Social Security to Hire 100 Workers to Authorize Disability Benefits Despite Federal Hiring Freeze

In spite of a federal hiring freeze, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that it will still be allowed to hire one hundred additional employees to assist in the processing of Social Security disability claims, which has been severely backlogged for years mainly due to a lack of funding. Because the SSA has been underfunded, over the last two decades its workforce has remained relatively stable while the number of applications for disability has skyrocketed. As quoted in an article by the Washington Times, Lisa Ekman of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) explains the current state of affairs:

“Eight thousand people died during fiscal year 2016 who were waiting for a (disability) hearing,” Ekman said. “That’s 23 people a day, almost one an hour to get a hearing. . We see people who lose their homes. We see people who are evicted. We see people who can’t afford to pay for medications, who become very debilitated while they wait. It creates people who are homeless.”

With backlogs in processing both initial applications for disability benefits, requests for reconsideration, and requests for hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), not to mention cases at the Appeals Council or the United States District Court, the SSA is severely overwhelmed at every level.

If you would like to learn more about Viner Disability Law’s approach to representing claimants before the SSA and its strategies for obtaining expedited consideration for our clients, please contact us to speak with one of our Social Security disability attorneys either over the phone or in-person in our office in downtown Denver, Colorado.