North Dakota Senator Wants Investigation of Social Security Disability Benefit Denials
2,800 North Dakotans now caught up in "broken system"
WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) wants to know why 2,800 North Dakotans and hundreds of thousands of other Americans who have submitted disability claims under the Social Security Administration are being systematically denied, only to have them approved on appeal - after waiting nearly a year and a half.
"This system is broken," Dorgan said Thursday. "How else can one explain that the appeal process results in nearly two thirds of the claims that were previously denied finally being approved? Moreover, the huge backlog of claims means that many with disabilities are forced to live in poverty while waiting for a fair resolution of their disability claim."
Dorgan has asked the Inspector General's office to investigate what has caused these problems and to determine how it affects people.
"This is unfair to a lot of working Americans who have paid premiums in the form of their social security payroll tax for a program that includes disability payments if they become disabled," Dorgan said. "However, it seems that someone has decided they are going to systematically deny those claims and force those people to wait lengthy periods of time before an appeal will be heard. We now learn that nearly two thirds of the claims that have been denied were subsequently approved on appeal. This suggests to me that a whole lot of folks who are suffering with disabilities are being mistreated by this system and I want it fixed."
"Nationwide, there are more than three quarters of a million waiting in long backlogs to have their appeals decided. I don't know whether it is sheer incompetence or a deliberate decision to delay and deny benefits that people desperately need that have previously paid through the social security system, but I intend to find out."
In a letter to the President, Dorgan is also asking for action to correct the situation.
"The bottom line is that elderly Americans and other poor individuals with disabilities that prevent them earning a living and paying their bills deserve better," Dorgan wrote. "Social Security disability benefits keep millions of disabled Americans out of poverty. But these people who are unable to work and need immediate assistance to avoid financial collapse do not appear to be a priority for your Administration."
