Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

September/October, 1999

NADE Petitions for Elimination of the Five Month Waiting Period
Executive Summary

The membership of the National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE) would like to go on record as asking the Social Security Administration and the Congress to eliminate the five month waiting period for Title II disability claimants.

NADE is a professional association whose membership includes disability examiners, physicians, psychologists, attorneys, federal and state administrators, disability hearing officers and support staff personnel. We believe that this diversity of our membership, as well as our hands on experience and familiarity with SSA and DDS operations, enables our association to offer a perspective that is both unique and informed.

Federal statutes currently require that claimants who file for disability benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act must wait five full calendar months from the onset of their disability before they can begin to receive cash benefits. For many, if not most, of these claimants, this waiting period can create severe financial hardship. The members of NADE believe that it is time to examine the possibility of eliminating the waiting period.