A recent article in the Tampa Bay Times chronicled one woman’s effort to get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The story is all too common in the world of Social Security disability and is an example of how frustrating the process can be.
We have informed previously that wait times for disability hearings have increased across the country, but in Tampa the wait times even exceed the national average and has now extended to more than a two-year wait. That does not even take into account another year that many disability applicants have to face before they can even request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Unfortunately the Tampa woman’s story is all too common. After waiting 3 years to get before a judge and plead her case, Teralyn Fleming withdrew her claim on the advice of her attorney because of work-related income she was receiving during the process.
This is not a unique circumstance. Social Security limits how much a person can make from work-related activities while they are going through the disability process. If they make more than this amount, which was $1,170 in monthly gross income in 2017 and $1,180 in monthly gross income in 2018, Social Security will not even consider a claim for disability benefits because the rules indicate that person is gainfully employed. According to Social Security, a person that earns just over $14,000 a year is gainfully employed.
In Fleming’s case, she found this out the hard way and after 3 years of waiting her attorney informed her she would have to start the entire process all over again. The wait times for disability hearings are only increasing and there is no relief in sight. How people who are unable to work and earn a livable wage due to disabilities are supposed to wait over three years for relief from Social Security is still a question that remains unanswered.
