SSI Annual Statistical Report, 2007

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 68 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 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 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 69–71 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 72 and 73). 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 68. Outcomes at all adjudicative levels, by age and year of application, 1992–2006
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 0 141,214 937,757 1,600 878,932 89,442 42.9 50.8
1994 2,014,499 0 123,175 1,041,432 1,681 770,905 77,306 38.3 44.8
1995 1,845,212 0 103,335 995,185 1,344 683,850 61,498 37.1 42.8
1996 1,786,770 0 113,027 938,407 1,886 671,900 61,550 37.6 43.8
1997 1,505,145 0 97,320 738,808 2,074 606,224 60,719 40.3 47.4
1998 1,520,538 0 95,990 701,365 3,831 656,533 62,819 43.2 50.5
1999 1,528,217 0 105,819 688,965 4,003 665,028 64,402 43.5 51.3
2000 1,612,826 2,616 156,525 687,841 3,823 693,126 68,895 43.0 52.4
2001 1,749,572 3,288 203,387 725,850 3,501 737,589 75,957 42.2 52.7
2002 1,959,039 5,325 278,291 810,309 3,565 778,916 82,633 39.9 51.4
2003 2,112,577 12,669 342,201 866,732 3,418 794,665 92,892 37.8 50.5
2004 2,246,392 53,315 431,182 880,643 3,276 781,207 96,769 35.6 49.8
2005 2,326,784 157,289 561,837 829,128 2,802 693,728 82,000 32.0 48.3
2006 2,377,892 269,835 629,968 823,790 2,092 586,857 65,350 27.8 44.1
Under age 18
1992 376,812 0 16,695 148,221 103 204,083 7,710 54.2 58.8
1993 500,676 0 18,788 240,668 135 232,344 8,741 46.4 50.0
1994 530,538 0 16,897 311,137 147 194,655 7,702 36.7 39.4
1995 491,638 0 14,364 306,298 92 163,896 6,988 33.3 35.8
1996 457,057 0 13,532 291,265 86 144,670 7,504 31.7 34.3
1997 334,975 0 10,906 195,730 69 121,439 6,831 36.3 39.6
1998 338,592 0 10,904 182,596 74 137,653 7,365 40.7 44.3
1999 345,067 0 11,898 182,427 68 142,862 7,812 41.4 45.2
2000 355,477 244 15,775 179,441 64 151,991 7,962 42.8 47.1
2001 375,975 226 18,710 182,070 61 166,387 8,521 44.3 49.0
2002 412,972 355 22,678 200,411 79 180,364 9,085 43.7 48.6
2003 438,601 826 25,776 214,243 64 188,001 9,691 42.9 48.0
2004 451,735 4,657 31,539 217,626 83 187,883 9,947 42.0 47.6
2005 445,449 14,711 46,839 201,557 97 172,584 9,661 40.1 47.5
2006 453,836 26,289 49,933 203,421 85 164,711 9,397 38.5 46.1
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 0 122,364 696,934 1,463 646,157 80,609 41.8 51.0
1994 1,482,503 0 106,181 729,927 1,529 575,431 69,435 38.8 46.9
1995 1,351,903 0 88,839 688,438 1,245 519,041 54,340 38.4 45.4
1996 1,277,604 0 87,869 646,497 1,534 488,215 53,489 38.2 45.5
1997 1,135,602 0 78,303 541,988 1,456 461,006 52,849 40.6 48.6
1998 1,133,015 0 76,709 516,708 1,860 483,866 53,872 42.7 50.9
1999 1,133,722 0 83,733 505,202 1,542 487,820 55,425 43.0 51.7
2000 1,208,866 2,370 127,968 507,367 1,423 509,772 59,966 42.3 52.8
2001 1,323,142 3,054 167,675 542,834 1,398 541,642 66,539 41.0 52.8
2002 1,483,791 4,964 230,118 608,806 1,580 565,745 72,578 38.3 51.1
2003 1,615,844 11,834 287,736 651,689 1,825 580,359 82,401 36.2 50.4
2004 1,733,410 48,641 366,069 662,389 1,877 568,314 86,120 33.7 49.6
2005 1,807,363 142,542 472,425 627,023 1,620 492,012 71,741 29.6 47.3
2006 1,851,839 243,474 534,414 619,896 1,122 397,573 55,360 24.7 42.2
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through August 2007. Data for the hearing level or above are current through September 2007.
