SSI Annual Statistical Report, 2002

Outcomes of Applications for Disability Benefits

Notes

The tables in this section provide data on the outcomes of applications for SSI benefits based on blindness or disability. The data on applications are derived from the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Disability Research File (DRF) maintained by the Office of Disability Programs. Each year the DRF 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 53 shows the total number of applications filed in a year, the number that are pending a final decision, the number denied for nonmedical reasons before a medical decision is made (technical denials), 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 that 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 excess income.

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 decisionmaking 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 54-56 show the allowance rate for SSI only and the SSI portion of concurrent (a claim for both Social Security and SSI disability benefits) applications, one for each level in the administrative decisionmaking process, that is, initial, reconsideration, and hearing or higher level.

Beginning with fiscal year 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 reason for medical denial (Tables 57 and 58). The reasons are derived from the sequential evaluation process used by decisionmakers. 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
  • 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.
Table 53. Outcomes at all adjudicative levels, by age and year of application, 1992-2001
Year Total Pending
final decision		 Technical
denials a		 Medical decisions Award rate b
(percent)		 Allowance
rate c
(percent)
Denials Allowances
Medical Subsequent
nonmedical d		 Awards Subsequent
denials e
All ages f
1992 1,828,951 0 134,438 741,839 1,556 860,875 90,243 47.1 56.1
1993 2,048,945 0 141,214 937,890 1,600 878,798 89,443 42.9 50.8
1994 2,014,499 0 123,175 1,041,697 1,680 770,639 77,308 38.3 44.8
1995 1,845,212 3,041 103,335 992,633 1,342 683,362 61,499 37.1 42.8
1996 1,786,770 3,891 113,027 935,566 1,884 670,849 61,553 37.6 43.9
1997 1,505,145 5,539 97,320 735,227 2,071 604,249 60,739 40.3 47.4
1998 1,520,538 10,185 95,990 694,917 3,825 652,774 62,847 43.2 50.6
1999 1,528,217 22,194 105,819 675,264 3,995 656,481 64,464 43.6 51.5
2000 1,611,657 77,954 157,501 658,186 3,457 651,929 62,630 42.5 51.9
2001 1,723,546 211,951 204,932 656,622 2,729 593,023 54,289 39.2 49.5
Under age 18
1992 376,812 0 16,695 148,221 103 204,083 7,710 54.2 58.8
1993 500,676 0 18,788 240,672 135 232,340 8,741 46.4 50.0
1994 530,538 0 16,897 311,156 147 194,636 7,702 36.7 39.4
1995 491,638 244 14,364 306,082 92 163,868 6,988 33.3 35.8
1996 457,057 294 13,532 291,029 86 144,612 7,504 31.7 34.3
1997 334,975 333 10,906 195,487 69 121,349 6,831 36.3 39.6
1998 338,592 696 10,904 182,076 74 137,477 7,365 40.7 44.3
1999 345,067 1,776 11,898 181,155 68 142,356 7,814 41.5 45.3
2000 355,401 7,803 15,895 174,763 59 149,204 7,677 42.9 47.3
2001 370,789 21,754 18,909 167,041 52 155,363 7,670 44.5 49.4
Aged 18-64
1992 1,451,417 0 117,675 593,455 1,451 656,374 82,462 45.2 55.4
1993 1,547,527 0 122,364 697,063 1,463 646,027 80,610 41.7 51.0
1994 1,482,503 0 106,181 730,173 1,528 575,184 69,437 38.8 46.8
1995 1,351,903 2,793 88,839 686,106 1,243 518,581 54,341 38.4 45.5
1996 1,277,604 3,593 87,869 643,896 1,532 487,222 53,492 38.2 45.6
1997 1,135,602 5,192 78,303 538,659 1,453 459,126 52,869 40.6 48.7
1998 1,133,015 9,478 76,709 510,788 1,855 480,285 53,900 42.7 51.0
1999 1,133,722 20,394 83,733 492,792 1,534 479,784 55,485 43.1 52.0
2000 1,207,614 70,062 128,651 482,435 1,137 471,304 54,025 41.4 52.1
2001 1,302,200 189,871 168,685 488,795 750 408,307 45,792 36.7 48.1
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through June 2002. Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2002.
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.
