It is truly unfortunate that it takes so long for Social Security to evaluate disability claims. This is frustrating when bills are piling up and you paid into in the Social Security system when you could work.
There can be many reasons for the long delay but a shorter or longer waiting time does not necessarily mean you will win or lose your case. First, it takes time to order your medical records and have Social Security’s doctors review them. Second, the process gets further delayed with more appeals because Social Security typically turns cases down that should have been granted, further prolonging the process. Third, the longest wait during the process is your wait for a hearing date. For the Omaha Social Security hearing office, the wait for a hearing is 15 months on average. The there are two main reasons for the long delay in getting a hearing—there are many people in line ahead of you and Social Security is understaffed to meet the demand level.
