Addressing the economic downturn, anticipated changes as a result of health care reform and the flood of new applicants and hearing backlogs, the Social Security Administration rolled up its sleeves, changed the order of things and the results are coming in: things are getting better.
Tonight on CNN-News affiliate WFMZ-TV 69 at 7PM on
The American Law Journal examines
"Social Security Disability: New Health Care, New Trends." Host
Christopher Naughton welcomes Pennsylvania practitioner
Jess Leventhal of
Leventhal Sutton & Gornstein,
Alan Polonsky of New Jersey's
Polonsky & Polonsky, the
Social Security Administration's
Mark Bacak and retired judge, the
Hon. Roger Schwartz. The panel addresses recent, significant SSA changes and viewer phone calls and e-mails.
The Social Security Administration added 38 new "compassionate allowance conditions" designed to extend benefits more quickly for applicants suffering from these conditions. In addition, the SSA has begun its first Extended Service teams (EST) in an effort to help states deal with the wave of new applicants due to the economic downturn.
Finally, the SSA just announced that hearing backlogs are at their lowest levels since June 2005. The average processing time waiting for decisions has diminished by 71 days. "With ongoing support from the President and Congress," says SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue, "as well as the efforts of our hardworking employees, I am confident the hearings backlog will continue to diminish."
The
American Law Journal broadcasts every Monday at 7PM on the CNN affiliate for Philadelphia WFMZ-TV 69 in the tri-state viewing area. Visit the program's new website at
www.LawJournalTV.com.