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 69. Medical decisions at the initial adjudicative level, by age, year of application, and program, 1992–2006
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 1,456,301 556,990 38.2 845,623 321,029 38.0 610,678 235,961 38.6
2001 1,546,185 595,925 38.5 860,922 338,218 39.3 685,263 257,707 37.6
2002 1,680,748 619,748 36.9 904,266 345,482 38.2 776,482 274,266 35.3
2003 1,770,376 635,241 35.9 917,511 344,751 37.6 852,865 290,490 34.1
2004 1,815,210 643,973 35.5 917,670 343,476 37.4 897,540 300,497 33.5
2005 1,764,880 620,290 35.1 895,411 332,941 37.2 869,469 287,349 33.0
2006 1,747,803 590,520 33.8 893,847 319,005 35.7 853,956 271,515 31.8
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 339,702 143,267 42.2 316,328 133,426 42.2 23,374 9,841 42.1
2001 357,265 157,730 44.1 332,724 146,688 44.1 24,541 11,042 45.0
2002 390,294 170,542 43.7 363,020 158,263 43.6 27,274 12,279 45.0
2003 412,825 178,453 43.2 384,481 165,876 43.1 28,344 12,577 44.4
2004 420,196 180,657 43.0 391,086 167,717 42.9 29,110 12,940 44.5
2005 398,607 169,455 42.5 371,773 158,534 42.6 26,834 10,921 40.7
2006 403,883 165,825 41.1 379,307 156,779 41.3 24,576 9,046 36.8
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 1,080,898 382,587 35.4 503,636 166,188 33.0 577,262 216,399 37.5
2001 1,155,467 408,901 35.4 505,101 172,232 34.1 650,366 236,669 36.4
2002 1,253,673 416,823 33.2 515,934 165,906 32.2 737,739 250,917 34.0
2003 1,328,108 430,707 32.4 515,659 164,504 31.9 812,449 266,203 32.8
2004 1,367,341 438,473 32.1 511,679 163,312 31.9 855,662 275,161 32.2
2005 1,334,874 421,850 31.6 506,191 159,015 31.4 828,683 262,835 31.7
2006 1,317,326 400,069 30.4 501,927 151,262 30.1 815,399 248,807 30.5
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data are current through August 2007.
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 70. Medical decisions at the reconsideration level, by age, year of application, and program, 1992–2006
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 75,559 13.6 280,174 38,663 13.8 277,210 36,896 13.3
1994 571,602 73,734 12.9 290,341 36,826 12.7 281,261 36,908 13.1
1995 522,987 66,780 12.8 275,013 33,432 12.2 247,974 33,348 13.4
1996 480,593 65,352 13.6 249,224 32,510 13.0 231,369 32,842 14.2
1997 409,396 62,496 15.3 208,993 31,881 15.3 200,403 30,615 15.3
1998 390,212 61,264 15.7 203,132 31,818 15.7 187,080 29,446 15.7
1999 382,196 55,620 14.6 197,671 28,498 14.4 184,525 27,122 14.7
2000 382,757 53,134 13.9 192,285 26,455 13.8 190,472 26,679 14.0
2001 407,299 53,426 13.1 190,634 25,393 13.3 216,665 28,033 12.9
2002 458,317 56,036 12.2 203,464 25,778 12.7 254,853 30,258 11.9
2003 487,775 57,043 11.7 202,378 24,693 12.2 285,397 32,350 11.3
2004 487,526 54,071 11.1 193,247 22,662 11.7 294,279 31,409 10.7
2005 460,770 50,867 11.0 185,786 21,954 11.8 274,984 28,913 10.5
2006 420,258 36,875 8.8 172,984 16,727 9.7 247,274 20,148 8.1
