From the Dallas Morning News -- and notice that this appears to be another example of the successful public relations effort by Allsup:
Judith Byrd thinks Social Security has flunked its first big test with baby boomers. After losing her airline customer service job following medical problems, the 59-year-old Allen woman waited more than two years for an answer to her claim for disability insurance.
Ms. Byrd received her first payment last May after enduring what she describes as the longest 26 months of her life. The pain of her unrelenting back problems and the frustration of dealing with a government bureaucracy threw her into a crippling depression that kept her at home for weeks....
"I'm convinced the disability claims system was designed to be difficult to navigate because the government can't afford to pay benefits to everyone," said Jim Allsup, president of Allsup Inc., an Illinois company that represents claimants and has seen its clients quadruple since 2000. ...
Last year, Ms. Watson received $34,000 in retroactive benefits, including the $5,300 she paid Allsup, and began collecting $1,450 a month.
I can feel her pain, After filing in April 2004, I just was able to sit in front of an ALJ two weeks ago. My lawyer tells me it may take up to 6-8 weeks for the judge to give his ruling, and another 4 weeks before I get my first payment.
ReplyDeleteThat is actually a generous estimate of the time. Although that timeline is a possibility, it could also be many months before a decision is written and only then will SSA start the process for payment of benefits, which can easily take 60-90 days.
ReplyDeleteIf SSA has not yet seen your birth certificate and proof of worker's comp or other public disability benefits, you should have those ready to submit upon request, after the hearing decision.