Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2019

Outcomes of Applications for Disability Benefits

Notes

The tables in this section provide data on the outcomes of applications for disability benefits. The data on applications are derived from the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Disability Research File maintained by the Office of Disability Programs. Each year this file is updated with information about applications for disability benefits that is then used to determine the outcome of those applications. The outcome data in these tables are reported by year of filing and include decisions made through the administrative appeals process.

Table 60 shows the total number of applications filed in a year, the number denied for nonmedical reasons before a medical decision is made (technical denials), the number that are pending a final decision, the outcome of applications for which a medical allowance or denial was made, and award and allowance rates. Applications for which a medical allowance or denial decision was made but which were subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons are shown under the medical decision header as subsequent denials. The most common nonmedical reason for denying a claim is insufficient number of recent work credits.

The allowance rate is calculated by dividing the number of medical allowances (including subsequent technical denials) by the total number of medical decisions made for a 1-year cohort. The award rate is a broader program measure that is calculated as the number of allowances minus subsequent denials divided by total applications (minus pending claims) filed for a given year.

Claims that remain pending after 6 years are probably the result of imperfect data rather than excessive delays in the decision-making process. It is highly probable that decisions have been rendered on most of the older claims. For more recent years, the award and allowance rates will change as decisions are made on pending claims.

Tables 61–63 show the allowance rate for Social Security only and the Social Security portion of concurrent applications (which are claims for both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability benefits). Each table shows a different level in the administrative decision-making process; that is, initial adjudicative, reconsideration, and hearing or higher level.

Beginning with 2000, the proportion of claims awarded at each level of the process changed as a result of the Prototype Process being tested in 10 states. Under this test, the reconsideration step of the appeals process was eliminated for applications filed October 1, 1999, or later. Elimination of the reconsideration level in these states results in a decrease in the aggregate proportion of claims awarded at this step.

This section also includes one table that shows the reason for medical allowance and one that shows the reason for medical denial (Tables 64 and 65). The reasons are derived from the sequential evaluation process used by decision makers. SSA maintains a list of impairments that are considered disabling under its regulations. An applicant can be found to be disabled if he or she—

has a listed impairment,
has a severe impairment that is equal to a listed impairment,
has a severe impairment when medical and vocational factors are considered, or
had previously established entitlement to a disability benefit.

An applicant can be denied benefits if he or she—

has an impairment that is not expected to last 12 months,
has an impairment that is not considered severe,
is able to perform his or her usual type of work,
is able to perform another type of work, or
has an impairment resulting from drug addiction or alcoholism, provides insufficient medical evidence, fails to cooperate, fails to follow prescribed treatment, does not want to continue development of the claim, or returns to substantial work before disability can be established.

Chart 11. Final outcome of disabled-worker applications, 2009–2018

The final award rate for disabled-worker applicants has varied over time, averaging 32 percent for claims filed from 2009 through 2018. The percentage of applicants awarded benefits at the initial claims level averaged 21 percent over the same period and ranged from a high of 25 percent to a low of 20 percent. The percentage of applicants awarded at the reconsideration and hearing levels are averaging 2 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Denied disability claims have averaged 66 percent.

Show as table

Table equivalent for Chart 11. Final outcome of disabled-worker applications, 2009–2018 (percent)
Year	Initial awards	Reconsideration awards	Awards at hearing level or above	Pending final decision	Medical denials	Technical denials
2009	24.8	2.4	11.6	0.0	28.4	32.8
2010	22.9	2.2	11.1	0.0	28.6	35.2
2011	21.9	2.2	10.8	0.0	29.4	35.7
2012	21.3	2.2	10.1	0.2	29.0	37.2
2013	20.9	2.1	9.9	0.3	29.4	37.6
2014	20.6	2.1	9.4	0.4	29.7	37.8
2015	20.3	2.2	8.5	0.8	29.6	38.7
2016	20.3	2.2	7.7	2.4	28.0	39.3
2017	20.5	2.2	4.6	7.3	25.7	39.7
2018	20.3	1.7	0.6	13.5	23.2	40.7

SOURCE: Tables 60–63.

NOTE: Awards are calculated as medical allowances minus subsequent technical denials. Technical denials include both nonmedical decision technical denials and medical decisions that were subsequently denied for technical reasons.

