Another Reason for Long Social Security Claim Delays
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 320
North Carolina Social Security Disability attorney Brent Adams makes and excellent point about long delays in social security disability claims. He quotes an excellent commentary from administrative law judge Ronald Bernoski, writing in the Charlotte Observer.
I've got an additional theory. Fraud by the major long-term disability insurance companies. Here's how it works:
Most long term disability policies protect you if you can't work in your "own occupation" for two years, and then if you can't work in "any occupation" after that. So, you may be entitled to benefits under that insurance policy for two years, even if you could work in some job. This is to give you time to recover from your disability and also to give you time to retrain.
However, here's what the insurance companies do. When you do qualify for benefits because you can't work at your own job they force you to apply for social security benefits. That's right, even though they KNOW you would not qualify for social security benefits (because there may be some job you can do -- you just can't do your own job).
Thus, they force the flooding of the social security administration with bogus claims. If you don't apply, they threaten to cut off your benefits.
Why do they do this?
Profit.
You see, under most group long term disability policies (the kind your employer 'gives' you) any money you do get from Social Security offsets, or reduces, what the insurance company owes you. So they force you to apply, even though in the vast majority of cases you won't qualify.
Meanwhile, as Brent Adams points out, other folks who would be qualified for benefits are waiting behind you in that long line.
Sound like a good idea?