Senator McCaskill Calls For Answers on Missouri Social Security Backlog

McCaskill sends letter asking for answers on Missourians awaiting Disability Claims

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill sent a letter this week to Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), calling for answers about what the agency is doing to deal with the current backlog of disability claims in Missouri and requesting information about the status of hiring of new Administrative Law Judges to accelerate the process.

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Hundreds of thousands of people across the nation are awaiting decisions on their disability claims. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided the agency with $500 million to process its workloads, including the disability backlog.

“So many Missourians are struggling to get by as they wait months—even years—for hearings on their claims,” McCaskill said. “I want to be sure SSA is dedicating adequate resources to eliminate the backlog and get disabled Missourians the benefits they desperately need and are entitled to receive.”

The full text of the letter is below.

May 20, 2009

The Honorable Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner of Social Security
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21235

Dear Commissioner Astrue:

Given the weakened economy and the rise in unemployment, more people are filing for Social Security benefits. This increased workload for the Social Security Administration (SSA) will no doubt slow the processing times, causing claimants to have to wait even longer for decisions on their claims. The number of calls my staff receives from constituents regarding their disability claims is on the rise. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided SSA with $500 million to process its workloads, including the backlog of disability claims awaiting appeals. I am writing to ask what SSA is doing to address the backlog for Missourians.

The Disability Backlog in Missouri

While Missourians represent about 1.95 percent of the U.S. population, we represent 2.46 percent of the Title II Social Security disability rolls.

* What is the current number of disability claims awaiting hearings, by region?
* What is the average age of disability claims that are awaiting hearings, by region?

ALJ Staffing and Office Space

In February 2008, you announced SSA’s plans to hire 190 new Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) to help with the backlog, including four ALJs for hearing offices in Missouri (two in Creve Coeur, one in Springfield, and one in St. Louis). I understand that Region VII expects to hire five ALJs in June 2009 to replace those ALJs that have recently separated.

* What is the current number of ALJs on staff, by region?
* Space considerations aside, how many additional ALJs does Region VII currently have funding to hire?
* Are the Region VII hearing offices at capacity in terms of staffing relative to available office space? If so, what is being done to find additional office space so that more ALJs can be hired?
* I understand that the Topeka, Kansas hearing office is scheduled to open in April, 2010. Does this mean that Region VII will not hire additional ALJs until 2010 (aside from those hired to replace ALJs that separated)? Or, are there interim plans to find additional space to hire more ALJs?
* I understand that Topeka will be staffed with five ALJs. Will this be sufficient to address the backlog? Will the space be able to accommodate future expansion and the hiring of additional ALJs if possible?

National Hearings Centers

In December 2007, you announced the opening of the first National Hearing Center (NHC) in Falls Church, VA. You indicated that the NHC will give SSA “…needed flexibility to address the country’s worst backlogs.” At a September 2008 hearing before the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security, Chief ALJ Frank Cristaudo testified that a second NHC in Albuquerque, New Mexico was scheduled to open and would begin by addressing backlogs in a number of locations, including Kansas City, Missouri.

* Have the NHCs been called upon to reduce the backlog in Missouri as anticipated?

I hope to receive this information by June 19, 2009. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Claire McCaskill
United States Senator

Source: Senator Claire McCaskill