February 11, 2012
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Applications for Social Security Benefits Rise Due to High Unemployment
As the nation's economy continues to slump, many jobless Americans search in vain for employment. At the end of 2011, New Jersey had an unemployment rate of 9.0, meaning that 9 percent of New Jersey's workforce is unemployed -- a lower rate than it has been in recent years but still higher than two-thirds of the U.S.
With the end of the recession nowhere in sight, unemployed workers are exhausting their savings accounts at the same time that their unemployment insurance benefits are running out. With nowhere else to turn, many are applying to the Social Security Disability insurance system for financial assistance.
The Social Security Disability insurance program was originally set up in the 1950s to provide medical care and financial benefits to workers unemployed due to health reasons. The benefits are designed to provide financial support until the worker is well enough to return to work or has reached retirement age.
Recently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has seen a surge of applications for disability benefits from unemployed workers, creating a huge backlog. Economists warn that many applicants are viewing the system as an extended unemployment program. Applicants with health issues that typically would not cause them to seek or to qualify for disability benefits are clogging the system with applications, making the process much more difficult for those with very serious illnesses to get approval for benefits.
The SSA has created a special code, DXDI, for applicants who have died while awaiting approval for benefits. The agency has made 15,043 DXDI designations in the past seven years, and the backlog of applications continues to pile up. Efforts are being made to let those with certain types of terminal illnesses "jump the line," but thousands of others are left to fight the system, sometimes for years, in order to obtain the aid the disability insurance program provides.
If you have health issues that keep you from working, you may be entitled to disability benefits. Seek the assistance of an attorney who is an advocate for people with disabilities and is knowledgeable about Social Security benefits law.
Article provided by The Law Office of Sheryl Gandel Mazur
Visit us at http://www.mazurdisabilitylaw.com
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