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 7,476 15.1 45,465 6,839 15.0 3,991 637 16.0
2000 48,361 7,513 15.5 44,462 6,950 15.6 3,899 563 14.4
2001 49,495 7,649 15.5 45,567 7,069 15.5 3,928 580 14.8
2002 56,273 8,312 14.8 51,775 7,620 14.7 4,498 692 15.4
2003 59,715 8,457 14.2 54,939 7,763 14.1 4,776 694 14.5
2004 58,298 7,833 13.4 53,622 7,261 13.5 4,676 572 12.2
2005 54,260 7,712 14.2 50,078 7,161 14.3 4,182 551 13.2
2006 52,724 6,901 13.1 49,150 6,504 13.2 3,574 397 11.1
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 64,074 13.3 210,882 28,268 13.4 270,552 35,806 13.2
1994 479,439 62,150 13.0 206,253 26,260 12.7 273,186 35,890 13.1
1995 435,988 56,205 12.9 195,281 23,695 12.1 240,707 32,510 13.5
1996 403,309 54,194 13.4 178,404 22,457 12.6 224,905 31,737 14.1
1997 355,514 52,588 14.8 159,694 22,951 14.4 195,820 29,637 15.1
1998 337,411 51,757 15.3 154,436 23,051 14.9 182,975 28,706 15.7
1999 330,830 47,239 14.3 150,460 20,861 13.9 180,370 26,378 14.6
2000 332,767 44,860 13.5 146,383 18,874 12.9 186,384 25,986 13.9
2001 356,236 45,031 12.6 143,740 17,759 12.4 212,496 27,272 12.8
2002 400,138 46,794 11.7 150,064 17,447 11.6 250,074 29,347 11.7
2003 426,628 47,932 11.2 146,276 16,466 11.3 280,352 31,466 11.2
2004 428,092 45,691 10.7 138,753 15,054 10.8 289,339 30,637 10.6
2005 405,519 42,525 10.5 134,986 14,383 10.7 270,533 28,142 10.4
2006 366,798 29,492 8.0 123,338 9,948 8.1 243,460 19,544 8.0
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data are current through August 2007.
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 71. Medical decisions at the hearing level or above, by age, year of application, and program, 1992–2006
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 327,271 205,185 62.7 153,126 85,195 55.6 174,145 119,990 68.9
1994 333,329 196,756 59.0 156,584 80,594 51.5 176,745 116,162 65.7
1995 300,958 170,826 56.8 145,570 70,445 48.4 155,388 100,381 64.6
1996 271,977 159,167 58.5 128,712 64,430 50.1 143,265 94,737 66.1
1997 238,765 145,150 60.8 112,218 59,766 53.3 126,547 85,384 67.5
1998 224,761 137,398 61.1 107,693 58,008 53.9 117,068 79,390 67.8
1999 231,530 142,312 61.5 111,215 59,882 53.8 120,315 82,430 68.5
2000 248,710 151,897 61.1 118,462 62,550 52.8 130,248 89,347 68.6
2001 271,212 164,195 60.5 121,092 62,935 52.0 150,120 101,260 67.5
2002 306,808 185,765 60.5 128,740 66,503 51.7 178,068 119,262 67.0
2003 318,986 195,273 61.2 123,528 63,739 51.6 195,458 131,534 67.3
2004 280,772 179,932 64.1 102,511 54,796 53.5 178,261 125,136 70.2
2005 156,191 104,571 67.0 57,599 31,922 55.4 98,592 72,649 73.7
2006 35,944 24,812 69.0 14,339 7,912 55.2 21,605 16,900 78.2
Under age 18
1992 19,988 7,729 38.7 17,979 6,890 38.3 2,009 839 41.8
1993 31,658 10,921 34.5 28,625 9,784 34.2 3,033 1,137 37.5
1994 38,751 13,222 34.1 34,869 11,860 34.0 3,882 1,362 35.1
1995 35,856 11,285 31.5 32,428 10,131 31.2 3,428 1,154 33.7
1996 28,105 9,153 32.6 25,589 8,295 32.4 2,516 858 34.1