Table 60. Outcomes at all adjudicative levels, by year of application, 1992–2018
Year	Total	Pending final decision	Technical denials ^a	Medical decisions				Award rate ^d (percent)	Allowance rate ^e (percent)
				Denials		Allowances
				Medical	Subsequent nonmedical ^b	Awards	Subsequent denials ^c
	All disabled beneficiaries
1999	1,265,037	0	104,332	445,995	4,056	708,797	1,857	56.0	61.3
2000	1,364,323	0	136,054	456,467	3,817	766,047	1,938	56.1	62.6
2001	1,513,411	0	170,520	496,835	3,579	840,542	1,935	55.5	62.8
2002	1,715,710	0	231,067	580,430	4,067	898,047	2,099	52.3	60.7
2003	1,941,894	0	374,305	632,284	4,485	928,747	2,073	47.8	59.5
2004	2,262,119	0	615,672	677,811	5,634	961,376	1,626	42.5	58.5
2005	2,087,733	0	528,760	642,170	6,964	907,877	1,962	43.5	58.4
2006	2,164,394	0	611,199	653,256	7,270	890,752	1,917	41.2	57.5
2007	2,216,565	0	651,753	641,811	7,914	913,269	1,818	41.2	58.5
2008	2,358,629	0	717,133	660,762	9,023	969,935	1,776	41.1	59.2
2009	2,753,012	0	845,192	789,506	10,686	1,105,781	1,847	40.2	58.1
2010	2,981,615	0	978,636	861,634	19,095	1,120,175	2,075	37.6	56.0
2011	2,952,087	0	981,942	873,114	20,767	1,074,202	2,062	36.4	54.6
2012	2,955,922	5,736	1,024,468	862,501	23,856	1,037,081	2,280	35.2	54.0
2013	2,790,682	7,084	971,054	822,424	25,000	962,875	2,245	34.6	53.2
2014	2,687,342	9,553	936,875	798,940	27,085	912,604	2,285	34.1	52.6
2015	2,547,664	18,731	904,375	750,823	27,645	843,783	2,307	33.4	52.1
2016	2,430,071	57,024	875,660	679,141	27,614	788,636	1,996	33.2	52.8
2017	2,298,554	161,965	833,404	591,132	29,646	680,446	1,961	31.8	52.4
2018	2,172,116	282,897	805,638	507,709	29,679	544,224	1,969	28.8	50.4
	Workers
1992	1,310,004	0	130,885	481,439	5,725	689,111	2,844	52.6	58.8
1993	1,384,501	0	140,314	540,906	5,626	695,007	2,648	50.2	56.2
1994	1,383,092	0	130,240	573,158	5,506	671,791	2,397	48.6	53.9
1995	1,301,472	0	123,711	542,097	5,048	628,380	2,236	48.3	53.6
1996	1,313,818	0	116,988	537,482	5,011	652,221	2,116	49.6	54.8
1997	1,164,680	0	106,868	449,464	4,212	602,277	1,859	51.7	57.2
1998	1,138,101	0	96,718	421,953	4,205	613,181	2,044	53.9	59.2
1999	1,167,650	0	102,305	419,486	4,008	640,065	1,786	54.8	60.3
2000	1,265,188	0	133,947	430,581	3,782	695,007	1,871	54.9	61.7
2001	1,414,524	0	168,231	470,999	3,537	769,877	1,880	54.4	62.0
2002	1,609,480	0	228,455	550,985	4,011	823,981	2,048	51.2	59.9
2003	1,831,154	0	371,334	599,558	4,428	853,832	2,002	46.6	58.7
2004	2,145,629	0	611,647	643,040	5,582	883,784	1,576	41.2	57.8
2005	1,970,277	0	524,858	607,568	6,874	829,087	1,890	42.1	57.6
2006	2,040,682	0	606,435	613,407	7,164	811,818	1,858	39.8	56.8
2007	2,083,897	0	646,511	599,001	7,799	828,834	1,752	39.8	57.8
2008	2,217,126	0	711,536	616,715	8,892	878,274	1,709	39.6	58.4
2009	2,595,028	0	839,206	737,312	10,538	1,006,200	1,772	38.8	57.4
2010	2,809,479	0	968,155	804,405	18,494	1,016,417	2,008	36.2	55.3
2011	2,780,977	0	971,078	816,355	20,273	971,274	1,997	34.9	53.8
2012	2,776,214	5,605	1,009,061	806,251	22,766	930,373	2,158	33.6	52.9
2013	2,620,315	6,876	958,223	769,227	24,039	859,802	2,148	32.9	52.1
2014	2,523,710	9,299	924,770	749,828	26,039	811,570	2,204	32.3	51.2
2015	2,383,371	18,208	892,658	704,621	26,593	739,083	2,208	31.2	50.3
2016	2,275,562	55,102	864,669	637,385	26,613	689,912	1,881	31.1	51.0
2017	2,149,717	156,724	822,929	552,817	28,587	586,801	1,859	29.4	50.3
2018	2,026,768	274,185	794,461	470,966	28,659	456,627	1,870	26.1	47.9
	Widow(er)s
1999	40,053	0	1,173	9,718	17	29,108	37	72.7	75.0
2000	39,990	0	1,258	9,013	11	29,679	29	74.2	76.8
2001	40,227	0	1,344	8,738	13	30,113	19	74.9	77.5
2002	41,065	0	1,540	8,941	18	30,547	19	74.4	77.4
2003	41,243	0	1,645	9,553	24	29,977	44	72.7	75.9
2004	42,449	0	2,069	9,554	22	30,780	24	72.5	76.3
2005	41,409	0	1,892	9,253	26	30,215	23	73.0	76.6
2006	41,468	0	2,190	9,774	38	29,443	23	71.0	75.1
2007	40,781	0	2,211	8,975	28	29,540	27	72.4	76.7
2008	42,140	0	2,329	8,622	31	31,137	21	73.9	78.3
2009	44,059	0	2,551	8,943	43	32,502	20	73.8	78.4
2010	47,583	0	3,543	9,707	82	34,228	23	71.9	77.8
2011	47,011	0	3,498	9,822	74	33,583	34	71.4	77.3
2012	51,351	43	5,847	9,854	242	35,312	53	68.8	77.8
2013	49,596	70	5,111	9,940	261	34,171	43	69.0	77.0
2014	48,048	86	4,621	9,636	267	33,401	37	69.6	77.2
2015	45,839	154	4,467	8,798	290	32,093	37	70.2	78.0
2016	43,048	560	4,108	7,948	252	30,137	43	70.9	78.6
2017	40,444	1,779	3,822	7,029	302	27,480	32	71.1	79.0
2018	37,067	3,037	3,800	6,598	333	23,269	30	68.4	77.1
	Adult children
1999	57,334	0	854	16,791	31	39,624	34	69.1	70.3
2000	59,145	0	849	16,873	24	41,361	38	69.9	71.1
2001	58,660	0	945	17,098	29	40,552	36	69.1	70.4
2002	65,165	0	1,072	20,504	38	43,519	32	66.8	68.0
2003	69,497	0	1,326	23,173	33	44,938	27	64.7	66.0
2004	74,041	0	1,956	25,217	30	46,812	26	63.2	65.0
2005	76,047	0	2,010	25,349	64	48,575	49	63.9	65.7
2006	82,244	0	2,574	30,075	68	49,491	36	60.2	62.2
2007	91,887	0	3,031	33,835	87	54,895	39	59.7	61.8
2008	99,363	0	3,268	35,425	100	60,524	46	60.9	63.0
2009	113,925	0	3,435	43,251	105	67,079	55	58.9	60.8
2010	124,553	0	6,938	47,522	519	69,530	44	55.8	59.2
2011	124,099	0	7,366	46,937	420	69,345	31	55.9	59.4
2012	128,357	88	9,560	46,396	848	71,396	69	55.7	60.2
2013	120,771	138	7,720	43,257	700	68,902	54	57.1	61.1
2014	115,584	168	7,484	39,476	779	67,633	44	58.6	62.7
2015	118,454	369	7,250	37,404	762	72,607	62	61.5	65.6
2016	111,461	1,362	6,883	33,808	749	68,587	72	62.3	66.5
2017	108,393	3,462	6,653	31,286	757	66,165	70	63.1	67.4
2018	108,281	5,675	7,377	30,145	687	64,328	69	62.7	67.6
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research file, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through June 2019. Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2019.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the award and allowance rates will change over time. Cases can be pending at the initial or appellate levels and can include either medical or technical issues.
Data include decisions for Social Security–only applications and applications for both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI); they do not include SSI-only applications.
Data from 1992 through 1998 are available for disabled workers only.
a. Applications were denied for nonmedical reasons; therefore no decision was made on severity of impairment.
b. Applications were denied for nonmedical reasons after a decision was made that the applicant did not meet the medical severity criteria for disability benefits.
c. Applications were denied for nonmedical reasons after a decision was made that the applicant met the medical severity criteria for disability benefits.
d. Rate determined by dividing awards by all applications minus pending claims for that year.
e. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

