Ohio Social Security Disability Bill Promises Faster Decision on Claims for Terminally Ill
New SSA claims process modeled after Ohio's fast-track project
COLUMBUS - Americans with life expectancies of six months or less should not have to wait five months before receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits if they are entitled to them, announced the seven-member Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC). The RSC, a state agency serving people with disabilities, is encouraging Ohio's congressional delegation to support Senate Bill 2050, also called the Arthur Woolweaver Jr. Social Security Improvements for the Terminally Ill Act. Introduced by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in September and co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the bill has been referred to the Senate's Committee on Finance.
John M. Connelly, RSC executive director, wrote Ohio's congressional delegation that the way SSDI applications are now handled imposes economic and emotional hardships on families that are already under stress due to the terminal nature of a family member's illness. The agency's Bureau of Disability Determination (BDD) handles disability claims filed by Ohioans for the Social Security Administration. In the federal fiscal year that ended September 30, BDD handled a total of 169,392 cases (including terminal and non-terminal cases), 4,460 more than the previous 12 months.
"Terminally-ill beneficiaries deserve their money as soon as they are approved," said Connelly. "The long waiting period is an unnecessary hurdle to jump."
The bill is named for the late Arthur Woolweaver Jr. of Cuyahoga County, a terminally ill patient who was told his $1,800 SSDI monthly checks would not begin until a mandatory five-month waiting period expired. Woolweaver died before collecting even one of the checks.
"In many instances the individual's death leaves the family with tremendous medical bills and other debts with no means to pay them," Connelly writes in the letter. "While it is possible for an individual and family to get ready financially for retirement, it is rarely feasible to prepare for disability. Not receiving benefits right away adds to the financial and emotional strain on even a strong family."
Ohio is model for SSA fast-decision program
A quick disability determination process (QDD) launched by SSA nationwide in December 2007 is modeled after BDD's Fast Track Unit, which has processed more than 8,400 claims in an average of 9.5 days since March 2005, beating the 11-day national average in SSA's test region in the northeastern U.S. QDD is expected to speed up claims determination, oftentimes within 10 days of an applicant's filing. QDD relies on specially designed software to identify claims where there is a high potential that the applicant is disabled and evidence of the person's claim can be obtained quickly and easily. The software will enhance the manual process BDD's Fast Track Unit has used to flag claims. BDD began the QDD process on December 17.
In spite of these efforts to speed up decisions, however, the five-month waiting period remains unchanged for terminally ill claimants without passage of Senate Bill 2050.
