Today’s The American Civil Liberties Union newsletter commends the House Ways and Means Committee for holding a hearing today on the backlog of Social Security disability claims. The ACLU has submitted a written statement to the committee.

Social Security disability backlogs are at an all-time high, with the average wait time lasting 499 days and in some regions upwards of 700 days. At the same time, the Social Security Administration (SSA) staffing levels are at their lowest levels since 1972. All this translates into unreasonable delays in Social Security disability claims processing, with thousands of people with disabilities facing tremendous economic hardship including bankruptcy, homelessness, and in some cases suicide.

At a time when Congress should be focused on clearing up the Social Security disability backlogs, Some members of the House of Representatives are pushing a vast increase in the workload of the already overburdened SSA – mandatory verification of every worker in the U.S. More details here:

Bob Kraft’s blog reports on Average Processing Times For Social Security Disability Claims:
The list of the most recently available average processing times for Social Security disability claims throughout the nation has been published by NOSSCR. The Dallas and Forth Worth offices rank closer to the top than to the bottom, but processing times across the country are abysmal and unfair to claimants. See: www.nosscr.org

Fayetteville, New York (WSYR-TV) – If you get so sick or injured that you can’t work anymore, Social Security disability kicks in. But it may take a few months for benefits to go into effect.

Currently, it takes nearly three months just to process disability applications. If they go to hearing, it could take up to a year and a half.

But what if you’re diagnosed with a disease that could take your life in just a matter of months?

For Edward “Hap” Abendroth, fatigue is a constant. Otherwise, he is dealing pretty well with the side effects of biweekly chemo treatments. Hap was diagnosed last December with pancreatic cancer. From the time of diagnosis, six to nine months is the usual life expectancy.

So Hap wasted no time in applying for Social Security disability to replace his lost income. With the help of Congressman Jim Walsh’s office, the application was fast-tracked. On February 3rd, he got word that his benefits were approved, and hap was told to expect his first check on June 25th, more than six months after his diagnosis.

Social Security is considering making quicker disability decisions for people with life threatening diseases. But even if those so-called “compassionate allowances” are made more quickly, there’s still a five to six month waiting period for the first check.

“There are so many other issues with a critical illness. And you feel very badly for people who are sidetracked by the financial concerns of not receiving the Social Security or disability payments,” Hap says. See story here:

From today’s Charlotte Observer: A leading group of occupational doctors is taking the unusual step of speaking out publicly against pressure from companies to downplay workplace injuries.

To outline their concerns, the physicians have sent a letter to federal workplace safety regulators and held a conference session in New York City on Monday. They’re also planning to testify before Congress.

If successful, their campaign could affect the treatment of injured workers and might help change how the government assesses workplace safety.

“Our members feel they are being methodically pressured … to under-treat and mistreat,” said Dr. Robert McLellan, president of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “…This is a grave ethical concern for our members. It’s a grave medical concern.”

His group represents 5,000 doctors; some treat workers referred to them by employers, while others work directly for companies. See more story details here: