Navigating Social Security can be a nightmare for everybody. Try doing it as a veteran serving one’s country. For 53-year-old Joseph Carle from Virginia, a veteran of the Navy, it has been an expletive-laced hell while trying to get his disability benefits over the past three years. His case and many more have brought to light flaws built into the SSA that have plunged a lot of veterans into long waits and psychological torture.
The struggle begins
Carle’s journey began in 2021 when he first applied for disability benefits due to a back injury sustained during his service. Like many veterans, he anticipated a straightforward process but quickly found himself entangled in bureaucratic red tape. “I’ve gone through multitudes of doctor’s appointments, just question and answer sessions, things like that, but made no real progress,” Carle recounted.
After waiting for almost a year, he was finally given a hearing date. The proceedings were, however, blighted by technical issues where the judge’s computer crashed and thus he assumed the hearing never took place. The mishap resulted in Carle’s claim being cancelled and he had to begin his application process all over again.
The human cost
Dealing with SSA was extremely stressful to the point where Carle says that the experience in dealing with the SSA was something described by him as a “never-ending nightmare,” which was full of frustration and anxiety. He also says that the waiting for benefits had become overwhelming and that dealing with pain itself became overwhelming. The thoughts running through his head were of killing himself: “The combination of all of it just really maxes out my anxieties and depression.”
Carle’s case is not an isolated one: Many veterans have a hard time availing themselves of their benefits in a manner similar to hers. The SSA itself has been the subject of numerous criticisms for long processing times and for not keeping applicants informed, which can heighten feelings of helplessness among people who already feel physically and emotionally unwell.
Miscommunication and frustration
Even when he finally did get the award letter from SSA, Carle still was left in the dark on the payment details. He was informed to wait for more information by a specific date. When that day arrived, there were no updates. Calling back, he was told by a representative, “Yeah, they lied.”
This is symptomatic of the greater problems in the way SSA does its work. Indeed, OIG audited priority disability applications and revealed that 96% of them had been handled just fine, yet some got bogged down because follow-up and monitoring weren’t guaranteed in each of those instances. A number of the applications reviewed showed delays running from 19 days to as long as 33 days in those cases. To that end, these applications collectively add up to exacerbate the frustration in Carle.
Turning point and media intervention
As a last resort to seek assistance, Carle contacted local news station CBS 6. And in an incredible twist, it took only one call after their intervention for his case to be resolved. “It’s like somebody just looked at it and said, ‘Oh, okay, approved. There you go,'” Carle said, looking back at how quickly things changed once his plight was put out in the public domain.
The story shed light on the power of media advocacy in bringing attention to bureaucratic inefficiencies affecting vulnerable populations, such as veterans. It is also, perhaps, the silent cry of many other veterans who silently suffer without access to timely assistance or resolution.
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