Congresswoman Warns About Too Many Social Security Disability Denials

Brent Adams

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After the lifelong epilepsy of Oro Valley, Arizona native Randall Burger became uncontrollable, he applied for benefits from Social Security disability. The agency denied his claim.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) says that 64 percent of initial claims for disability are turned down by the Social Security Administration.

Giffords' office came to the aid of Burger and upon appeal, his application received approval.

During a recent appearance in Tucson Arizona to discuss the issue, Giffords expressed concerns over "bureaucratic red tape" and an apparent "culture of denial" in the SSA.

Since taking office in January of last year, Giffords and her office have looked into 45 cases of Social Security disability for residents of southern Arizona whose claims were denied by the SSA. She said that of the cases they looked into, 20 went to hearings and 19 received approval by judges on the sole basis of the medical and vocational records the applicants provided.

Giffords noted that the average waiting period for a favorable outcome is over 21 months. She said that some natives of south Arizona had mortgages foreclosed and vehicles repossessed during their struggles with the process of appeals.

According to Giffords, the SSA needs to do a better job evaluating initial disability claims instead of forcing over half of applicants to appeal.