Table 61. Medical decisions at the initial adjudicative level, by year of application and program, 1992–2018
Year	All decisions			Decisions on applications for Social Security only			Decisions on applications for both Social Security and SSI
Year	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a (percent)	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a (percent)	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a,b (percent)
	All disabled beneficiaries
1999	1,160,792	458,854	39.5	649,980	313,152	48.2	510,812	145,702	28.5
2000	1,228,301	500,657	40.8	688,282	339,764	49.4	540,019	160,893	29.8
2001	1,342,915	558,741	41.6	742,869	379,266	51.1	600,046	179,475	29.9
2002	1,484,685	575,089	38.7	794,839	385,453	48.5	689,846	189,636	27.5
2003	1,567,607	583,758	37.2	804,688	383,225	47.6	762,919	200,533	26.3
2004	1,646,469	604,176	36.7	814,157	389,190	47.8	832,312	214,986	25.8
2005	1,559,003	575,310	36.9	763,377	370,449	48.5	795,626	204,861	25.7
2006	1,553,228	562,208	36.2	753,222	363,226	48.2	800,006	198,982	24.9
2007	1,564,868	583,058	37.3	757,294	377,352	49.8	807,574	205,706	25.5
2008	1,641,539	635,422	38.7	783,521	408,893	52.2	858,018	226,529	26.4
2009	1,907,857	734,410	38.5	922,365	480,888	52.1	985,492	253,522	25.7
2010	2,003,024	739,067	36.9	991,004	496,221	50.1	1,012,020	242,846	24.0
2011	1,970,199	703,272	35.7	988,015	478,723	48.5	982,184	224,549	22.9
2012	1,931,471	689,146	35.7	989,639	474,838	48.0	941,832	214,308	22.8
2013	1,819,635	643,265	35.4	966,472	450,129	46.6	853,163	193,136	22.6
2014	1,750,470	615,630	35.2	981,458	441,823	45.0	769,012	173,807	22.6
2015	1,643,286	582,662	35.5	941,191	423,848	45.0	702,095	158,814	22.6
2016	1,554,065	556,905	35.8	903,986	407,311	45.1	650,079	149,594	23.0
2017	1,464,195	532,197	36.3	848,954	388,426	45.8	615,241	143,771	23.4
2018	1,361,721	498,743	36.6	800,500	364,129	45.5	561,221	134,614	24.0
	Workers
1992	1,179,119	436,715	37.0	558,741	248,385	44.5	620,378	188,330	30.4
1993	1,244,187	421,560	33.9	571,464	240,839	42.1	672,723	180,721	26.9
1994	1,252,852	390,785	31.2	591,408	233,059	39.4	661,444	157,726	23.8
1995	1,177,761	367,293	31.2	569,963	223,457	39.2	607,798	143,836	23.7
1996	1,196,830	384,167	32.1	593,992	237,474	40.0	602,838	146,693	24.3
1997	1,057,812	357,880	33.8	551,909	228,793	41.5	505,903	129,087	25.5
1998	1,041,383	374,376	35.9	550,794	238,989	43.4	490,589	135,387	27.6
1999	1,065,430	396,253	37.2	578,884	259,417	44.8	486,546	136,836	28.1
2000	1,131,273	435,416	38.5	615,507	283,906	46.1	515,766	151,510	29.4
2001	1,246,317	493,638	39.6	670,621	323,649	48.3	575,696	169,989	29.5
2002	1,381,065	507,031	36.7	718,611	327,294	45.5	662,454	179,737	27.1
2003	1,459,838	514,871	35.3	728,169	324,769	44.6	731,669	190,102	26.0
2004	1,534,004	532,860	34.7	738,167	329,980	44.7	795,837	202,880	25.5
2005	1,445,449	502,762	34.8	686,143	309,900	45.2	759,306	192,862	25.4
2006	1,434,280	489,529	34.1	675,523	303,051	44.9	758,757	186,478	24.6
2007	1,437,440	505,946	35.2	676,179	314,355	46.5	761,261	191,591	25.2
2008	1,505,630	552,705	36.7	697,893	340,958	48.9	807,737	211,747	26.2
2009	1,755,858	644,692	36.7	830,777	407,867	49.1	925,081	236,825	25.6
2010	1,841,366	645,047	35.0	894,513	419,053	46.8	946,853	225,994	23.9
2011	1,809,950	610,266	33.7	890,717	401,263	45.0	919,233	209,003	22.7
2012	1,767,166	592,449	33.5	887,285	393,370	44.3	879,881	199,079	22.6
2013	1,662,093	549,421	33.1	867,183	370,659	42.7	794,910	178,762	22.5
