As anyone who is even thinking of applying for Social Security disability knows, the wait to get your case resolved is obscene. For a person just starting the process, the wait to finally get the case over will be somewhere around three years. I know that many people who are stuck in this line think it is unfair. But, not just because of the wait.
It’s Those Illegals Causing The Problem
The sense of injustice tends to be most pronounced when people think that someone else is getting an unfair advantage. I think that is why there are so many myths about certain Social Security applicants getting approved without waiting. The one I hear most often is that illegal immigrants can get Social Security disability benefits almost immediately. In fact, illegal immigrants cannot get benefits at all.
It turns out that there are scholars who study the psychology of waiting in line. The New York Times ran an interesting story last week on this topic. Their focus was on shoppers who brave hours in line to get bargains on Black Friday. I think a lot of the insight from these experts applies to anyone waiting for anything.
Fair Is Fair (And It Better Be Fair)
It turns out that fairness is a very big deal in the psychology of waiting your turn. The experts tend to agree that people can bear long lines so long as everyone is getting the same opportunity. Another source of irritation for people in long lines is finding out that the wait is going to be much longer than advertised. This tells me I need to do a better job informing clients about what they are realistically looking at when they apply for Social Security disability benefits.
If you want to know more, watch this video.
How have you handled the long wait for Social Security disability benefits? Any suggestions to help all the others in line? Let me know.
