Disabled Ohioans face long wait for Social Security, Medicaid benefits

Because of a backlog of applicants, thousands of Ohioans are being forced to wait upwards of two years to get a response to an appeal for Social Security benefits. In fact, the Social Security offices in Columbus and Dayton are among the top 10 longest waits of the 142 offices in the nation (Source: “Aid long delayed,” Columbus Dispatch, July 20, 2008).

Increased federal funding has made a slight improvement in the backlog, however. The Columbus office, for example, had 9,310 pending cases at the end of June, a drop of more than 1,000 from a year ago. The wait time, too, has dropped slightly, from an average 771 days to 728 days.

Likewise, Ohioans seeking Medicaid coverage because of a disability wait 200 days on average to have their applications processed.