog of Social Security disability claims this morning, a sure sign that it's reaching crisis proportions.

Early this year, SSA officials had to go hat in hand to Congress to beg for some of its fiscal 2007 funding to be restored merely to avoid having to furlough thousands of employees.

For next year, President Bush has proposed a 3 percent increase in funding for disability claims processing. The House and Senate are contemplating increases in the 4 percent to 5 percent range. But SSA managers say even that won't be enough to make a dent in the backlog.

There are a lot of things you can say about this, but one of them isn't that we didn't see it coming. Here's Eric Yoder in the September 2001 issue of Government Executive.

During the next 10 years, the Social Security Administration's retirement processing workload is projected to increase by one-fifth as the oldest of the 77 million baby boomers enter their 60s. At the same time, the disability insurance workload is projected to rise by one-half as the rest of the boomers hit ages at which they are more likely to file disability claims. By 2020, the retirement workload will increase by one-half and the disability workload by three-fourths over current levels. Meanwhile, claims under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program for the poor, disabled and elderly are expected to grow by one-fifth by 2020.

Worse, the workload will surge just as the agency is facing a retirement wave of its own. The average Social Security employee is about 47 years old and has about 20 years of service. By 2010, 28,000 of its current 65,000 workers will be eligible to retire. Take away another 10,000 expected to leave in the next nine years for other reasons, and the agency may have to replace more than half its workforce just as it is gearing up for the increase in workload and incorporating new technologies to process applications, deliver payments and follow up on beneficiaries.



Comments


The electronic folder process has been great for expiating claims. Where the problems reside is that the DDS is not given sufficient authority to make decisions. Former commissioner Barnhart came up with this complicated system to speed up claims processing. What she actually need to do was give more decision making authority to DDS. The legal approach to the program is just fine. As much as people would like to depend on docs for disability decision the fact is that some docs call every one disabled and others say no one is disabled. There is no standard to rule that a person is medically disabled for doctors to use. Also, talk about taxpayer waste........watch what happens with docs make these decisions.

Social Security Representative  | Wednesday, August 01, 2007 |  11:38 AM


It has become popular to discount the projected retireee figures because most workers stay on the job beyond their earliest retirement date. However, that doesn't mean they stay indefinitely. If the expected flood of retirees does not occur in the target year, that doesn't mean that it won't occur at all. --And to think, so many people were afraid that Social Security would run out of money, when the real problem was that it would run out of employees first. The money will be there, but applicants won't be able to get it because there's no one to process their claims.

Ted Bean  | Tuesday, July 31, 2007 |  11:22 AM


I agree with Anonymous. The whole system needs to be revamped. It's comparable with the welfare system. The ALJ hearing system is cruel to truly disabled individuals who have to wait an incredibly long time to get a hearing. Then it is the luck of the draw whether your claim is granted or denied. Some ALJ's grant practically every case that comes before them, while other ALJ's deny practically every case that comes before them. Let's get retired physicians and train them to become judges instead of getting retired attorney's and trying to train them to become physicians.

Been There  | Tuesday, July 31, 2007 |  10:16 AM


The US Government should make a deal with Mexico so that our retirees could leive the and enjoy the benefits of Mexico with the protection of the full protection of the USA.

The Mexican laws would have to be changed to accomidate the new class of people from our middle class and the language and culture would need to fit that of America, but if Mexico could become a more desireable place then more Americanw would want to go there for retirement.

Mexico For retirement  | Monday, July 30, 2007 |  11:07 PM


Congress could loosen the rules to create more allowances at the initial level. Give reconsiderations back to the DDS.
the cruelty created by long waits for ALJ decisions is unecessary. And the electronic folder system was another boondoggle that wasted taxpayer money on archaic computer systems.

adjudicator  | Monday, July 30, 2007 |  10:49 PM


It's much more than a budget issue. The disability program is by and large a failed program due to the laws, rules and regulations that apply. It is way too legalistic in nature. What do judges and attorneys have to do with disability?

Anonymous  | Monday, July 30, 2007 |  10:37 AM



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Government Executive Editor Tom Shoop takes a look at news and events affecting the federal bureaucracy, from the perspective of a longtime observer of government.

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