What's so sad in this scenario is that most of the factors contributing to the delays could be solved at the beginning of the application process. Unfortunately, most of the critical information disability examiners use when developing an individual's case is not being written on the application in the beginning. It's unfortunate that the Social Security field office personnel taking applications for disability, are not taking the time, or do not have time to review and make suggestions as to what is needed to help prevent long delays in the processing time of applications before they reach a Disability Examiner's desk. Applications for disability benefits, which require medical evaluation of a person's impairments, are far more complex and take much more time, Social Security officials said. More than one-fifth of the people receiving disability benefits have mental impairments.
Telephone service is inadequate.
This has increased the likelihood of errors and fraud. Yes, but it is probably not what most people want to hear. When completing the application for disability benefits, the deserving applicant should leave nothing to question. Every item on every page should be absolutely complete, correct, accurate and current. The Disability Examiner must investigate everything on the application, and if any of the information is incorrect or unclear in any way, the case will be delayed for months.