Georgia residents who are battling serious illnesses may be interested to hear some cases from other locations of people who are struggling, not only with illness, but in a battle with the Social Security Administration. One woman was denied for disability payments, but did not receive an explanation as to why.
She had worked until recently, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which had metastasized to her back. The pain from the cancer has made it impossible for her to work. With the denial of her needed benefits, she is preparing to make an appeal, but the data shoes that it could take nearly a year to be seen. Her bills continue to grow.
Another woman waited for two-and-a-half years for her approval to come through for her neurological disorder. In the meantime, she moved back in with her parents.
Millions of Americans are applying for Social Security, creating a damaging backlog which is causing serious issues for those applicants and those in need of appeals. The average wait time for application is over 300 days, and though that number is down over the last two years, that amount of time can have a detrimental affect. The financial burden of the illness, combined with an inability to work, can cause these applicants to fall into dire financial straits, including medical debt, credit card debt and even bankruptcy.
For families and individuals in need of assistance applying for Social Security, whether it be creating a complete application or handling appeals, consulting an experienced Social Security attorney can be an excellent resource.
Source: The Arizona Republic, “Social Security disability applications backlogged,” Ryan Randazzo, Dec. 2, 2012
