Earl Barry, a former Office Depot employee, has faced an ongoing battle with the Social Security Administration (SSA) for his disability benefits. "It’s been very difficult … I had to seek therapy because I was considering suicide," Barry shared with CBS 6 News, underscoring the emotional toll of his situation.
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Barry fell ill with severe pneumonia and later developed a heart condition causing irregular heartbeats. "It’s debilitating," he said. "You have severe shortness of breath, dizzy spells, and exhaustion," he explains. Despite his condition, Barry's applications for disability in October 2022 and December 2023 were both denied for a "medical reason."
Confused by the SSA's response, Barry asked, "What medical forms are you missing?" His physicians had completed all necessary paperwork, but the issue was with his application form. "How do they not have that on their system? I just don’t understand how they work."
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In March 2024, Premiere Disability filed a reconsideration request on Barry's behalf. It currently takes the SSA an average of seven months to respond to such requests. The appeal was mishandled, causing further delays. Barry's savings are depleted, and his house has been foreclosed on. "I'll be living in my car. I have nowhere to go and no income. I literally have no money," he laments.
Barry is not alone in his struggles with the Social Security Administration, unfortunately. In January, a Memphis woman was mistakenly marked as deceased, causing her months of denial for services. She couldn't work, receive tax refunds, or access health insurance because, on paper, she no longer existed. Fox 13 reported that about 10,000 people face this issue annually.
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According to the SSA's new commissioner, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, the agency is experiencing a "customer service crisis." Speaking on the SSA's podcast, O'Malley stated, "It's not normal. It's not acceptable. And it's not right that the people who have worked their whole lives to earn benefits should have to wait for 44 minutes, for an hour or more, in order to have their question answered."
O'Malley, who took office in December 2023, emphasized the need for reform following a scandal involving the agency demanding billions back from beneficiaries due to overpayments. He acknowledged the lengthy and problematic procedures causing significant hardship for beneficiaries.
"It's not right that 10,000 people a year die waiting for their disability determinations to be made, and it's not right that we should have situations where we, through no fault of the recipient, find ourselves in the situation of overpayments and recovering dollars that actually put people out of their homes," O'Malley said. "Half of our seniors who are out there live entirely on Social Security."
Under O'Malley's leadership, the SSA will prioritize reducing call times, speeding up disability determinations, and addressing overpayments and underpayments. "Those are our top priorities," he affirmed, although specific strategies for achieving these goals were not detailed.
This crisis within the SSA highlights the urgent need for systemic improvements to ensure that Americans relying on Social Security do not face unnecessary hardships. As the agency navigates these challenges, consulting a financial advisor can help individuals better manage their financial situations and plan for uncertainties.
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