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Long wait times plague Social Security disability process
Some die waiting for hearing
Disability Benefits L Ledb
In this Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, Maria Ruiz, 62, is brought to tears as she speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at her home in Miami. Ruiz is one of a dozen Florida residents with disabilities that have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging they have endured unreasonably long wait times, most more than two years, to go before a Social Security judge as they appeal their disability benefits. Miami has the longest wait time in the country, averaging 22 months, according to the federal agencys own website.
MIAMI — Diabetes, arthritis and open-heart surgery have kept Sherice Bennett from working, but she can't afford her medicine and became homeless while waiting for more than two years for a chance to convince a judge that she qualifies for federal disability benefits. Maria Ruiz also is waiting to appeal her denial; meanwhile, she's been in and out of psychiatric wards since being diagnosed as bipolar, and hasn't been able to buy her meds since August. Still others die waiting.
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