In our last blog post, titled “The Social Security Application Process and Why is it Taking So Long?” we discussed the obvious delays in reviewing applications for social security disability benefits. At the time of that blog post, the national average to review an initial application was 233 days or almost 8 months. We also discussed the reasons for these delays including a backlog in cases after the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of funding, and a lack of personnel.
On December 20, 2023 Martin J. O’Malley was sworn in as the new Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Commissioner O’Malley addressed these clear issues and listed his top priorities to reduce call wait times and issue faster decisions in initial decisions and appeals. [1]
In a recent interview for the podcase SSA Talks, Commissioner O’Malley admitted that the Social Security Administration was “in a customer service crisis right now” and that this was unacceptable. Commissioner O’Malley also cited a troubling statistic that 10,000 people a year die while waiting for their disability benefits. To try and solve these issues, Commissioner O’Malley discussed implementing SecurityStat database system to help expedite reviews as well as a request additional funding for much needed staff.
A full transcript of this discussion can be found at:
https://www.ssa.gov/news/assets/materials/audio-series/episode-3-transcript.pdf
[1]https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/marketing/fact-sheets/a-more-efficient-social-security.pdf