2014	1,598,937	523,030	32.7	882,879	362,784	41.1	716,058	160,246	22.4
2015	1,490,710	485,692	32.6	838,619	340,094	40.6	652,091	145,598	22.3
2016	1,410,571	464,939	33.0	806,361	327,958	40.7	604,210	136,981	22.7
2017	1,325,923	443,068	33.4	753,789	311,092	41.3	572,134	131,976	23.1
2018	1,227,781	412,979	33.6	706,206	289,799	41.0	521,575	123,180	23.6
	Widow(er)s
1999	38,880	24,898	64.0	29,600	21,272	71.9	9,280	3,626	39.1
2000	38,732	25,748	66.5	29,874	21,967	73.5	8,858	3,781	42.7
2001	38,883	26,206	67.4	30,273	22,436	74.1	8,610	3,770	43.8
2002	39,526	26,489	67.0	30,891	22,751	73.6	8,635	3,738	43.3
2003	39,598	25,960	65.6	30,216	22,213	73.5	9,382	3,747	39.9
2004	40,380	26,666	66.0	29,578	22,252	75.2	10,802	4,414	40.9
2005	39,517	26,265	66.5	29,201	22,023	75.4	10,316	4,242	41.1
2006	39,278	25,584	65.1	28,454	21,399	75.2	10,824	4,185	38.7
2007	38,570	25,546	66.2	27,586	21,181	76.8	10,984	4,365	39.7
2008	39,811	26,777	67.3	28,194	22,185	78.7	11,617	4,592	39.5
2009	41,508	27,815	67.0	28,929	22,797	78.8	12,579	5,018	39.9
2010	44,040	29,501	67.0	30,599	24,203	79.1	13,441	5,298	39.4
2011	43,513	28,699	66.0	30,385	23,802	78.3	13,128	4,897	37.3
2012	45,502	30,476	67.0	32,403	25,662	79.2	13,099	4,814	36.8
2013	44,488	29,535	66.4	31,758	25,011	78.8	12,730	4,524	35.5
2014	43,431	28,991	66.8	31,406	24,789	78.9	12,025	4,202	34.9
2015	41,374	28,179	68.1	30,281	24,235	80.0	11,093	3,944	35.6
2016	38,936	26,704	68.6	28,736	23,036	80.2	10,200	3,668	36.0
2017	36,603	25,227	68.9	27,134	21,871	80.6	9,469	3,356	35.4
2018	33,218	22,442	67.6	24,710	19,381	78.4	8,508	3,061	36.0
	Adult children
1999	56,482	37,703	66.8	41,496	32,463	78.2	14,986	5,240	35.0
2000	58,296	39,493	67.7	42,901	33,891	79.0	15,395	5,602	36.4
2001	57,715	38,897	67.4	41,975	33,181	79.0	15,740	5,716	36.3
2002	64,094	41,569	64.9	45,337	35,408	78.1	18,757	6,161	32.8
2003	68,171	42,927	63.0	46,303	36,243	78.3	21,868	6,684	30.6
2004	72,085	44,650	61.9	46,412	36,958	79.6	25,673	7,692	30.0
2005	74,037	46,283	62.5	48,033	38,526	80.2	26,004	7,757	29.8
2006	79,670	47,095	59.1	49,245	38,776	78.7	30,425	8,319	27.3
2007	88,858	51,566	58.0	53,529	41,816	78.1	35,329	9,750	27.6
2008	96,098	55,940	58.2	57,434	45,750	79.7	38,664	10,190	26.4
2009	110,491	61,903	56.0	62,659	50,224	80.2	47,832	11,679	24.4
2010	117,618	64,519	54.9	65,892	52,965	80.4	51,726	11,554	22.3
2011	116,736	64,307	55.1	66,913	53,658	80.2	49,823	10,649	21.4
2012	118,803	66,221	55.7	69,951	55,806	79.8	48,852	10,415	21.3
2013	113,054	64,309	56.9	67,531	54,459	80.6	45,523	9,850	21.6
2014	108,102	63,609	58.8	67,173	54,250	80.8	40,929	9,359	22.9
2015	111,202	68,791	61.9	72,291	59,519	82.3	38,911	9,272	23.8
2016	104,558	65,262	62.4	68,889	56,317	81.8	35,669	8,945	25.1
2017	101,669	63,902	62.9	68,031	55,463	81.5	33,638	8,439	25.1
2018	100,722	63,322	62.9	69,584	54,949	79.0	31,138	8,373	26.9
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research file, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data are current through June 2019.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the allowance rate will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or be subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
Data from 1992 through 1998 are available for disabled workers only.
SSI = Supplemental Security Income.
a. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
b. Rate for the Social Security portion only.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

