Getting disability benefits from the Social Security Administration can be a life-saving event for an Oklahoma resident. When a person cannot work due to a disabling physical or mental disorder, they may struggle to provide themselves with the most basic of necessities, such as shelter and food. Therefore, receiving a timely review of one’s application or appeal may be imperative.
Unfortunately, however, the Social Security Administration has adopted a very slow process of hearing appeals of disability benefits rejections. For some, getting their appeals heard has taken more than a year, and in such an amount of time some applicants have passed away. The statistics on this tragic occurrence are unsettling.
In 2016, more than 8,600 people died while waiting to find out if their disability benefits appeals would be approved. Just a year later, in 2017, more than 10,000 people died while in exactly the same state of limbo. This horrific trend may continue if the Social Security Administration is unable to improve its review process and help men and women who are struggling to support themselves get the disability benefits that they need and deserve.
It is of the utmost importance that individuals who apply for Social Security disability benefits do everything in their power to make their initial applications as strong as possible. An appeal may take more than a year to complete, which means a person in need may struggle much longer than is necessary had they prepared a stronger application. Getting the right information is crucial.