Social Security Disability Backlog Delays Payments
An interesting New York Times article entitled "Disability Cases Last Longer as Backlog Rises" by Erik Eckhom discusses the Social Security Administration's ("SSA") backlog and how it affects disability payments to claimants. The article states that the wait for appeals hearings is about 500 days, twice as long as it took in 2000. In addition, the article notes that approximately two-thirds of appeals are successful. This is not news to group disability insurers who often have provisions in their policies allowing for offsets of SSA disability benefits.
