SSA Enacts New Measures to Reduce Backlog of Claims
According to the Social Security Administration, the average time for processing a claim is 557 days from filing to closure. While that sounds like a lot of time (and it is indeed a long, long time) the number of days by itself is a bit misleading without further discussion. For example, some claims are automaticaly approved. Other claims are approved after 60, 90, 100 days, etc. Some claims take a very, very long time to administrate to closure. I have seen some cases, for example, extend for years through appeals and hearings and more appeals.
The SSA has stated that each administrative law judge should be able to adjudicate 360 cases without compromising the mission of 1)providing timely and hearings and 2) timely decision. If each judge did, in fact, efficiently handle that many claims, then the average time to process a claim from filing to the point of a hearing should be reduced to 250 days.
So just to be clear, just because the SSA spits out their “average number of days” that it takes to administrate a claim and reduces it to 557 days, don’t be fooled. The real picture not nearly so black and white. In fact, it’s a spectrum of pure gray from end to end. In other words, with rare exception, there’s simply no way to even remotely guess how long a particular claim will take to see itself through completion. With that being said, however, I normally tell my clients that it may take anywhere from eighteen months to a year for their case to be fully administrated.
Ok, so we all agree that it takes a long time. Fortunately, the Social Security Administration has enacted a plan to reduce the backlog by 2012. The plan is extensive and covers four basic areas of operation and more than thirty specific areas within those four. They include:
- Using enhanced computer models to evaluate cases.
- Improving hearing office procedures
- Increase the judges capacity to handle more cases
- Improve overall efficiency with new software and improved business procedures
While these processes, over time, will certainly help to reduce the number of backlogged cases, the ultimate answer continues to be constant improvement in good management, accountability and efficiency.
#1 by Larry Jones at July 9th, 2009
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I think the acquisition of medical records via downloading electronic medical records ( should that be the case in a perfect world) would greatly reduce the time for case evaluations.
#2 by Hal LaPray at July 13th, 2009
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I agree, Larry. Hopefully the system is moving more towards automation and efficiency, for the sake of those filing claims as well as improving how our federal and state tax dollars are being spent. Thanks for the comment.