Back in April I posted the news that Social Security had taken down its website where it posted the stats on payments of fees to attorneys and others who represent claimants before the agency. Soon thereafter the website reappeared. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the problem. Now, they're stopped updating the stats. Nothing has been posted since the March stats. In the past, the website was updated in the first week of each month.
I think the statistics will show a dip in payment of Attorney Fees. I have had several clients in the past several months who were put into pay status but who were not paid past benefits. Also, the Attorney Fees were not paid. In one case, the Attorney Call Center stated that the Government shut down impacted the payment center because staff was taken off of paying back benefits and put on initial pay status. One of my clients had a case that was approved in July 2018 and she was finally paid at the end of May 2019. My office and I probably made about 25 calls about that case. Perhaps the statistics are not being shown because it would verify my theory.
ReplyDeleteI am having that same problem. I have made numerous phone calls, and email to the local supervisor, etc. The Attorney call center twice told me to call back in thirty days. I didn't call the first time until it had taken an unreasonable length of time for the claimant's back pay and the attorney fees. I was wondering how wide spread this problem was.
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