Includes decisions for SSI-only applications and applications for both Social Security and SSI. Does not include Social Security-only applications.
a. Applications denied for nonmedical reasons so no decision was made on severity of impairment.
b. Rate determined by dividing awards by all applications minus pending claims for that year.
c. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
d. Applications denied for nonmedical reasons after a decision was made that applicant did not meet the medical severity criteria for disability benefits.
e. Applications denied for nonmedical reasons after a decision was made that applicant met the medical severity criteria for disability benefits.
f. Includes applicants aged 65 or older.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.asr@ssa.gov.
Table 54. Medical decisions at the initial adjudicative level, by age, year of application, and program, 1992-2001
Year All decisions Decisions on applications
for SSI only		 Decisions on applications
for both Social Security and SSI
Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)		 Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)		 Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)
All ages b
1992 1,694,513 686,962 40.5 946,348 399,334 42.2 748,165 287,628 38.4
1993 1,907,731 687,630 36.0 1,106,624 409,102 37.0 801,107 278,528 34.8
1994 1,891,324 577,721 30.5 1,105,532 335,756 30.4 785,792 241,965 30.8
1995 1,741,877 507,742 29.1 1,037,201 291,168 28.1 704,676 216,574 30.7
1996 1,673,743 508,931 30.4 1,000,530 296,655 29.6 673,213 212,276 31.5
1997 1,407,825 459,297 32.6 820,527 260,354 31.7 587,298 198,943 33.9
1998 1,424,548 520,690 36.6 843,671 304,856 36.1 580,877 215,834 37.2
1999 1,422,398 531,498 37.4 843,031 312,871 37.1 579,367 218,627 37.7
2000 1,453,993 555,858 38.2 854,135 324,295 38.0 599,858 231,563 38.6
2001 1,518,287 584,117 38.5 874,430 341,312 39.0 643,857 242,805 37.7
Under age 18
1992 360,117 194,494 54.0 329,316 176,929 53.7 30,801 17,565 57.0
1993 481,888 218,724 45.4 443,778 200,206 45.1 38,110 18,518 48.6
1994 513,641 177,660 34.6 475,233 164,436 34.6 38,408 13,224 34.4
1995 477,274 149,140 31.2 443,367 138,959 31.3 33,907 10,181 30.0
1996 443,525 133,375 30.1 413,379 124,846 30.2 30,146 8,529 28.3
1997 324,069 112,387 34.7 302,540 105,366 34.8 21,529 7,021 32.6
1998 327,688 129,729 39.6 306,164 121,371 39.6 21,524 8,358 38.8
1999 333,169 135,117 40.6 310,763 126,253 40.6 22,406 8,864 39.6
2000 339,459 143,073 42.1 317,396 134,288 42.3 22,063 8,785 39.8
2001 351,824 155,588 44.2 331,094 147,090 44.4 20,730 8,498 41.0
Aged 18-64
1992 1,333,742 492,046 36.9 616,523 222,077 36.0 717,219 269,969 37.6
1993 1,425,163 468,477 32.9 662,298 208,554 31.5 762,865 259,923 34.1
1994 1,376,322 399,267 29.0 629,051 170,618 27.1 747,271 228,649 30.6
1995 1,263,064 357,732 28.3 592,390 151,417 25.6 670,674 206,315 30.8
1996 1,189,735 338,209 28.4 555,158 142,505 25.7 634,577 195,704 30.8
1997 1,057,299 324,213 30.7 498,637 139,003 27.9 558,662 185,210 33.2
1998 1,056,306 356,592 33.8 506,024 157,861 31.2 550,282 198,731 36.1
1999 1,049,989 362,246 34.5 502,870 162,036 32.2 547,119 200,210 36.6
2000 1,078,850 381,507 35.4 511,213 168,588 33.0 567,637 212,919 37.5
2001 1,133,247 399,150 35.2 520,658 175,066 33.6 612,589 224,084 36.6
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial level are current through June 2002.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the award and allowance rates will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
a. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
b. Includes applicants aged 65 or older.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.asr@ssa.gov.
