SSA Hearings Backlog Reduction Plan Shows Progress
The Social Security Administration has announced that the disability hearings backlog has reached its lowest level since 2005. Just over the past 14 months, the number of pending cases decreased by 10 percent and the time to make a decision on a case has also decreased to 442 days.
Social Security’s aggressive plan seems to be working. In 2009, SSA hired 147 Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) and over 1,000 support staff. That contributed to reducing processing time for hearing decisions by 72 days. SSA plans to hire 228 ALJs in 2010 and will open 14 more hearing offices and three satellite offices.
“This remarkable progress shows our backlog reduction plan is working,” said Michael J. Astrue, commissioner of Social Security. “With ongoing support from the President and Congress as well as the efforts of our hardworking employees, I am confident the hearings backlog will continue to diminish.”
If your case is pending a hearing, you can get a sense of how long it may currently take before you get to meet the judge. Click here for a full listing of regional hearing offices, ranked according to processing time.
Learn More About Your Disability Benefits:
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- SSA’s Open Government Web Page Has Launched
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