Table 62. Medical decisions at the reconsideration level, by year of application and program, 1992–2018
Year	All decisions			Decisions on applications for Social Security only			Decisions on applications for both Social Security and SSI
Year	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a (percent)	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a (percent)	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a,b (percent)
	All disabled beneficiaries
1999	397,127	58,602	14.8	209,682	33,223	15.8	187,445	25,379	13.5
2000	407,758	55,631	13.6	214,965	31,473	14.6	192,793	24,158	12.5
2001	434,185	55,494	12.8	221,720	30,807	13.9	212,465	24,687	11.6
2002	502,441	57,460	11.4	249,822	31,212	12.5	252,619	26,248	10.4
2003	542,986	57,868	10.7	258,354	30,344	11.7	284,632	27,524	9.7
2004	558,632	57,363	10.3	255,283	29,169	11.4	303,349	28,194	9.3
2005	514,277	51,732	10.1	231,252	26,556	11.5	283,025	25,176	8.9
2006	514,442	51,156	9.9	227,921	26,078	11.4	286,521	25,078	8.8
2007	519,254	57,038	11.0	224,454	29,822	13.3	294,800	27,216	9.2
2008	546,426	59,255	10.8	222,900	29,954	13.4	323,526	29,301	9.1
2009	644,224	64,080	9.9	264,493	33,212	12.6	379,731	30,868	8.1
2010	706,098	63,198	9.0	299,847	34,302	11.4	406,251	28,896	7.1
2011	724,443	65,168	9.0	314,352	36,361	11.6	410,091	28,807	7.0
2012	714,083	62,511	8.8	316,698	34,933	11.0	397,385	27,578	6.9
2013	682,306	56,638	8.3	316,197	32,184	10.2	366,109	24,454	6.7
2014	644,154	56,414	8.8	316,494	33,552	10.6	327,660	22,862	7.0
2015	572,082	54,724	9.6	291,057	33,038	11.4	281,025	21,686	7.7
2016	530,631	53,390	10.1	275,009	32,733	11.9	255,622	20,657	8.1
2017	477,871	49,069	10.3	246,251	30,399	12.3	231,620	18,670	8.1
2018	358,181	34,970	9.8	188,425	22,406	11.9	169,756	12,564	7.4
	Workers
1992	419,798	53,881	12.8	190,594	25,352	13.3	229,204	28,529	12.4
1993	469,151	58,275	12.4	206,606	27,306	13.2	262,545	30,969	11.8
1994	489,731	62,757	12.8	226,013	31,468	13.9	263,718	31,289	11.9
1995	458,036	60,584	13.2	218,950	31,563	14.4	239,086	29,021	12.1
1996	464,582	65,466	14.1	226,333	33,596	14.8	238,249	31,870	13.4
1997	403,225	59,978	14.9	206,148	33,373	16.2	197,077	26,605	13.5
1998	384,997	61,742	16.0	199,292	34,043	17.1	185,705	27,699	14.9
1999	384,286	55,272	14.4	202,999	31,712	15.6	181,287	23,560	13.0
2000	396,216	52,794	13.3	208,638	30,189	14.5	187,578	22,605	12.1
2001	422,937	52,905	12.5	215,591	29,647	13.8	207,346	23,258	11.2
2002	489,974	54,974	11.2	243,259	30,157	12.4	246,715	24,817	10.1
2003	529,775	55,342	10.4	252,226	29,348	11.6	277,549	25,994	9.4
2004	545,180	54,527	10.0	249,568	28,202	11.3	295,612	26,325	8.9
2005	501,374	49,029	9.8	225,707	25,640	11.4	275,667	23,389	8.5
2006	500,913	48,406	9.7	222,465	25,256	11.4	278,448	23,150	8.3
2007	503,473	54,434	10.8	218,683	28,950	13.2	284,790	25,484	8.9
2008	527,774	56,838	10.8	216,971	29,111	13.4	310,803	27,727	8.9
2009	621,676	61,281	9.9	258,019	32,309	12.5	363,657	28,972	8.0
2010	681,806	60,435	8.9	293,218	33,394	11.4	388,588	27,041	7.0
2011	699,643	62,357	8.9	307,209	35,404	11.5	392,434	26,953	6.9
2012	688,169	59,788	8.7	309,019	33,996	11.0	379,150	25,792	6.8
2013	657,752	54,211	8.2	308,990	31,357	10.1	348,762	22,854	6.6
2014	621,939	54,078	8.7	309,610	32,752	10.6	312,329	21,326	6.8
2015	551,851	52,350	9.5	284,606	32,205	11.3	267,245	20,145	7.5
2016	512,066	51,173	10.0	268,851	31,926	11.9	243,215	19,247	7.9
2017	460,836	47,009	10.2	240,618	29,608	12.3	220,218	17,401	7.9
2018	345,682	33,461	9.7	183,821	21,697	11.8	161,861	11,764	7.3
	Widow(er)s
1999	7,125	1,962	27.5	4,114	895	21.8	3,011	1,067	35.4
2000	6,379	1,572	24.6	3,872	734	19.0	2,507	838	33.4
2001	6,212	1,582	25.5	3,865	728	18.8	2,347	854	36.4
2002	6,390	1,392	21.8	3,996	649	16.2	2,394	743	31.0
2003	6,665	1,378	20.7	3,832	637	16.6	2,833	741	26.2
2004	6,475	1,549	23.9	3,457	597	17.3	3,018	952	31.5
2005	6,105	1,381	22.6	3,329	561	16.9	2,776	820	29.5
2006	5,985	1,308	21.9	3,120	461	14.8	2,865	847	29.6
2007	5,948	1,144	19.2	2,887	462	16.0	3,061	682	22.3
2008	6,347	921	14.5	2,858	391	13.7	3,489	530	15.2
2009	6,988	1,077	15.4	3,044	446	14.7	3,944	631	16.0
2010	7,359	1,055	14.3	3,073	461	15.0	4,286	594	13.9
2011	7,843	1,132	14.4	3,366	504	15.0	4,477	628	14.0
2012	8,134	1,116	13.7	3,541	480	13.6	4,593	636	13.8
2013	8,101	1,027	12.7	3,485	456	13.1	4,616	571	12.4
2014	7,829	1,014	13.0	3,419	458	13.4	4,410	556	12.6
2015	6,920	986	14.2	3,031	428	14.1	3,889	558	14.3
2016	6,354	863	13.6	2,813	406	14.4	3,541	457	12.9
2017	5,685	800	14.1	2,497	386	15.5	3,188	414	13.0
2018	4,175	579	13.9	1,901	298	15.7	2,274	281	12.4
	Adult children
1999	5,716	1,368	23.9	2,569	616	24.0	3,147	752	23.9
2000	5,163	1,265	24.5	2,455	550	22.4	2,708	715	26.4
2001	5,036	1,007	20.0	2,264	432	19.1	2,772	575	20.7
2002	6,077	1,094	18.0	2,567	406	15.8	3,510	688	19.6
2003	6,546	1,148	17.5	2,296	359	15.6	4,250	789	18.6
2004	6,977	1,287	18.4	2,258	370	16.4	4,719	917	19.4
2005	6,798	1,322	19.4	2,216	355	16.0	4,582	967	21.1
2006	7,544	1,442	19.1	2,336	361	15.5	5,208	1,081	20.8
2007	9,833	1,460	14.8	2,884	410	14.2	6,949	1,050	15.1
2008	12,305	1,496	12.2	3,071	452	14.7	9,234	1,044	11.3
2009	15,560	1,722	11.1	3,430	457	13.3	12,130	1,265	10.4
2010	16,933	1,708	10.1	3,556	447	12.6	13,377	1,261	9.4
2011	16,957	1,679	9.9	3,777	453	12.0	13,180	1,226	9.3
2012	17,780	1,607	9.0	4,138	457	11.0	13,642	1,150	8.4
2013	16,453	1,400	8.5	3,722	371	10.0	12,731	1,029	8.1
2014	14,386	1,322	9.2	3,465	342	9.9	10,921	980	9.0
2015	13,311	1,388	10.4	3,420	405	11.8	9,891	983	9.9
2016	12,211	1,354	11.1	3,345	401	12.0	8,866	953	10.7
2017	11,350	1,260	11.1	3,136	405	12.9	8,214	855	10.4
2018	8,324	930	11.2	2,703	411	15.2	5,621	519	9.2
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research file, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data are current through June 2019.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the allowance rate will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or be subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
A revised process was introduced on October 1, 1999, in 10 states, under which initial denials could be appealed directly to the hearing level without a reconsideration.
Data from 1992 through 1998 are available for disabled workers only.
SSI = Supplemental Security Income.
a. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
b. Rate for the Social Security portion only.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