Table 55. Medical decisions at the reconsideration level, by age, year of application, and program, 1992-2001
Year All decisions Decisions on applications
for SSI only		 Decisions on applications
for both Social Security and SSI
Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)		 Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)		 Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)
All ages b
1992 479,152 74,500 15.5 234,057 38,371 16.4 245,095 36,129 14.7
1993 557,384 75,560 13.6 280,174 38,663 13.8 277,210 36,897 13.3
1994 571,602 73,736 12.9 290,341 36,826 12.7 281,261 36,910 13.1
1995 522,987 66,781 12.8 275,013 33,432 12.2 247,974 33,349 13.4
1996 480,593 65,361 13.6 249,224 32,511 13.0 231,369 32,850 14.2
1997 409,396 62,522 15.3 208,993 31,884 15.3 200,403 30,638 15.3
1998 390,212 61,296 15.7 203,132 31,821 15.7 187,080 29,475 15.8
1999 382,196 55,696 14.6 197,671 28,510 14.4 184,525 27,186 14.7
2000 377,938 51,887 13.7 194,184 26,151 13.5 183,754 25,736 14.0
2001 326,118 36,131 11.1 164,309 18,556 11.3 161,809 17,575 10.9
Under age 18
1992 49,099 9,570 19.5 44,562 8,590 19.3 4,537 980 21.6
1993 75,816 11,440 15.1 69,176 10,355 15.0 6,640 1,085 16.3
1994 91,854 11,475 12.5 83,789 10,461 12.5 8,065 1,014 12.6
1995 86,651 10,459 12.1 79,397 9,625 12.1 7,254 834 11.5
1996 74,836 9,646 12.9 68,797 8,863 12.9 6,039 783 13.0
1997 51,365 8,583 16.7 47,131 7,883 16.7 4,234 700 16.5
1998 49,909 8,042 16.1 45,989 7,417 16.1 3,920 625 15.9
1999 49,456 7,479 15.1 45,465 6,841 15.0 3,991 638 16.0
2000 47,932 7,414 15.5 44,257 6,889 15.6 3,675 525 14.3
2001 40,885 5,787 14.2 38,149 5,472 14.3 2,736 315 11.5
Aged 18-64
1992 429,944 64,891 15.1 189,409 29,744 15.7 240,535 35,147 14.6
1993 481,434 64,075 13.3 210,882 28,268 13.4 270,552 35,807 13.2
1994 479,439 62,152 13.0 206,253 26,260 12.7 273,186 35,892 13.1
1995 435,988 56,206 12.9 195,281 23,695 12.1 240,707 32,511 13.5
1996 403,309 54,203 13.4 178,404 22,458 12.6 224,905 31,745 14.1
1997 355,514 52,614 14.8 159,694 22,954 14.4 195,820 29,660 15.1
1998 337,411 51,789 15.3 154,436 23,054 14.9 182,975 28,735 15.7
1999 330,830 47,312 14.3 150,460 20,871 13.9 180,370 26,441 14.7
2000 328,468 43,743 13.3 148,561 18,651 12.6 179,907 25,092 13.9
2001 283,961 29,725 10.5 125,092 12,624 10.1 158,869 17,101 10.8
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the reconsideration level are current through June 2002.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the award and allowance rates will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or 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.
a. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
b. Includes applicants aged 65 or older.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.asr@ssa.gov.
Table 56. Medical decisions at the hearing level or above, by age, year of application, and program, 1992-2001
Year All decisions Decisions on applications
for SSI only		 Decisions on applications
for both Social Security and SSI
Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)		 Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)		 Total Allowances Allowance
rate a
(percent)
All ages b
1992 280,751 189,656 67.6 128,789 79,307 61.6 151,962 110,349 72.6
1993 327,269 205,051 62.7 153,125 85,140 55.6 174,144 119,911 68.9
1994 333,324 196,490 58.9 156,581 80,483 51.4 176,743 116,007 65.6
1995 297,915 170,338 57.2 144,200 70,238 48.7 153,715 100,100 65.1
1996 268,077 158,110 59.0 126,932 63,932 50.4 141,145 94,178 66.7
1997 233,179 143,169 61.4 109,580 58,869 53.7 123,599 84,300 68.2
1998 214,543 133,635 62.3 102,619 56,228 54.8 111,924 77,407 69.2
1999 209,254 133,751 63.9 99,853 55,705 55.8 109,401 78,046 71.3
2000 169,321 106,814 63.1 80,935 43,812 54.1 88,386 63,002 71.3
2001 42,293 27,064 64.0 20,747 11,110 53.5 21,546 15,954 74.0
