I’m a disability lawyer, and I don’t think America understands how bad things are right now for people filing Social Security disability claims. If you’re applying and you have money saved and a good support network behind you, you’re probably going to be fine. But huge numbers of people don’t have that. They’re being asked to wait around two years for a decision, with no income coming in, while they’re too sick to work.

Being an American should mean something. Getting sick while you’re working shouldn’t mean you get trampled. It shouldn’t push you into a situation where you’re losing your home and still can’t work. We’re supposed to take care of the people who spent years working, and right now we’re not doing that.

The people who get hurt most are the ones with the least cushion. No savings to fall back on, no family or friends who can carry them for two years. Every week I’m on the phone with clients who are at the end of their rope, facing eviction, about to lose everything, waiting on a claim that won’t move fast enough. And too often I don’t have an answer that fixes it for them.

If your situation is already in crisis, you can file a dire needs letter and ask the SSA to speed up your case. In the right circumstances it helps. But let’s be honest about what it is, it’s a workaround for a system that’s too slow, not a solution to it. You shouldn’t have to be on the edge of homelessness before your case gets attention.

The real problem is that the system is underfunded. Congress needs to fully fund Social Security disability so there are enough people actually working these claims and decisions get made in a reasonable amount of time. That’s it. That’s the fix.

This is not a left or right issue. It’s not political. But both sides of the aisle have shown basically zero interest in making it better, and that’s the part that’s hard to watch.

The disability system is broken, and the people paying for it are the ones who can least afford to. If you’re in the middle of this right now, know that the delay isn’t a reflection of your case or your worth, it’s a reflection of a system that hasn’t been given what it needs to do its job. Hang in there, use every tool available to you, and don’t go through it alone.

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If you want to book a call with our team to discuss applying for disability, call us at 972-532-6375 or book a time using this link.