Waiting In Asheville

From the Asheville, NC Citizen-Times:

The horror stories roll off their tongues like a litany: claimants who die while they wait, families falling apart, bankruptcies, homelessness, even suicides.

Disability attorneys and advocates say these are the fates of an increasing number of people who become ill or injured and apply for federal Social Security Disability benefits.

From first application, people who cannot work because of illness or disability wait an average of three years for benefits. Many wait longer, and a large percentage of people simply give up. ...

A few cases are approved quickly - when people are elderly or clearly dying, said Cynthia Strom, a disability attorney in east Asheville.

"But for most people, it's a waiting game," she said. "I've had clients commit suicide while they wait because they just can't do it anymore." ...

Curtis Venable, an attorney with Pisgah Legal Services, said he has clients who have waited more than four years for approval. Getting approval in less than 2 years is rare.

"I'll bet one-third of the people living in homeless shelters are people waiting for disability," he said.

Bruce Peterson, district director for U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, said the office gets hundreds of calls a month asking for help with disability.