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SSI backlog: Thousands around Philly waiting more than two years for disability hearing

Across the country, more than 1 million people are waiting - sometimes for more than two years - for a hearing that will determine whether they qualify for disability benefits, known as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In Philadelphia, more than 10,000 people are caught in the massive bureaucracy backlog that is the SSI appeal system within the Social Security Administration. Similar numbers are waiting in South Jersey and the Philadelphia suburbs. Philadelphia has the longest wait time out of any city in the country: 26 months from the time a person requests a hearing until the hearing itself.

Adrianne Gunter walks outside her Philadelphia apartment with a help of a steel cane, due to her Multiple Sclerosis condition. Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Gunter who waited 788 days for a hearing in Philadelphia, all while her Multiple Sclerosis worsened and she continued to be unemployed and dependent on her motherÕs in between jobs. The Social Security Administration says it doesnÕt have enough judges and support staff to keep up with the pace of applications and appeals. .
Adrianne Gunter walks outside her Philadelphia apartment with a help of a steel cane, due to her Multiple Sclerosis condition. Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Gunter who waited 788 days for a hearing in Philadelphia, all while her Multiple Sclerosis worsened and she continued to be unemployed and dependent on her motherÕs in between jobs. The Social Security Administration says it doesnÕt have enough judges and support staff to keep up with the pace of applications and appeals. .Read moreJose Moreno