It's 109 miles from Deland, the county seat of Volusia County, Florida to Jacksonville, FL yet some of Social Security's Administrative Law Judges have thought that was a reasonable distance to ask a claimant to drive for a hearing. The claimants have been willing to travel to Orlando which is much closer for them but, apparently not for Social Security.
I really doubt that the judges are the culprits. The Management determines where the boundarys of service areas are and it's difficult to get them to allow us to move a case, most especially if it's an (shudder) aged case.
ReplyDeleteIt is NOT the Judges! Some offices states away are hearing cases for the Charlotte ODAR via video - because the office in Hickory was closed, claimants have had to drive to Charlotte. The cases are extremely aged (i.e. some over 2 years old), so they cannot be "transferred" to a closer NC office. Of course, if I had been waiting 2 years for a hearing, by golly, I would make arrangements to go anywhere SSA said!
ReplyDeleteCome on. Don't you all know it's always the judges fault. Congress says it's the judges fault. Odar mgt says it's the judges fault. The staff says it's the judges fault. The reps say it's the judges fault. So it's simple guys. It's always the judges fault
ReplyDeletehonestly, I feel for the claimant's, but there are lots of issues here. Workload in Orlando probably necessitates the geographic boundaries.
ReplyDeleteAlso, claimant's are guaranteed an in-person hearing, but there is no guarantee that such a hearing must be within x-miles of their house or even at the closest office.
How do you think claimant's in remote alaska or wyoming feel about having to drive (or even fly) to have a hearing?
Yeah, but thank God, Binder and Binder will fly up to represent them, at least that is what the ad says, Strange, I wonder why they drop so many claimant's here?? I guess they are snowed in at Alaska??
ReplyDelete