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State disability determination office reports backlog, says hiring and funding controlled by Social Security
Summary
Sherry Seil, Director for Disability Determination Services Section in the Human Services Division of Health and Human Services, told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the state’s Disability Determination Services is "100% federally funded" and faces a backlog of about 1,300 claims driven by higher initial claim receipts and limits on Social Security Administration hiring authority.
Sherry Seil, Director for Disability Determination Services Section in the Human Services Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the state’s Disability Determination Services (DDS) makes medical determinations for Social Security disability claims and is “100% federally funded.”
Seil said the program is responsible for initial claims, reconsiderations and continuing disability reviews (CDRs) and that the volume of work is set by the Social Security Administration (SSA). “When they make the decisions to provide us our budget, it's all built around how many decisions we're gonna make in a year and how many they're going to ask us to do,” she told senators.
Why it matters: North Dakotans who apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) must wait for the DDS medical decision before benefits can be awarded. Limits on SSA hiring authority and increases in initial…
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