According to Dan Allsup, director of communications for Allsup Inc., 13,700 West Virginians are awaiting hearings on claims, with a 490-day average nationwide for a hearing.

Allsup said he is concerned whether the system is creating poverty for those waiting.

"To draw (disability benefits), you cannot work, so people are losing income, losing homes, when they may or may not have already lost their job to begin with while trying to collect insurance benefits to pay for expenses," Allsup said.

Allsup said two-thirds of first-time claimants are denied and usually have to reapply, causing further strain on an individual or family's budget.

"You pay car insurance, and if you are in an accident you expect quick and prompt payment," Allsup said. "Could you imagine how angry you would be if a car insurance company took 490 days to pay your payment?"

Allsup said disability claims historically increase with a bad economy, but he said West Virginia is seeing a rise due to a high percentage of "blue-collar" workers reaching retirement age or finally wearing down from years of tough work.

"With the 'silver tsunami' of a rapidly aging population that may have been hanging on to their job with a disability, (many) are now being thrown into the system because they cannot compete with a disability against younger workers vying for the same positions," Allsup said. "Now they have no choice but to file for their disability, and it is creating a logjam of back applicants waiting for a hearing."

In West Virginia in September, the average wait for a hearing was 396 days at the Morgantown branch of the Social Security office. Charleston's wait was 317 days, and Huntington's was 299 -- an average of 337 for state residents waiting for a judgment hearing.

"It is a tremendous hardship not only on the applicant but on a tremendously overwrought agency, as well, that is unable to handle the influx of claims," Allsup said.

Allup said disability is not a save-all plan for an applicant who lives in poverty. With an average monthly check of $1,063 going to recipients, the money usually is desperately needed.

"The program was never intended to fully compensate a loss of income, although (it is) difficult to live on monthly as an individual, let alone a family, it does help," Allsup said.

He said action is needed to ensure claimants receive answers promptly and alleviate the backlog of cases awaiting hearing. He said third-party companies can help alleviate the burden by walking applicants through the process and eliminate errors that may delay the hearing.

Allsup said third parties could cut man hours pushed on Social Security workers by doing thorough checks to ensure that paperwork is filled out properly, saving the government time and man hours.

"Ninety-eight to 99 percent of the people we work with are approved because we cut the hassle and make the process easier," Allsup said.

Allsup said the longer Congress take to increase the budget for Social Security, the more people are going to suffer.

"Many claim there is a crisis with future monies available to fund Social Security Retirement, but the crisis with disability is right now," Allsup said.

Robert Jefferies, Social Security public affairs specialist for West Virginia, said the average wait for the initial application is three to five months, which Allsup agrees is standard waiting time. Jefferies, however, did not comment on the waiting times for hearings.

"The backlog at the first level is the true problem in all this despite the long wait for hearing times, because it is flooding the system to the point of collapse," Allsup said.