March 18, 2008
The Observer reported that Charlotte workers wait as long as 20 months for Social Security Disability benefits, which is four months longer than the national average.
Reports showed the Carolinas had about 48,500 pending disability cases, including about 8,700 Charlotte Disability benefits cases. Charlotte ranks 125 out of 141 for the waiting time at its Disability and Adjudication and Hearing office.
The reason behind this issue is because Charlotte administrative law judges decided an average of 375 cases in 2006, while the Social Security Administration asks judges to make around 500-600 decisions a year.