An Apopka woman said surgery on her vocal cords has left her unable to work, but the Social Security Administration has denied her benefits.
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She has lived without money for the last eight months, lost her house, and is about to lose her car.
Krystal Darby had multiple surgeries on her vocal cords, and now she lives with a trach. She said she can’t work, talking is difficult and she needs oxygen because she has a hard time breathing.
So, Darby applied for social security disability in Feb. 2023, living off of short-term disability while she waited, but that only lasted two years.
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9 Investigates and KFF Health News has looked at issues with the Social Security Administration.
Social Security has changed some of those wait times, making them months instead of years, but they are still dealing with a backlog of hundreds of thousands of cases.
The SSA hopes to process initial disability claims within approximately seven months by the end of fiscal year 2025.