WASHINGTON– U.S. Rep. John Tanner, Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, praised the Social Security Administration (SSA) for the success of its ongoing efforts to reduce the unprecedented backlog in disability appeals hearings.

The number of pending disability hearings declined during fiscal year 2009 for the first time since 1999. SSA projects that with adequate funding, it will eliminate the hearings backlog by the end of fiscal year 2013.

 “Social Security’s disability hearings backlog has skyrocketed in recent years due to a lack of resources,” Chairman Tanner said. “This has caused untold hardship for many Tennesseans and Americans with severe disabilities, who must often wait years to receive benefits for which they are eligible.

 “Eliminating this backlog is a top priority of our subcommittee,” Tanner said. “We are very pleased that, due to the increased commitment from Congress and the concerted efforts of the Social Security Administration and its hard-working staff, we have finally turned the corner; the backlog is decreasing for the first time in nearly a decade.”

 The Ways and Means subcommittees on Social Security and Income Security and Family Support held a joint hearing in March to examine SSA’s progress in reducing the hearings backlog and urge SSA to continue to make this a top priority.

 The economic downturn brought a steep increase in disability applications, threatening backlog reduction efforts. To allow SSA to process these increased claims and keep on track with the backlog reduction plan, Congress provided $500 million in funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 The increased funding allowed SSA to hire 190 additional Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in FY 2008 to conduct hearings, and an additional 147 ALJs in FY 2009, as well as critically-needed support staff for these judges. SSA plans to hire 226 more ALJs, plus support staff, in FY 2010, increasing the size of its ALJ corps to 1450. The agency also plans to open 18 new full-service hearing offices by the end of FY 2010.

 Congress has also provided additional resources for SSA to conduct more continuing disability reviews to ensure beneficiaries still qualify for benefits.

Teleservice Center to Come to Jackson

Congressman Tanner and Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue announced in June that SSA will open a new teleservice center in Jackson to continue improving its customer service. When fully operational, the facility will employ about 175 Tennesseans responsible for providing customer service to Social Security beneficiaries from across the country.

 “We are proud of the leadership role Tennessee will play in helping continue SSA’s improvements in customer service,” Congressman Tanner said. “This teleservice center will help Social Security beneficiaries get the assistance for which they are eligible and will help boost our regional economy.”

 Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.