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To Questions About Your Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Benefits

Attorney Shawn Taylor

Slow decision process for SSD

by | May 4, 2018 | Social Security Disability |

West Virginia residents who have submitted an application for Social Security Disability benefits should be prepared to wait for what could a significantly long time before they receive a decision. The process for determining disability can be a lengthy one as disability examiners have no deadline by which they are required to come a decision.

Even so, a majority of cases may be decided in just a few months after an application has been received. For other cases, the decisions may come more quickly, sometimes within weeks, while others make as long as one year.

Individuals whose cases seem to be taking a significant amount of time to be processed should not assume that the length of time it is taking to come to a decision is a negative reflection of the work ethic of the people assigned to their case. The people who work at the state disability determination services organization and the federal Social Security Administration undergo job performance evaluations to determine how effectively and quickly their cases are closed. Having the cases processed as accurately and as quickly as possible benefits everyone, including the workers.

However, many things can curtail the progress a disability examiner may make with an application. One of the most common impediments is not being able to receive in a timely manner the medical records needed to verify a claimant’s disability. Sometimes, the disability examiners are unable to locate the right medical facilities or physician due to incomplete information entered on the disability application and are unable to obtain copies of necessary records, such as patient files.

An attorney who practices disability law may advocate on behalf of clients during the application or appeal process for Social Security Disability. The attorney may review the initial application to ensure that all necessary documents are included.