Table 63. Medical decisions at the hearing level or above, by year of application and program, 1992–2018
Year	All decisions			Decisions on applications for Social Security only			Decisions on applications for both Social Security and SSI
Year	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a (percent)	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a (percent)	Total	Allowances	Allowance rate ^a,b (percent)
	All disabled beneficiaries
1999	265,058	193,198	72.9	144,847	114,207	78.8	120,211	78,991	65.7
2000	290,068	211,697	73.0	157,001	124,015	79.0	133,067	87,682	65.9
2001	313,839	228,242	72.7	164,710	130,576	79.3	149,129	97,666	65.5
2002	369,875	267,597	72.3	189,671	150,834	79.5	180,204	116,763	64.8
2003	401,747	289,194	72.0	197,765	157,566	79.7	203,982	131,628	64.5
2004	415,339	301,463	72.6	196,715	159,335	81.0	218,624	142,128	65.0
2005	384,341	282,797	73.6	178,312	145,587	81.6	206,029	137,210	66.6
2006	387,021	279,305	72.2	176,337	142,420	80.8	210,684	136,885	65.0
2007	387,412	274,991	71.0	169,876	136,134	80.1	217,536	138,857	63.8
2008	405,203	277,034	68.4	167,464	131,704	78.6	237,739	145,330	61.1
2009	482,363	309,138	64.1	200,296	150,200	75.0	282,067	158,938	56.3
2010	537,449	319,985	59.5	230,392	162,670	70.6	307,057	157,315	51.2
2011	554,152	307,824	55.5	241,128	160,106	66.4	313,024	147,718	47.2
2012	548,563	287,704	52.4	243,554	153,880	63.2	305,009	133,824	43.9
2013	530,963	265,217	50.0	246,698	146,974	59.6	284,265	118,243	41.6
2014	491,713	242,845	49.4	241,991	139,681	57.7	249,722	103,164	41.3
2015	416,479	208,704	50.1	213,064	124,198	58.3	203,415	84,506	41.5
2016	340,009	180,337	53.0	178,702	109,895	61.5	161,307	70,442	43.7
2017	190,919	101,141	53.0	102,590	62,943	61.4	88,329	38,198	43.2
2018	25,799	12,480	48.4	15,471	8,683	56.1	10,328	3,797	36.8
	Workers
1992	275,863	201,359	73.0	131,624	105,371	80.1	144,239	95,988	66.5
1993	310,655	217,816	70.1	143,997	112,593	78.2	166,658	105,223	63.1
1994	323,607	220,645	68.2	156,458	119,338	76.3	167,149	101,307	60.6
1995	301,917	202,739	67.2	150,882	113,781	75.4	151,035	88,958	58.9
1996	306,245	204,704	66.8	157,790	116,292	73.7	148,455	88,412	59.6
1997	267,288	186,278	69.7	141,021	107,539	76.3	126,267	78,739	62.4
1998	251,486	179,107	71.2	134,883	104,763	77.7	116,603	74,344	63.8
1999	260,850	190,326	73.0	141,671	111,954	79.0	119,179	78,372	65.8
2000	285,620	208,668	73.1	153,649	121,651	79.2	131,971	87,017	65.9
2001	309,372	225,214	72.8	161,335	128,214	79.5	148,037	97,000	65.5
2002	364,659	264,024	72.4	185,830	148,078	79.7	178,829	115,946	64.8
2003	396,352	285,621	72.1	194,232	155,060	79.8	202,120	130,561	64.6
2004	410,160	297,973	72.6	193,481	156,966	81.1	216,679	141,007	65.1
2005	379,242	279,186	73.6	175,088	143,130	81.7	204,154	136,056	66.6
2006	381,766	275,741	72.2	173,088	140,092	80.9	208,678	135,649	65.0
2007	379,554	270,206	71.2	166,457	133,740	80.3	213,097	136,466	64.0
2008	393,931	270,440	68.7	163,640	128,949	78.8	230,291	141,491	61.4
2009	468,958	301,999	64.4	196,271	147,402	75.1	272,687	154,597	56.7
2010	523,023	312,943	59.8	226,168	159,885	70.7	296,855	153,058	51.6
2011	539,130	300,648	55.8	236,502	157,134	66.4	302,628	143,514	47.4
2012	532,081	280,294	52.7	238,525	150,805	63.2	293,556	129,489	44.1
2013	515,023	258,318	50.2	241,822	144,111	59.6	273,201	114,207	41.8
2014	477,857	236,666	49.5	237,463	137,021	57.7	240,394	99,645	41.5
2015	404,468	203,249	50.3	209,040	121,807	58.3	195,428	81,442	41.7
2016	330,501	175,681	53.2	175,374	107,831	61.5	155,127	67,850	43.7
2017	185,623	98,583	53.1	100,619	61,690	61.3	85,004	36,893	43.4
2018	24,971	12,057	48.3	15,040	8,383	55.7	9,931	3,674	37.0
	Widow(er)s
1999	3,027	2,285	75.5	2,325	1,794	77.2	702	491	69.9
2000	3,140	2,388	76.1	2,414	1,870	77.5	726	518	71.3
2001	3,046	2,344	77.0	2,391	1,862	77.9	655	482	73.6
2002	3,438	2,685	78.1	2,654	2,109	79.5	784	576	73.5
2003	3,525	2,683	76.1	2,438	1,914	78.5	1,087	769	70.7
2004	3,241	2,589	79.9	2,199	1,804	82.0	1,042	785	75.3
2005	3,187	2,592	81.3	2,166	1,814	83.7	1,021	778	76.2
2006	3,172	2,574	81.1	2,087	1,726	82.7	1,085	848	78.2
2007	3,642	2,877	79.0	1,960	1,601	81.7	1,682	1,276	75.9
2008	4,404	3,460	78.6	2,056	1,709	83.1	2,348	1,751	74.6
2009	4,775	3,630	76.0	2,126	1,742	81.9	2,649	1,888	71.3
2010	5,178	3,695	71.4	2,193	1,703	77.7	2,985	1,992	66.7
2011	5,421	3,786	69.8	2,372	1,774	74.8	3,049	2,012	66.0
2012	5,770	3,773	65.4	2,536	1,816	71.6	3,234	1,957	60.5
2013	5,889	3,652	62.0	2,537	1,742	68.7	3,352	1,910	57.0
2014	5,606	3,433	61.2	2,439	1,639	67.2	3,167	1,794	56.6
2015	4,753	2,965	62.4	2,092	1,449	69.3	2,661	1,516	57.0
2016	3,952	2,613	66.1	1,747	1,250	71.6	2,205	1,363	61.8
2017	2,238	1,485	66.4	1,065	787	73.9	1,173	698	59.5
2018	389	278	71.5	261	219	83.9	128	59	46.1
	Adult children
1999	1,181	587	49.7	851	459	53.9	330	128	38.8
2000	1,308	641	49.0	938	494	52.7	370	147	39.7
2001	1,421	684	48.1	984	500	50.8	437	184	42.1
2002	1,778	888	49.9	1,187	647	54.5	591	241	40.8
2003	1,870	890	47.6	1,095	592	54.1	775	298	38.5
2004	1,938	901	46.5	1,035	565	54.6	903	336	37.2
2005	1,912	1,019	53.3	1,058	643	60.8	854	376	44.0
2006	2,083	990	47.5	1,162	602	51.8	921	388	42.1
2007	4,216	1,908	45.3	1,459	793	54.4	2,757	1,115	40.4
2008	6,868	3,134	45.6	1,768	1,046	59.2	5,100	2,088	40.9
2009	8,630	3,509	40.7	1,899	1,056	55.6	6,731	2,453	36.4
2010	9,248	3,347	36.2	2,031	1,082	53.3	7,217	2,265	31.4
2011	9,601	3,390	35.3	2,254	1,198	53.1	7,347	2,192	29.8
2012	10,712	3,637	34.0	2,493	1,259	50.5	8,219	2,378	28.9
2013	10,051	3,247	32.3	2,339	1,121	47.9	7,712	2,126	27.6
2014	8,250	2,746	33.3	2,089	1,021	48.9	6,161	1,725	28.0
2015	7,258	2,490	34.3	1,932	942	48.8	5,326	1,548	29.1
2016	5,556	2,043	36.8	1,581	814	51.5	3,975	1,229	30.9
2017	3,058	1,073	35.1	906	466	51.4	2,152	607	28.2
2018	439	145	33.0	170	81	47.6	269	64	23.8
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research file, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data are current through July 2019.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the allowance rate will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or be subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
A revised process was introduced on October 1, 1999, in 10 states, under which initial denials could be appealed directly to the hearing level without a reconsideration.
Data from 1992 through 1998 are available for disabled workers only.
SSI = Supplemental Security Income.
a. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
b. Rate for the Social Security portion only.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

