The Social Security Administration has announced that it will be extending its Attorney Advisor program until August 10, 2011.

The program applies to Social Security Disability Claims, and authorizes attorney advisors to conduct pre-hearing procedures after the claim is appealed to the Office of Hearings and Appeals. This means that if a Disability case is strong enough to win without a hearing, advisors and attorneys can approach individuals other than Administrative Law Judges to discuss the Disability claim. This means that some individuals have the chance of receiving Disabilities without having to wait the year to two years that they would normally have to wait for a hearing.

The Federal Register says about the program, “[t]he attorney advisor program is an important part of our ongoing efforts to decide cases efficiently, issue decisions timely, and reduce the number of claims pending at the hearing level.”