Social Security Administration: Decreases Disability Application Processing Time

Photo courtesy of Evans Disability/Social SecurityPhoto byEvans Disability

The Social Security Administration (SSA) said this week that it will reduce how far back the work history of disabled workers it takes into account when reviewing requests for benefits, a move that it said will help reduce the time to decide on applications.

When looking at relevant past work experience, the agency will now examine five years only. Before the change, the agency looked at 15 years of work history. This requirement made it tough for applicants because sometimes they forget details which led to mistaken reporting of their history. The agency also said that it would ignore work experience that was performed for less than a month.

SSA Commissioner Martin O'Malley said in a statement. “This new rule will lessen the burden and time our applicants face when filling out information about their work history and will make it easier for them to focus on the most current and relevant details about their past work. “It also improves the quality of the information our frontline workers receive to make decisions, improving customer service, and reducing case processing time and overall wait times."

In the past, The SSA has faced extended criticism over wait times and how long it takes to respond to queries from customers. Since then, the SSA has been focusing on expediting the overall process.