In 2017, the Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that over 62 million Americans will receive about $955 billion in Social Security benefits. Although a large percentage of benefits are paid to retired workers and their dependents, some of the benefits are paid to disabled workers.
In addition to the millions of current disability recipients, there are also thousands of disability applicants who submit new Social Security disability applications each month to the SSA for processing.
Why does it take so long for the SSA to review each Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application? There are a number of reasons for this: insufficient work staff to process claims, delayed receipt of medical records, and thousands of cases waiting in the queue.
Unfortunately, you cannot overcome most of the delays. So, what can you do to expedite your disability claim? Hiring a lawyer can increase the chance of approval at every stage in the process, but it will not expedite your case. In fact, the only thing that you can do to ensure that your case is processed as quickly as possible is to understand the process, include all of the right information the first time you submit your case, and quickly respond to any SSA requests for more information.
Let’s take a closer look at the disability process and what you need to know to submit a successful case.
Disability Determination Made by DDS
Assuming that you meet the basic non-medical requirements for SSDI benefits, your case will move from the local SSA office to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) office in your state for disability processing. In some states, the DDS is also referred to as the Bureau of Disability Determination or the Disability Determination Division.
At DDS, your case will be assigned to a disability examiner who will review your medical records and your vocational work history. Using the SSA five-step Sequential Evaluation Process, the DDS examiner will determine if your condition is severe and disabling.
To make this determination, they will review the SSA Listing of Impairments, formally titled the "Disability Evaluation under Social Security.” This listing identifies specific conditions and their corresponding symptoms, which the SSA has determined are automatically disabling.
If your condition does not “meet or equal” a listing, the DDS examiner will evaluate whether you have the mental and physical functional capacity to work. This can be done through what they term as a “medical vocational allowance.”
Delays at the DDS Office
It’s not unusual for disability applications to sit at DDS for months. Unfortunately, one of the biggest delays in SSDI application processing is waiting for the claimant’s treating sources to send medical records for the disability examiner to review.
After the DDS examiner receives the medical records, they may decide that there is no sufficient medical evidence to make a disability determination. If this is the case, the DDS examiner will ask the claimant to go to a consultative examination for a medical evaluation. Unfortunately, this can be one more request that can delay your application.
SSDI Application and the Appeal
After the DDS examiner makes their disability determination, the SSA will send you an acceptance or denial letter. Assuming that your case is not a quick disability decision (QDD), on the Compassionate Allowance List, or a terminal condition, it can take anywhere from 90 to 120 days (and up to 6 months) for the SSA to make a disability determination.
If your case is denied, you will have 60 days from the date of the disability denial letter to file an appeal. If your case is approved, you will begin to receive benefits. Your acceptance letter will detail the estimated date of receipt and the estimated payout amount.
Factors that Can Affect the Decision
So why are some cases approved immediately while others flounder within the SSA system for months or years? There are no simple answers.
Cases that can be immediately approved for benefits are those that are quick disability decisions, on the Compassionate Allowance List, or terminal conditions. Claimants who have a condition that meets or exceeds a condition on the SSA Listing of Impairments can also expect to have their claims immediately approved, assuming that they meet the non-medical requirements for SSDI or SSI benefits.
Improving Your Chance for Approval
What should you do to improve your chances of having your case approved?