Table 64. Number and percentage distribution of final medical allowances, by year of application and reason for allowance, 1992–2018
Year	Total		Meets level of severity of listings	Equals level of severity of listings	Medical and vocational factors considered	Other ^a
Year	Number	Percent	Meets level of severity of listings	Equals level of severity of listings	Medical and vocational factors considered	Other ^a
	All disabled beneficiaries
1999	708,797	100.0	33.0	5.9	26.9	34.2
2000	766,047	100.0	31.1	6.2	29.2	33.5
2001	840,542	100.0	30.0	6.1	30.1	33.9
2002	898,047	100.0	28.5	5.3	30.1	36.1
2003	928,747	100.0	27.1	5.1	31.1	36.7
2004	961,376	100.0	26.4	4.9	31.5	37.2
2005	907,877	100.0	26.5	4.7	32.0	36.8
2006	890,752	100.0	26.4	4.5	31.9	37.3
2007	913,269	100.0	26.1	4.6	32.7	36.6
2008	969,935	100.0	25.5	5.2	34.1	35.2
2009	1,105,781	100.0	24.3	5.2	35.7	34.8
2010	1,120,175	100.0	23.1	5.1	36.3	35.6
2011	1,074,202	100.0	22.4	5.0	37.6	35.0
2012	1,037,081	100.0	22.1	5.0	38.2	34.8
2013	962,875	100.0	22.5	4.7	37.2	35.6
2014	912,604	100.0	23.2	4.6	36.9	35.3
2015	843,783	100.0	24.6	4.5	36.4	34.5
2016	788,636	100.0	26.6	4.5	36.1	32.8
2017	680,446	100.0	30.6	4.9	38.5	26.1
2018	544,224	100.0	37.9	5.6	42.8	13.7
	Workers
1992	689,111	100.0	34.3	11.1	24.3	30.3
1993	695,007	100.0	34.3	8.7	23.6	33.4
1994	671,791	100.0	34.5	6.9	25.6	32.9
1995	628,380	100.0	34.5	6.7	26.8	31.9
1996	652,221	100.0	34.2	7.0	27.4	31.5
1997	602,277	100.0	35.0	7.5	26.4	31.1
1998	613,181	100.0	35.5	6.6	26.9	31.0
1999	640,065	100.0	33.6	6.3	28.3	31.9
2000	695,007	100.0	31.7	6.5	30.6	31.2
2001	769,877	100.0	30.5	6.4	31.3	31.8
2002	823,981	100.0	29.0	5.6	31.4	34.0
2003	853,832	100.0	27.5	5.3	32.5	34.8
2004	883,784	100.0	26.7	5.2	32.9	35.2
2005	829,087	100.0	27.0	4.9	33.6	34.5
2006	811,818	100.0	26.9	4.7	33.5	34.9
2007	828,834	100.0	26.5	4.9	34.6	34.0
2008	878,274	100.0	26.0	5.5	36.2	32.3
2009	1,006,200	100.0	24.8	5.5	37.8	31.9
2010	1,016,417	100.0	23.6	5.4	38.5	32.5
2011	971,274	100.0	22.9	5.3	40.1	31.6
2012	930,373	100.0	22.8	5.3	41.1	30.9
2013	859,802	100.0	23.2	5.1	40.2	31.5
2014	811,570	100.0	24.1	5.0	40.0	30.9
2015	739,083	100.0	25.9	4.9	40.1	29.2
2016	689,912	100.0	28.0	4.9	39.8	27.3
2017	586,801	100.0	32.6	5.4	43.0	19.0
2018	456,627	100.0	40.2	6.3	48.9	4.6
	Widow(er)s
1999	29,108	100.0	14.9	2.5	24.6	58.0
2000	29,679	100.0	12.8	2.5	26.3	58.4
2001	30,113	100.0	12.3	2.6	27.0	58.1
2002	30,547	100.0	11.4	2.1	26.5	60.0
2003	29,977	100.0	10.8	2.2	26.1	60.9
2004	30,780	100.0	10.1	1.9	26.0	62.0
2005	30,215	100.0	9.7	1.7	25.5	63.1
2006	29,443	100.0	9.6	1.5	24.2	64.7
2007	29,540	100.0	9.1	1.6	24.3	64.9
2008	31,137	100.0	8.7	1.7	24.8	64.7
2009	32,502	100.0	8.1	1.9	26.0	63.9
2010	34,228	100.0	7.7	1.9	25.3	65.1
2011	33,583	100.0	7.8	1.7	25.3	65.3
2012	35,312	100.0	6.8	1.6	24.2	67.4
2013	34,171	100.0	6.2	1.6	23.0	69.2
2014	33,401	100.0	6.3	1.5	21.7	70.6
2015	32,093	100.0	6.6	1.3	21.3	70.8
2016	30,137	100.0	6.5	1.2	20.6	71.7
2017	27,480	100.0	7.2	1.3	20.8	70.8
2018	23,269	100.0	8.8	1.4	23.8	66.0
	Adult children
1999	39,624	100.0	35.9	3.2	7.4	53.5
2000	41,361	100.0	35.0	3.1	7.3	54.7
2001	40,552	100.0	33.0	3.0	8.0	56.0
2002	43,519	100.0	31.7	2.9	7.6	57.8
2003	44,938	100.0	31.0	2.7	8.2	58.2
2004	46,812	100.0	30.1	2.7	8.5	58.6
2005	48,575	100.0	28.5	2.5	8.3	60.7
2006	49,491	100.0	28.4	2.6	8.8	60.2
2007	54,895	100.0	28.3	2.6	9.0	60.1
2008	60,524	100.0	26.6	2.5	8.6	62.3
2009	67,079	100.0	24.8	2.5	8.8	63.9
2010	69,530	100.0	23.2	2.3	8.3	66.1
2011	69,345	100.0	21.9	2.3	7.9	67.9
2012	71,396	100.0	21.4	2.2	7.3	69.0
2013	68,902	100.0	21.0	2.0	7.0	69.9
2014	67,633	100.0	20.7	1.9	6.6	70.8
2015	72,607	100.0	19.7	1.7	5.9	72.7
2016	68,587	100.0	21.8	1.7	5.8	70.7
2017	66,165	100.0	22.6	1.7	5.4	70.3
2018	64,328	100.0	32.0	2.2	6.0	59.7
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research file, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through June 2019. Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2019.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the numbers and percentages will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or be subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
Data include decisions for Social Security–only applications and applications for both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI); they do not include SSI-only claims.
Data from 1992 through 1998 are available for disabled workers only.
a. Includes applications for which the disability was previously established and those for which the basis for the determination is not available. The majority of applications for which the basis of determination is not available are cases allowed at or above the hearing level.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

