The recent Buffalo News story about the more than 720,000 Americans with disabilities waiting for judges to rule on their applications to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits only scratched the surface of a huge problem.

Last year, for the first time in a decade, the Social Security Administration reduced the number of backlogged claims at the hearing level. The administration should be commended for this work. Unfortunately, even as progress is being made at the end of the process, a storm is gathering at the beginning.

Facing the highest unemployment levels in 25 years, Americans are flooding the Social Security Administration with disability claims at an unprecedented rate. The government predicts the number of pending initial disability claims will reach 833,000—an increase of almost 70 percent over last year.

The application is an incredibly draining, difficult process. There are countless frustrations and roadblocks for legitimately disabled individuals who just want to receive the benefits theyve earned and have been promised. Its no surprise so many people try to avoid it at all cost.

But when the economy takes a sharp downturn, some people realize they can no longer afford to live without the insurance benefits they paid for. A health problem may have gotten progressively worse, until finally they can no longer work. Perhaps the spouse who had been supporting the family suddenly loses his or her job. So they apply for benefits, often not realizing it may be years before they receive their first check.

As The News article noted, because applicants new to the SSDI process often dont know help is available, too many initial claims are denied for simple mistakes that have nothing to do with the applicants disability status. In other cases, applicants who dont meet the standards for disability — at least now — bog down the system. A simple prequalification process would let them know quickly that they are not likely to qualify for benefits.

Congress and the president should immediately direct the administration to notify applicants they have options when pursuing their claims. Expert disability representatives work exactly like tax professionals to help guide applicants through a complex government process — they create a complete filing, comply with the rules and laws and advocate for them before a federal agency.

The government would save hundreds of thousands of worker-hours if more applications processed by the administration were professionally reviewed and documented before they are submitted.

Ultimately, each individual applicant will decide how best to pursue a claim. For some, working alone might be their choice. For many others, the multiyear application process, the risks of mistakes and missed appeal deadlines that will further delay benefits are simply too daunting to deal with alone.

Jim Allsup is founder and president of Allsup, the countrys largest nonattorney SSDI representation company.