 In U.S. District Court in Huntington today, the two sides of the Social Security Redetermination case presented evidence about why some Social Security recipients should lose their benefits or why those recipients should retain them. The majority of the hearing was taken up with the two sides arguing the legality and the fairness of the process. The plaintiffs argued that the process is unfair and should have been handled a long time ago. The government argued that the process is fair and actually affords more due process than is necessary. In Wednesday's three-hour hearing in Huntington, the representatives for the plaintiffs in the case said the Social Security Administration's process and the timeline for the government dealing with the matter had made it impossible for some to get a favorable decision in redetermination hearings for Social Security SSI benefits. Also at issue is a motion for an injunction which would halt the hearings by the government, but no decision was made on the motion. The SSA waited too long to even start the hearings. And basically, the judge can say they never had the right to start the hearings and nullify all these 800 people losing their benefits. To date, there's been 1,300 hearings. At the current rate, more than 800 people will lose their benefits. More people are losing their benefits than keeping them. And I just don't know what's going to happen, though. These 800 people, if they lose their benefits, lose their health insurance, and then they're going to get a bill that they owe $100,000 back in overpayments. And I'm really worried for the most vulnerable people in our region. One recommendation made by U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers during the hearing was that the two sides come together to discuss how the process could be changed to possibly benefit all sides. The plaintiffs in the case are open to that suggestion. I thought the judge thoroughly understood all the issues. And the fact that he said he was a former Social Security lawyer is a good sign. We are certainly going to take the judge up on the suggestion that we meet with the SSA and try to resolve the situation because the current situation is terrible. And although the judge asked the two sides to come together, he made no ruling in today's hearing. Reporting in Huntington for EKB News, I'm Chris Anderson.