1997 19,549 7,300 37.3 17,723 6,594 37.2 1,826 706 38.7
1998 18,904 7,247 38.3 17,199 6,548 38.1 1,705 699 41.0
1999 20,903 8,081 38.7 18,986 7,292 38.4 1,917 789 41.2
2000 24,335 9,173 37.7 22,137 8,257 37.3 2,198 916 41.7
2001 25,931 9,529 36.7 23,685 8,629 36.4 2,246 900 40.1
2002 29,346 10,595 36.1 26,840 9,625 35.9 2,506 970 38.7
2003 30,037 10,782 35.9 27,397 9,754 35.6 2,640 1,028 38.9
2004 25,394 9,340 36.8 23,175 8,399 36.2 2,219 941 42.4
2005 12,797 5,078 39.7 11,791 4,653 39.5 1,006 425 42.2
2006 2,877 1,382 48.0 2,688 1,290 48.0 189 92 48.7
Aged 18–64
1992 260,727 181,899 69.8 110,785 72,398 65.4 149,942 109,501 73.0
1993 295,551 194,215 65.7 124,445 75,368 60.6 171,106 118,847 69.5
1994 294,441 183,449 62.3 121,584 68,654 56.5 172,857 114,795 66.4
1995 264,954 159,444 60.2 113,002 60,224 53.3 151,952 99,220 65.3
1996 243,064 149,301 61.4 102,414 55,516 54.2 140,650 93,785 66.7
1997 218,255 137,054 62.8 93,599 52,430 56.0 124,656 84,624 67.9
1998 204,894 129,389 63.1 89,580 50,742 56.6 115,314 78,647 68.2
1999 210,020 133,760 63.7 91,668 52,159 56.9 118,352 81,601 68.9
2000 223,788 142,291 63.6 95,788 53,901 56.3 128,000 88,390 69.1
2001 244,721 154,249 63.0 96,892 53,921 55.7 147,829 100,328 67.9
2002 276,784 174,706 63.1 101,268 56,447 55.7 175,516 118,259 67.4
2003 288,409 184,121 63.8 95,656 53,667 56.1 192,753 130,454 67.7
2004 254,956 170,270 66.8 78,967 46,109 58.4 175,989 124,161 70.6
2005 143,221 99,378 69.4 45,665 27,180 59.5 97,556 72,198 74.0
2006 32,996 23,372 70.8 11,595 6,579 56.7 21,401 16,793 78.5
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data are current through September 2007.
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 72. Percentage distribution of final medical allowances, by age, year of application, and reason for allowance, 1992–2006
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 968,374 100.0 36.5 1.5 1.6 5.5 17.4 37.6
1994 848,211 100.0 36.8 1.5 2.1 4.4 18.1 37.1
1995 745,348 100.0 35.8 1.6 2.5 4.3 18.6 37.2
1996 733,450 100.0 35.9 1.8 3.3 4.4 17.4 37.2
1997 666,943 100.0 37.6 1.8 4.3 4.7 18.4 33.3
1998 719,352 100.0 38.2 1.9 4.8 4.2 20.0 30.8
1999 729,430 100.0 36.6 2.0 5.3 3.9 20.8 31.3
2000 762,021 100.0 35.1 1.9 6.1 4.2 21.4 31.3
2001 813,546 100.0 34.8 1.8 7.0 4.2 22.2 30.1
2002 861,549 100.0 33.2 1.7 7.9 3.7 21.7 31.9
2003 887,557 100.0 32.3 1.7 8.8 3.6 22.0 31.6
2004 877,976 100.0 32.2 1.5 9.6 3.7 23.1 29.9
2005 775,728 100.0 34.2 1.6 10.7 3.8 25.3 24.5
2006 652,207 100.0 38.3 1.7 13.0 4.1 26.9 16.0
Under age 18
1992 211,793 100.0 48.3 6.9 5.9 . . . . . . 38.9
1993 241,085 100.0 44.9 5.9 6.4 . . . . . . 42.7
1994 202,357 100.0 45.6 6.5 8.6 . . . . . . 39.3
1995 170,884 100.0 44.8 7.0 11.0 . . . . . . 37.2
1996 152,174 100.0 52.7 8.7 16.0 . . . . . . 22.6
1997 128,270 100.0 55.8 9.2 22.1 . . . . . . 12.9
1998 145,018 100.0 55.6 9.6 23.6 . . . . . . 11.2
1999 150,674 100.0 53.2 9.8 25.8 . . . . . . 11.3
2000 159,953 100.0 50.1 9.2 28.9 . . . . . . 11.7
