When you are dealing with an organization like the Social Security
Administration, it is very easy to become lost in the sheer size of it. The help of an Albuquerque Social Security attorney will be extremely valuable in helping you navigate through its twists and turns.
The SSA – A Huge Organization
The SSA (Social Security Administration) is an organization with over 57,000 employees. This figure does not include the SSA Office of Adjudication and Review (ODAR), which adds another 8,000 to the total, with 1,300 of these being administrative law judges and 34 more being administrative appeals judges. With yet another 14,000 state agency employees across the United States who also take part in disability determinations beneath the administrative law judge hearing level, it becomes clear that the SSA is an enormous bureaucracy indeed.
The Issues
For the individual operating without legal counsel, working through the SSA bureaucracy can become a morass of red tape, frustration and utter confusion. Even an Albuquerque Social Security lawyer can have difficulty reaching the exact person with whom he/she must work in order to process a client’s claim.
The Programs
Social Security disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are two of the Social Security Administration’s most complex programs, and disseminating information concerning updates or alterations to all concerned personnel requires a massive effort. Due to the size of the organization and the number of people involved, your Albuquerque Social Security attorney often must deal with the fact that these efforts are not always completely successful.
The Problems
Your Albuquerque Social Security lawyer can show you an illustration of how the complicated nature of the SSA itself can become a source of difficulties. When the SSA’s toll-free telephone number revealed in a test that 25 percent of the inquiries concerning SSI were answered incorrectly, it gave a clear indication of the problems that the complexity of this organization can cause. The customer service representatives answering the toll-free number are much more knowledgeable about retirement programs than questions concerning disability benefits.
SSA’s Efforts
Naturally, the SSA attempts to address these problems by putting procedures in place to handle difficult decisions. Your Albuquerque Social Security attorney can advise you that due to the complex nature of medical-vocational questions and the fact that state agencies frequently lack the means to resolve these questions, the aforementioned procedures are not as effective as may be desired. Thus, disability determinations made at the state level are often not as effective as they could be, and these deficiencies are not always evident to many SSA personnel.
Following the Rules
Officials at the lower echelons also have a predilection for following the letter of the rules and regulations without allowing for the possibility that exact interpretations of the rules may not be appropriate in every case. This propensity to sacrifice judgment in favor of to-the-letter adherence can be enormously frustrating to both the Albuquerque Social Security attorney and his/her client.
Don’t Do This Alone
If you are involved in a Social Security disability case, don’t try to navigate this enormous maze on your own. Call Michelle Baca, Attorney at Law, your Albuquerque Social Security attorney, at 505-872-1142 today.
