Washington Post Article on Disability Backlog

In a long and very informative article, the Washington Post explores the scandal of the backlog of people waiting to have their Social Security disability claims heard.  Consider one fact from the article: more people are awaiting resolution of their disability claims than live in six different states. The public is rightly outraged by the long delays in processing VA disability claims. But there are nearly twice as many Social Security disability claims pending. The article also discusses something people not familiar with Social Security disability might not have ever heard of: The Dictionary of Occupational Titles, or DOT. This is a book that purports to list every job in the American economy. It has not been updated in decades.  Per the Post article, the DOT to this day contains job listings for Telegram Messenger and Horse and Wagon Driver.  This would be comical if it were not so depressing.  Every day judges rely on the listings in the DOT to determine if people can return to work. The American economy has undergone a revolution since the DOT was last updated. Think of how many occupations are related to the Internet. Care to guess how may Internet jobs are in the DOT? Start at zero and count backwards. Take the time to read this article. Then forward it on to people you know. Ask them to contact their Senators and members of Congress to demand some sort of action.