Maryland Injury and Disability Law : Washington DC Metro Injury & Disability Lawyer & Attorney : Greenberg & Bederman : Accidents, Falls, Medical Malpractice : Maryland, DC, Virginia

D.C. Social Security Processing Times

New statistics were released and I’m afraid it’s more bad news for claimants in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area. Processing times at the hearing level have increased. Not so long ago, the Washington, DC hearing office enjoyed a place in the top 20 hearing offices in the country for processing times. Now, it is tied for 75th place. Processing time is 469 days. Baltimore is number 83 with a processing time of 488 days.

Lack of personnel is cited as a reason for the increase in processing times, at least in the DC office. Many of the support staff left and these positions have not been filled. Meanwhile, the number of persons filing claims increased.

The news is discouraging. But, it could be worse. The hearing office in Greenville, SC has a processing time of 733 days. And, that isn’t the only hearing office with processing times in excess of 700 days.

SOURCE: NOSSCR, The Social Security Forum, Vol 31, No.1, January 2009
Statistics the represent month ending 12/25/08

To learn more about social security disability issues please read our ssi faq.  To learn more about our social security lawers please read about Dory Sutker or Suja Varghese, or contact Greenberg & Bederman for a free case review..

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock or somewhere equally secluded, you are aware of the economic crisis gripping our nation. And you have probably heard how manyt of the states are taking drastic measures to deal with deficits. In order to deal with the economic nightmare, states are resorting to budget cuts, salary and hiring freezes, and furloughs.

In light of this, Michael Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, wrote to the National Governors Association, and implored the states to exempt their Disability Determination Services (DDS) from hiring restrictions and furloughs.

Although DDS is a state agency rather than a federal agency like SSA, it is integral to the social security disability process. At the initial and reconsideration levels, DDS is responsible for developing the claim and offering an opinion as to the severity of the impairment(s). Fewer employees at DDS could, therefore, create bigger backlogs. Recognizing this, Commissioner Astrue wrote the following to the governors association:
 

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Everyone knows that coffee’s hot: A second look at the McDonald’s coffee verdict

Common sense tells us that coffee is going to be hot. Therefore it seems hard to believe that the injured woman in the McDonald’s coffee case received an award from the jury in the million dollar range- for spilling hot coffee on herself. What were these jurors thinking? Did the lawyers in the case somehow round up a group of people unfamiliar with coffee, or unfamiliar with everyday thought processing? This seems unlikely. To understand why the lady in the McDonald’s case received such a high award requires an analysis of the case that goes beyond common sense.

Let’s start with an examination of the facts in the case that has become one of the most common examples of how current society is needlessly over-litigious. Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, as it is properly known, occurred in 1994 and involved a 79-year old woman as the plaintiff, a grandmother named Stella Liebeck. Ms. Liebeck ordered coffee from the drive-through window of a McDonald’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the time of the incident, Ms. Liebeck was not driving, but was in the passenger seat of the vehicle. While the vehicle was at a complete stop, and the coffee cup held between her legs, Ms. Liebeck attempted to remove the lid of cup. The coffee spilled on her legs causing third degree burns over 6 percent of her body. The treatment of these injuries required an eight day hospital stay, and skin grafting procedures. Ms. Liebeck was required to undergo more treatments for her injuries over the two years that followed.
 

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