A new government policy would streamline the Social Security disability application process, making it easier and faster.
To speed up the decision-making process, the Social Security Administration (SSA) said this week that it will limit the amount of time that disabled people’s job histories are considered when evaluating their benefit petitions.
Only the most recent five years of employment will be considered by the government moving forward.
A fifteen-year employment history was reviewed by the agency before the change.
The article claimed that this made things more difficult for applicants because they were more likely to provide inaccurate information about their past due to forgetfulness.
Additionally, the agency has stated that it would not consider employment experience of less than one month to be relevant throughout the application process.
“This new rule will lessen the burden and time our applicants face when filling out information about their work history and will make it easier for them to focus on the most current and relevant details about their past work,” said SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley a statement.
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“Our frontline workers receive better information to make decisions, which improves customer service, reduces case processing time, and overall wait times.”
Long wait times and slow responses to consumer inquiries have been long-standing points of criticism for the SSA.
The agency also mentioned that the announcement will lead to faster application processing for users.
“[It] will reduce administrative burdens for applicants and help more people with disabilities receive government benefits and services if they are eligible,” the SSA stated in its statement.
Disability benefit applicants will no longer have to wait as long for a decision, thanks to revisions included in the final rule.
In May, the number of disabled workers eligible for Social Security benefits surpassed 7.2 million.
Workers receive an average of $1,500 per month in benefits, with the government doling out a total of $11 million.
Benefits for workers with disabilities are overseen by the agency through two programs: Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income.
A higher quality of life and the ability to meet necessities are provided for by the Social Security Administration when individuals are considered disabled according to the statutory definition, according to the agency.
“By narrowing in on the most current relevant work activity, the new rule streamlines the benefits application process without sacrificing the information needed to make accurate determinations.”
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