COLUMBIA, MO. -- Social Security Officials dedicated a newly expanded hearing office in Columbia.
Social Security staff at the office will help ease the backlog of disability cases that are waiting for hearings.
When fully staffed, the Columbia hearing office will have 8 administrative law judges and 43 support staff.
Staff members will serve clients in 12 Mid-Missouri counties including Boone, Pettis, Callaway, Cole, Phelps, Cooper, Saline, Moniteau, Benton, Howard, Macon and Randolph.
Social Security Administration Spokesman Jewell Colbert said, “The Commissioner of Social Security is hoping that by being able to add this new hearings office here, it will alleviate backlogs down the road and hopefully get a decision at the appeals process quicker than what we are currently doing.”
Administrative Law Judges with the agency conduct hearings and will issue more than 750,000 decisions this year.
The new Columbia office is on Buttonwood Drive across the street from the Missouri Credit Union.
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