Under age 18
1992 19,988 7,729 38.7 17,979 6,890 38.3 2,009 839 41.8
1993 31,658 10,917 34.5 28,625 9,780 34.2 3,033 1,137 37.5
1994 38,751 13,203 34.1 34,869 11,843 34.0 3,882 1,360 35.0
1995 35,612 11,257 31.6 32,214 10,109 31.4 3,398 1,148 33.8
1996 27,811 9,095 32.7 25,322 8,240 32.5 2,489 855 34.4
1997 19,216 7,210 37.5 17,415 6,510 37.4 1,801 700 38.9
1998 18,208 7,071 38.8 16,569 6,390 38.6 1,639 681 41.5
1999 19,123 7,574 39.6 17,371 6,830 39.3 1,752 744 42.5
2000 16,563 6,394 38.6 15,186 5,845 38.5 1,377 549 39.9
2001 3,984 1,658 41.6 3,723 1,537 41.3 261 121 46.4
Aged 18-64
1992 260,727 181,899 69.8 110,785 72,398 65.4 149,942 109,501 73.0
1993 295,549 194,085 65.7 124,444 75,317 60.5 171,105 118,768 69.4
1994 294,436 183,202 62.2 121,581 68,560 56.4 172,855 114,642 66.3
1995 262,159 158,984 60.6 111,850 60,039 53.7 150,309 98,945 65.8
1996 239,462 148,302 61.9 100,904 55,073 54.6 138,558 93,229 67.3
1997 213,016 135,168 63.5 91,283 51,622 56.6 121,733 83,546 68.6
1998 195,383 125,804 64.4 85,146 49,122 57.7 110,237 76,682 69.6
1999 189,548 125,711 66.3 81,944 48,449 59.1 107,604 77,262 71.8
2000 152,292 100,079 65.7 65,321 37,657 57.6 86,971 62,422 71.8
2001 38,086 25,224 66.2 16,821 9,408 55.9 21,265 15,816 74.4
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2002.
Because a number of applications remain pending for more recent years, the award and allowance rates will change over time.
Applications with a medical decision may be pending a final nonmedical decision or 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.
a. Rate determined by dividing medical allowances by all medical decisions for that year.
b. Includes applicants aged 65 or older.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.asr@ssa.gov.
Table 57. Percentage distribution of final medical allowances, by age, year of application, and reason for allowance, 1992-2001
Year Total Meets level of severity of listings a Under age 18 only Aged 18 or older only Other a,b
Number Percent Medically equals level of severity of listings Functionally equals level of severity of listings Equals level of severity of listings Medical and vocational factors considered
All ages c
1992 951,118 100.0 36.6 1.5 1.3 7.5 18.6 34.4
1993 968,241 100.0 36.5 1.5 1.6 5.5 17.4 37.6
1994 847,947 100.0 36.8 1.5 2.1 4.4 18.1 37.1
1995 744,861 100.0 35.9 1.6 2.5 4.3 18.6 37.1
1996 732,402 100.0 35.9 1.8 3.3 4.4 17.5 37.1
1997 664,988 100.0 37.7 1.8 4.3 4.7 18.4 33.1
1998 715,621 100.0 38.4 2.0 4.8 4.2 20.2 30.5
1999 720,945 100.0 37.1 2.0 5.4 4.0 21.1 30.5
2000 714,559 100.0 36.7 2.0 6.4 4.4 22.2 28.3
2001 647,312 100.0 40.7 2.1 8.3 4.8 25.0 19.0
Under age 18
1992 211,793 100.0 48.3 6.9 5.9 . . . . . . 38.9
1993 241,081 100.0 44.9 5.9 6.4 . . . . . . 42.7
1994 202,338 100.0 45.6 6.5 8.6 . . . . . . 39.3
1995 170,856 100.0 44.8 7.0 11.0 . . . . . . 37.2
1996 152,116 100.0 52.7 8.7 16.0 . . . . . . 22.6
1997 128,180 100.0 55.9 9.2 22.2 . . . . . . 12.8
1998 144,842 100.0 55.7 9.7 23.6 . . . . . . 11.0
1999 150,170 100.0 53.4 9.8 25.9 . . . . . . 11.0
2000 156,881 100.0 50.4 9.3 29.2 . . . . . . 11.1
2001 163,033 100.0 49.3 8.4 33.1 . . . . . . 9.1
Aged 18-64
1992 738,836 100.0 33.3 . . . . . . 9.7 23.9 33.2
1993 726,637 100.0 33.7 . . . . . . 7.3 23.1 35.9
1994 644,621 100.0 34.0 . . . . . . 5.8 23.8 36.4
1995 572,922 100.0 33.2 . . . . . . 5.6 24.1 37.2
1996 540,714 100.0 33.7 . . . . . . 5.9 23.3 37.0
1997 511,995 100.0 34.6 . . . . . . 6.1 22.6 36.6
1998 534,185 100.0 35.8 . . . . . . 5.5 24.0 34.7
1999 535,269 100.0 34.5 . . . . . . 5.3 25.5 34.7
2000 525,329 100.0 34.6 . . . . . . 5.9 27.8 31.7
2001 454,099 100.0 40.1 . . . . . . 6.9 33.2 19.9
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through June 2002. Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2002.
