Noteboom The Law Firm

CA and HI Disability Services To Be Investigated

Officials have recently asked that Disability Determination Service offices in both California and Hawaii be investigated. It seems that both agencies might be cheating Social Security disability applicants out of benefits by not affording them enough time to return paperwork.

In both states, employees of Disability Determination Service have been furloughed to save the respective states money. Unfortunately, the loss of employee hours likely comes at the expense of disability applicants, who might not be getting a fair examination of their entire case files.

According to Hawaii 24/7, it appears that the California Disability Determination Service has been denying benefits to applicants who do not return a 25-page report within a 20-day period. In fact, one location had 30% of its cases closed because of failure for the applicants to return the report. Similar occurrences have been noted at the Hawaii DDS.

The reports often require information to be input by third parties, so in many cases, returning it in less than three weeks is simply implausible. Additionally, it appears that some offices in both states have been assigning examiners to each case as usual. The only problem is that the examiners are fictional. The result is that it looks like the cases are currently being reviewed, when in reality, they have not even been started.

Clearly, such practices can have a negative effect on applicants who either do not get a fair chance for their entire claim to be considered, or have to wait much longer than they are told just to get a decision. Fortunately, the agencies will likely be investigated thoroughly to ensure these unfair practices do not continue.

If you live in either state and think you might have recently been affected by such practices, you should contact a lawyer. Everyone deserves a fair amount of time for their application to be reviewed.

If you or your loved one are suffering from a severe physical or mental disability, you should contact a Social Security Disability lawyer immediately to learn about your rights and determine eligibility. The process of securing Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can be difficult and overwhelming. Don't go it alone! The disability lawyers at LaVan & Neidenberg, located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL understand the inner workings of the Social Security Administration and will help you navigate the system. Call us today for a FREE legal consultation - 1-888-234-5758.