What is the approval rate for Social Security Disability Benefits?
Thirty-eight percent of applicants who meet technical requirements are accepted initially, but 53% of applicants who appeal that decision are ultimately approved.
Today’s young workers have about a one in three chance of becoming disabled or dying before they reach retirement age, according to 2016 actuarial estimates from the Social Security Administration (SSA). To lessen the financial burden of disability due to loss of work, disabled workers can apply for SSA-administered disability benefits.
In December 2022, around 10.9 million disabled workers and dependents received disability benefits in the United States. That’s around 5.4% of the adult population between ages 18 and 64.
Yet, some states have much higher percentages of people receiving benefits than others. For instance, in 2022, 10.7% of West Virginia’s adult population were receiving disability benefits.
Nearly 11% of West Virginia's adult population received disability benefits in 2022
Percentage of working-age adults receiving disability benefits by state
What makes someone eligible for Social Security disability benefits?
Each year, 2 million people apply for one or both of the SSA’s disability benefit programs. To apply, an applicant must meet the SSA’s self-described “strict” definition of disability. They must:
- be unable to participate in “substantial gainful activity” (i.e., earning more than $1,350 per month for non-blind applicants or $2,260 for blind applicants)
- be unable to work in their previous field or another field due to their condition
- have a disability that will last at least a year or result in death
Further, to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), applicants must have worked long enough and recently enough in a job covered by Social Security. Alternatively, to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the SSA’s second disability benefit program, applicants must have limited income and resources. Applicants can apply for one or both programs and the process for submission and approval is the same for both programs.
Some cases are expedited after application, such as those with diagnoses for acute leukemia, ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and pancreatic cancer or those determined by a “computer-based predictive model” to be highly likely to qualify. When an application isn’t expedited, the process can take months or years and may involve several appeals.
What percentage of people get approved for disability benefits?
In 2022, about one in three processed disability applications was approved. A large number of denials were due to applicants not meeting the Social Security Administration’s non-medical, or “technical,” requirements (e.g., they haven't worked long or recently enough or their job wasn't covered by Social Security). These applicants are denied before their medical condition has been officially assessed.
Around half of all applicants who met the SSA's technical requirements were approved for disability benefits.
Approximately 1 in 3 applicants is ultimately approved for disability benefits
Acceptance rate for Social Security disability benefits by stage, FY 2022
After an applicant passes the SSA's technical requirements, their application undergoes an assessment. Approximately two out of every five applicants are approved at this stage.
Some applicants, after their initial application is denied, embark on a series of appeals that can span months or even years. The approval rate of these appeals ranges from around 1% to over 50%.
Taken together, nearly half of all applicants who appeal their initial denial ultimately receive benefits.
The acceptance rate for disability benefit applications varies based on the stage of appeal
The time from initial submission of a disability benefit application to a final decision, when appeals are taken into account, can be substantial. According to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the median wait time for a decision on claims filed in 2010 was 561 days (approximately 1.5 years). This increased to 839 days (approximately 2.3 years) for claims filed in 2015.
In the same report, the GAO found that roughly 10,000 applicants die and 8,000 file for bankruptcy while waiting for a decision on their application.
While it’s too soon to know how long a final decision will take for claims submitted today, the wait time for an initial decision has increased 86% (from four to over seven months) between November 2019 and November 2023.
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