Nation’s leading Social Security disability representation company announces five-year, 168 percent increase in applicants and “Top 10 Tips to Break through the Backlog”

Belleville, Ill – December 19, 2007 – Allsup Inc., the nation’s leading Social Security disability representation company, announced today that the government’s exploding backlog of claims has driven a 168 percent increase in the number of people working with Allsup over the last five years, an increase that expert Jim Allsup sees as indicative of a larger national trend:

“Since 1984, Allsup has been helping individuals with disabilities apply for and receive the benefits they deserve and have been promised. In the last five years, we have seen more and more Americans recognize the immense challenges that come with filing for disability benefits and that they need expert, professional help,” said Mr. Allsup, president and CEO of Allsup. “This is a complicated process and individuals who apply for benefits without representation are more likely to have their claims denied.”

One out of every 300 American adults currently is trapped in the backlog of more than 755,000 disability cases pending before the Social Security Administration. Individuals with disabilities must wait months or years for the hearings with a judge who can award them their rightful benefits. The SSA estimates that by 2008, the appeals process for cases reaching administrative law judges will average 541 days.

Key Findings from Five-Year Analysis
Increase in expert assistance – Between 2002 and 2007, the number of individuals with disabilities filing claims with assistance from Allsup increased 168 percent. The year-over-year increase between 2006 and 2007 was approximately 18 percent.

Baby boomers – Individuals from the baby boomer generation (ages 43 to 61) make up an increasingly large share of the population Allsup serves, growing from 67 percent of applicants in 2002 to 73 percent in 2007.
Increasing strain on local resources – From August 2005 to January 2007, about 2,000 field office employees left SSA without being replaced. This year, the SSA announced the closing of field offices in California, Connecticut, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Top 10 Tips for Breaking through the Backlog
To help individuals with disabilities apply for and receive the benefits they deserve, Allsup provides its “Top 10 Tips for Breaking through the Backlog.”

1. Determine eligibility. To be eligible for benefits, claimants must have been disabled before reaching full retirement age (65-67) and meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of disabled, which generally means being unable to work due to a medically determinable mental or physical impairment expected to result in death or last for at least 12 months. Individuals must be under age 65 and also have worked and paid into the program for five of the last 10 years. (Obtain a free evaluation to determine eligibility here.)
2. File immediately. If an initial claim is denied, Allsup notes that the wait for an appeals hearing now takes an average of 524 days. There is no time to lose.
3. Obtain doctor’s agreement. Claimants need written medical confirmation of their qualifying conditions when they apply. According to Allsup, not having a doctor’s agreement when filing could delay the process a month or more.
4. Get help. Filing for disability benefits is a complicated process akin to preparing a difficult income tax return. Allsup emphasizes that the earlier applicants seek help, the more support they can get to help put them back on the right track.
5. Prepare an accurate medical record. A comprehensive factual record is required to convince the government to provide benefits.
6. Establish your work history. Compile records of dates and tenure of previous employment. As noted above, individuals must have worked for five of the previous 10 years to qualify for benefits.
7. Meet deadlines. If benefits are denied at any stage of the process, claimants have only 60 days to file an appeal. If the deadline is missed, the process starts over from the beginning.
8. Reduce spending. The long wait for benefits means that people lose their savings, their cars and sometimes even their homes. Cut out unnecessary spending as quickly as possible and prepare for the long haul. And don’t use credit cards. Allsup reminds applicants that high-interest debt will add to long-term problems. There may be other, more affordable options for handling expenses.
9. Maintain health insurance. There will be a temptation to cut spending on insurance, but Allsup notes that even after individuals begin receiving disability benefits there is a two-year waiting period for Medicare eligibility.
10. Don’t give up. The Social Security Administration denies more than 60 percent of all initial applications, but two-thirds of the people who appeal eventually will receive their benefits.
    
    
    About Allsup
    Allsup Inc. has helped about 100,000 Americans with disabilities obtain about $1.5 billion in Social Security and Medicare payments. Allsup pre-qualifies individuals to ensure eligibility, develops an accurate factual record and helps shepherd applicants through the disability decision process. This allows the Social Security Administration to focus on issuing disability decisions and clearing backlogged claims.