COVID-19 has resulted in countless travel restrictions ranging from limits on non-essential businesses to shelter-in-place orders. The Social Security Administration is no longer “physically” open to the public, but essential operations are still running.
Hearings offices will allow ALJs to hear cases from home and telecommuting is on the rise. Many non-essential functions have halted or are reduced including continuing disability reviews, over-payments, and travel reimbursements.
With SSA utilizing a skeleton crew, it remains critical that payment processing for new recipients proceed quickly and effectively. COVID-19 is having a significant financial impact on people nationwide from small businesses, to service industry employees, to anyone deemed non-essential.
During the 2009 Recession, Social Security claims increased 6.7%. The Social Security Administration needs additional funding to ensure it has the capacity to process cases all the way to pay status. Many times favorable outcomes result in endless delays in payments of past due benefits.
As the United States faces an economic crisis, the need for the Social Security Administration to provide a seamless and efficient safety net only rises. Delayed payments of up to a year will leave people with medical treatment, housing, and other resources they desperately need.
At Salus Law, we don’t just fight a favorable outcome. We work to insure your economic stability during these uncertain times. Our owner started www.dibdeadline.com to lobby for changes to ensure that Social Security recipients get timely payments.