Pursuit's Take
When individuals do not agree with the initial decision of a Social Security Disability claim, they can appear before one of 1,500 administrative law judges. However, according to GAO, “the rate at which these judges have allowed benefits has varied, raising questions about the reasons for this variation.” GAO estimated that allowances could vary by as much as 46% depending on the judge who oversaw the hearing. GAO identified other factors like if a claimant had an attorney and how old the claimants were. According to the report, “GAO found that claimants who had representatives, such as an attorney or family member, were allowed benefits at a rate nearly 3 times higher than those without representatives.”
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