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 subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
Includes decisions for SSI-only applications and applications for both Social Security and SSI. Does not include Social Security-only applications.
. . . = not applicable.
a. Includes all age groups.
b. Includes applications for which the disability was previously established and those for which the basis for the determination is not available. For final determinations made in or before August 1996 for applicants under age 18, also includes applications allowed because individual functional assessment showed impairment of comparable severity.
c. Includes applicants aged 65 or older.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.asr@ssa.gov.
Table 58. Percentage distribution of final medical denials, by age, year of application, and reason for denial, 1992-2001
Year Total Impairment did not or is not expected to last 12 months Impairment is not severe Impairment does not cause severe functional limitations a Able to do usual past work b Able to do other type of work b Other c
Number Percent
All ages d
1992 743,395 100.0 7.3 22.1 . . . 17.5 26.3 26.9
1993 939,490 100.0 6.6 21.2 . . . 15.4 24.8 31.9
1994 1,043,377 100.0 6.2 20.7 . . . 13.6 23.3 36.1
1995 993,975 100.0 6.2 19.7 . . . 12.4 22.4 39.2
1996 937,450 100.0 6.4 20.6 5.8 12.1 22.9 32.2
1997 737,298 100.0 6.9 16.7 16.3 13.0 25.1 22.1
1998 698,742 100.0 6.9 15.0 18.4 14.6 25.2 19.9
1999 679,259 100.0 6.7 14.0 19.3 15.4 24.2 20.4
2000 661,643 100.0 6.5 13.3 18.8 15.3 23.2 22.9
2001 659,351 100.0 6.3 12.7 17.8 15.5 23.7 24.0
Under age 18
1992 148,324 100.0 1.5 22.7 . . . . . . . . . 75.8
1993 240,807 100.0 1.3 21.8 . . . . . . . . . 76.9
1994 311,303 100.0 1.4 22.4 . . . . . . . . . 76.2
1995 306,174 100.0 1.3 21.8 . . . . . . . . . 76.9
1996 291,115 100.0 1.4 26.9 18.7 . . . . . . 53.0
1997 195,556 100.0 1.6 19.1 61.3 . . . . . . 18.0
1998 182,150 100.0 1.3 14.5 70.6 . . . . . . 13.7
1999 181,223 100.0 1.1 13.3 72.3 . . . . . . 13.2
2000 174,822 100.0 1.1 13.3 71.3 . . . . . . 14.3
2001 167,093 100.0 1.1 14.0 70.3 . . . . . . 14.6
Aged 18-64
1992 594,906 100.0 8.8 21.9 . . . 21.8 32.8 14.7
1993 698,526 100.0 8.4 21.0 . . . 20.7 33.4 16.4
1994 731,701 100.0 8.3 20.0 . . . 19.4 33.2 19.1
1995 687,349 100.0 8.4 18.8 . . . 17.9 32.4 22.5
1996 645,428 100.0 8.7 17.8 . . . 17.5 33.2 22.8
1997 540,112 100.0 8.8 15.8 . . . 17.7 34.2 23.5
1998 512,643 100.0 8.9 15.0 . . . 19.7 34.3 22.1
1999 494,326 100.0 8.7 14.1 . . . 20.9 33.3 23.0
2000 483,572 100.0 8.5 13.1 . . . 20.7 31.7 25.9
2001 489,545 100.0 8.1 12.2 . . . 20.7 31.9 27.2
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through June 2002. Data for the hearing level or above are current through July 2002.
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 subsequently denied for nonmedical reasons.
Includes decisions for SSI-only applications and applications for both Social Security and SSI. Does not include Social Security-only applications.
. . . = not applicable.
a. Used only for applicants under age 18. Category effective for final determinations made August 1996 or later.
b. Used only for applicants aged 18 or older.
c. Applicant provided insufficient 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. For final determinations made August 1996 or before for applicants under age 18, also includes claims denied because individual functional assessment showed impairment not of comparable severity.
d. Includes applicants aged 65 or older.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.asr@ssa.gov.