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SSDI applicants in Illinois may be able to speed up the disability claims process through a congressional inquiry. The Social Security Administration has provided guidance to hearing officers and administrative law judges about how they should handle congressional inquiries in individual cases, and they are supposed to respond to them promptly. Applicants can request congressional inquiries about the statuses of their cases by contacting their local Congress member’s office. While requesting a congressional inquiry may not work, it can speed up the decision process and will not negatively impact the application. What Is a Congressional Inquiry?A congressional inquiry is something that applicants for SSDI or SSI can request from their local Congress member’s office. The congressional staff will then contact the SSA to check on the status of the case. In some cases, a congressional inquiry may make the process go faster. However, routine inquiries may simply be held in the applicant’s file. How to Request a Congressional InquiryPeople can request a congressional inquiry by contacting their local representative’s office. They should send the request for the representative to check the status of their case in writing. The request should provide details about the length of time that the people have been waiting, any financial or emotional hardships that the process has had, how long they have been waiting for their appeals hearings and the number of people that they have to support. What Happens NextIf the representative agrees to make the inquiry, he or she will then contact the Social Security Administration to check on the status of the claim. The contact may be made by letter, phone, or email. The Social Security Administration has provided guidance to its staff, hearing officers, and administrative law judges on how they should handle each type of inquiry. Inquiries are supposed to be handled promptly, and the files of the applicants are supposed to be flagged so that people within the SSA know that an inquiry has been made. A congressional inquiry may or may not lead to a faster decision. There isn’t a guarantee that asking for and receiving a congressional inquiry will lead to a quick and favorable decision. When Are Inquiries Made?Typically, people ask for congressional inquiries while they are waiting for their SSDI appeals. Including as much detail as possible in the request might help people get congressional inquiries. A call to your congressman or congresswoman may get you an earlier hearing date.Free evaluation for disability benefits. Get up to $3,345 per month.Free evaluation for disability benefits. Get up to $3,345 per month.Answer a few questions to check your eligibility.Though it is never guaranteed to help, sometimes asking for a politician's help on a Social Security or SSI disability benefit claim can aid in getting your disability claim expedited. The purpose of making an inquiry is to determine why a disability claim is taking so long to process, not for the politician to help you get approved. By contacting a congressperson or senator's office, you can start a congressional inquiry into why a particular SSD or SSI case is taking so long. Such inquiries (which simply involve a telephone call or the writing of a letter) are made by a congressperson's staff members. On occasion, a congressional inquiry can have the immediate effect of speeding up an ALJ disability hearing or resolving a problem on a disability claim. How do you go about initiating such an inquiry? Determine who it is that represents you in the Senate or House (at the federal level, not the state level), and obtain his or her office phone number either via the phone book or through an Internet search. Call the office and explain that you have applied for Social Security disability and have been waiting for a disability hearing date for a long time. If you have only recently submitted a Request for Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, you may want to wait to contact your congressperson or senator. Talk to a Disability LawyerNeed a lawyer? Start here. How it Works
Larry, I was awarded full disability benefits in a hearing in September of 2019. The judge backdated my benefits to the last day I worked, December 15, 2015. I got a request from SSA for the paperwork surrounding my Workman's Comp resolution and agreement, which I submitted immediately because I knew that could delay my benefits. I received my award letter in November detailing my SSDI benefits going forward, along
with the calculation of my back pay, less my WC award. It has been 9 months now, still no back pay. Every time I call the local SSA office, I get a different story, a different reason, a different timeline. I've requested file reviews that go to the Payment Center - a Payment Center I can't communicate with.....I've requested a Manager to Manager Resolution Request.....I keep getting bounced around with no one who can tell me when to expect my back pay. For a person who has been ill and out of
work for over 4 years, every dime is critical, every month that goes by is critical. I'm getting farther and farther in the hole as I exhausted all of my finances to cover the 4 years of illness. So, who do I talk to?? How do I get any kind of help?? Please help me.... Hi, It's really terrible that you haven't received your back pay yet. I wish I had a good answer for you, but unfortunately I don't. The only thing that I can suggest is that you contact the office of
either your congressional representative or one of your U.S. senators to ask if they could make an inquiry with Social Security on your behalf. Cases with congressional interest get the attention of management, which in turn can sometimes speed up the process. I hope you mean that you're only waiting for your back pay and that you aren't still waiting for your monthly payments to start. If not, though, Social Security may be able to start issuing temporary monthly payments using their
critical payment system. If you haven't yet started getting your monthly payments, you could ask Social Security if you qualify for critical payments. Best, Jerry Can a congressional inquiry help my disability claim?It is extremely important to understand that while a congressional inquiry can speed up the Social Security Disability application process, it can't and won't change the SSA's decision regarding your eligibility to receive SSDI or SSI benefits.
Can a congressman help with Social Security disability?People who have been turned down for disability benefits often reach out to their congressman or senator for help. Congressional offices have a procedure for inquiring into the status of a disability claim, and they usually do not hesitate to try to help.
How long does a congressional inquiry take?Typically, an agency responds within 30 days to a congressional inquiry. However, the nature of the case will dictate the time it takes to resolve the issues. As a general rule, federal agencies will not expedite your case due to a Congressional inquiry.
How do I check the status of my SSDI back pay?If you are unable to check your status online, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 7:00 pm; or contact your local Social Security office.
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Congressional inquiry social security disability back pay
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