Table 65. Number and percentage distribution of final medical denials, by year of application and reason for denial, 1992–2018
Year	Total		Impairment did not or is not expected to last 12 months	Impairment is not severe	Able to do usual past work	Able to do other type of work	Other ^a
Year	Number	Percent	Impairment did not or is not expected to last 12 months	Impairment is not severe	Able to do usual past work	Able to do other type of work	Other ^a
	All disabled beneficiaries
1999	450,051	100.0	10.2	17.8	28.3	30.8	12.9
2000	460,284	100.0	10.0	17.2	28.2	30.4	14.1
2001	500,414	100.0	9.2	16.7	28.0	31.1	14.9
2002	584,497	100.0	8.5	17.1	28.2	31.3	14.9
2003	636,769	100.0	7.5	17.7	28.2	31.8	14.9
2004	683,445	100.0	6.8	18.4	27.6	31.5	15.7
2005	649,134	100.0	6.5	19.2	26.7	31.4	16.3
2006	660,526	100.0	6.3	19.8	26.2	31.3	16.4
2007	649,725	100.0	6.3	20.4	26.3	30.9	16.0
2008	669,785	100.0	5.8	21.4	26.0	31.3	15.5
2009	800,192	100.0	4.6	22.5	25.4	32.3	15.1
2010	880,729	100.0	4.1	23.3	24.7	32.3	15.5
2011	893,881	100.0	3.9	23.8	20.4	33.6	18.3
2012	886,357	100.0	3.8	24.8	16.2	39.0	16.3
2013	847,424	100.0	4.0	25.0	15.1	42.4	13.6
2014	826,025	100.0	4.0	24.8	13.8	42.6	14.9
2015	778,468	100.0	4.2	24.3	11.7	43.0	16.9
2016	706,755	100.0	4.3	23.9	10.2	42.9	18.7
2017	620,778	100.0	4.4	24.2	9.1	42.1	20.2
2018	537,388	100.0	4.4	24.8	8.9	40.1	21.9
	Workers
1992	487,164	100.0	10.7	22.9	28.4	29.6	8.4
1993	546,532	100.0	10.4	22.7	27.6	29.8	9.5
1994	578,664	100.0	10.2	21.5	25.9	28.8	13.6
1995	547,145	100.0	10.6	20.8	25.4	29.4	13.8
1996	542,493	100.0	10.2	19.6	24.7	30.6	14.8
1997	453,676	100.0	10.6	18.5	25.7	30.5	14.6
1998	426,158	100.0	10.8	18.3	27.8	30.8	12.3
1999	423,494	100.0	10.6	17.4	29.3	30.1	12.6
2000	434,363	100.0	10.4	16.8	29.3	29.7	13.9
2001	474,536	100.0	9.5	16.4	29.0	30.4	14.7
2002	554,996	100.0	8.8	16.8	29.2	30.6	14.7
2003	603,986	100.0	7.7	17.4	29.2	31.0	14.6
2004	648,622	100.0	7.0	18.2	28.5	30.8	15.4
2005	614,442	100.0	6.7	19.0	27.7	30.6	16.0
2006	620,571	100.0	6.5	19.5	27.4	30.6	16.0
2007	606,800	100.0	6.6	20.1	27.7	30.0	15.6
2008	625,607	100.0	6.1	21.1	27.4	30.3	15.1
2009	747,850	100.0	4.9	22.3	26.8	31.2	14.7
2010	822,899	100.0	4.3	23.2	26.1	31.2	15.2
2011	836,628	100.0	4.1	23.6	21.4	32.6	18.2
2012	829,017	100.0	4.0	24.5	17.0	38.4	16.1
2013	793,266	100.0	4.2	24.7	15.9	41.9	13.3
2014	775,867	100.0	4.1	24.5	14.4	42.3	14.7
2015	731,214	100.0	4.3	24.0	12.2	42.7	16.7
2016	663,998	100.0	4.5	23.6	10.6	42.7	18.6
2017	581,404	100.0	4.7	23.8	9.5	41.9	20.1
2018	499,625	100.0	4.6	24.2	9.3	40.0	21.9
	Widow(er)s
1999	9,735	100.0	5.6	29.0	31.8	22.7	10.8
2000	9,024	100.0	5.3	29.0	31.4	22.3	12.1
2001	8,751	100.0	4.7	27.6	31.2	22.8	13.7
2002	8,959	100.0	4.8	25.5	32.9	23.9	13.0
2003	9,577	100.0	4.2	25.7	33.1	23.7	13.3
2004	9,576	100.0	3.6	26.5	32.2	23.0	14.7
2005	9,279	100.0	3.6	26.7	32.0	22.8	15.0
2006	9,812	100.0	3.8	25.7	31.6	23.1	15.9
2007	9,003	100.0	3.6	27.3	31.3	21.9	15.9
2008	8,653	100.0	3.3	27.8	30.8	21.9	16.2
2009	8,986	100.0	2.8	28.8	30.2	22.2	16.0
2010	9,789	100.0	2.7	29.3	27.9	24.0	16.0
2011	9,896	100.0	2.9	28.2	27.0	24.9	17.1
2012	10,096	100.0	2.3	28.8	23.5	28.4	17.0
2013	10,201	100.0	2.4	28.6	22.2	32.4	14.4
2014	9,903	100.0	2.3	27.5	21.5	32.9	15.7
2015	9,088	100.0	2.3	26.3	20.6	33.4	17.4
2016	8,200	100.0	2.3	26.2	17.4	34.8	19.3
2017	7,331	100.0	2.2	26.1	17.6	33.0	21.1
2018	6,931	100.0	2.3	25.9	15.3	32.7	23.8
	Adult children
1999	16,822	100.0	3.1	22.7	0.7	53.3	20.2
2000	16,897	100.0	2.8	22.9	0.7	51.9	21.7
2001	17,127	100.0	2.5	21.3	0.9	52.9	22.3
2002	20,542	100.0	2.3	21.6	0.8	53.6	21.7
2003	23,206	100.0	2.0	21.8	0.7	53.6	21.9
2004	25,247	100.0	1.9	22.1	0.5	52.4	23.1
2005	25,413	100.0	1.8	21.3	0.4	52.8	23.8
2006	30,143	100.0	1.7	23.6	0.4	50.3	23.9
2007	33,922	100.0	1.6	24.0	0.3	49.9	24.2
2008	35,525	100.0	1.5	24.8	0.2	51.0	22.5
2009	43,356	100.0	1.2	23.4	0.1	53.5	21.8
2010	48,041	100.0	1.2	24.7	0.1	53.1	20.9
2011	47,357	100.0	1.0	26.2	0.0	52.6	20.1
2012	47,244	100.0	0.9	27.7	0.0	51.9	19.4
2013	43,957	100.0	0.9	28.2	0.0	52.2	18.8
2014	40,255	100.0	0.9	29.4	0.0	50.5	19.2
2015	38,166	100.0	0.8	30.0	0.0	49.4	19.8
2016	34,557	100.0	0.8	29.3	0.0	48.9	21.0
2017	32,043	100.0	0.8	30.9	0.0	47.1	21.1
2018	30,832	100.0	0.6	35.1	0.0	42.2	22.1
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research file, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through June 2019. Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2019.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the numbers and percentages will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or be subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
Data include decisions for Social Security–only applications and applications for both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI); they do not include SSI-only claims.
Data from 1992 through 1998 are available for disabled workers only.
a. Applicant has an impairment resulting from drug addiction or alcoholism, provided insufficient medical evidence, failed to cooperate, failed to follow prescribed treatment, did not want to continue development of the claim, or returned to substantial work before disability could be established. Also includes cases denied at or above the hearing level for which the basis of determination is not available.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.