2001 174,908 100.0 48.2 8.2 32.4 . . . . . . 11.1
2002 189,449 100.0 45.2 7.6 35.9 . . . . . . 11.2
2003 197,692 100.0 43.6 7.4 39.4 . . . . . . 9.6
2004 197,830 100.0 42.3 6.7 42.6 . . . . . . 8.4
2005 182,245 100.0 41.0 6.6 45.4 . . . . . . 6.9
2006 174,108 100.0 40.0 6.2 48.8 . . . . . . 5.0
Aged 18–64
1992 738,836 100.0 33.3 . . . . . . 9.7 23.9 33.2
1993 726,766 100.0 33.7 . . . . . . 7.3 23.1 35.9
1994 644,866 100.0 34.0 . . . . . . 5.8 23.8 36.4
1995 573,381 100.0 33.2 . . . . . . 5.6 24.0 37.2
1996 541,704 100.0 33.7 . . . . . . 5.9 23.3 37.1
1997 513,855 100.0 34.5 . . . . . . 6.1 22.6 36.9
1998 537,738 100.0 35.6 . . . . . . 5.5 23.9 35.1
1999 543,245 100.0 34.0 . . . . . . 5.3 25.1 35.7
2000 569,738 100.0 32.6 . . . . . . 5.5 26.3 35.6
2001 608,181 100.0 32.4 . . . . . . 5.6 27.7 34.3
2002 638,323 100.0 31.1 . . . . . . 5.0 27.4 36.5
2003 662,760 100.0 30.1 . . . . . . 4.8 28.2 36.8
2004 654,434 100.0 30.3 . . . . . . 4.9 30.1 34.7
2005 563,753 100.0 33.7 . . . . . . 5.2 33.7 27.4
2006 452,933 100.0 39.7 . . . . . . 5.9 37.8 16.6
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through August 2007. Data for the hearing level or above are current through September 2007.
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 73. Percentage distribution of final medical denials, by age, year of application, and reason for denial, 1992–2006
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 939,357 100.0 6.6 21.2 . . . 15.4 24.8 31.9
1994 1,043,113 100.0 6.2 20.7 . . . 13.6 23.3 36.1
1995 996,529 100.0 6.2 19.7 . . . 12.4 22.4 39.2
1996 940,293 100.0 6.4 20.6 5.8 12.1 22.9 32.2
1997 740,882 100.0 6.8 16.7 16.2 13.0 25.1 22.1
1998 705,196 100.0 6.9 15.0 18.3 14.7 25.4 19.9
1999 692,968 100.0 6.7 14.0 19.1 15.6 24.6 20.2
2000 691,664 100.0 6.4 13.3 18.7 15.8 24.2 21.5
2001 729,351 100.0 6.1 13.2 18.2 16.6 26.1 19.8
2002 813,874 100.0 5.7 12.9 18.2 17.0 26.6 19.6
2003 870,150 100.0 5.1 12.1 18.7 17.1 27.3 19.7
2004 883,919 100.0 4.8 11.4 18.8 16.7 27.3 21.0
2005 831,930 100.0 4.6 11.2 18.2 16.0 27.1 22.9
2006 825,882 100.0 4.4 11.2 18.5 15.8 26.9 23.2
Under age 18
1992 148,324 100.0 1.5 22.7 . . . . . . . . . 75.8
1993 240,803 100.0 1.3 21.8 . . . . . . . . . 76.9
1994 311,284 100.0 1.4 22.4 . . . . . . . . . 76.2
1995 306,390 100.0 1.3 21.8 . . . . . . . . . 76.9
1996 291,351 100.0 1.4 26.9 18.7 . . . . . . 53.0
1997 195,799 100.0 1.6 19.1 61.4 . . . . . . 18.0
1998 182,670 100.0 1.3 14.4 70.6 . . . . . . 13.7
1999 182,495 100.0 1.1 13.3 72.4 . . . . . . 13.2
2000 179,505 100.0 1.1 13.2 72.1 . . . . . . 13.6
2001 182,131 100.0 1.1 14.0 73.0 . . . . . . 11.9
2002 200,490 100.0 1.0 13.4 73.9 . . . . . . 11.8
2003 214,307 100.0 0.9 12.3 75.9 . . . . . . 10.9
2004 217,709 100.0 0.8 11.0 76.3 . . . . . . 11.9
2005 201,654 100.0 0.9 11.1 75.1 . . . . . . 13.0
2006 203,506 100.0 0.8 11.5 75.3 . . . . . . 12.4
Aged 18–64
1992 594,906 100.0 8.8 21.9 . . . 21.8 32.8 14.7
1993 698,397 100.0 8.4 21.0 . . . 20.7 33.4 16.4
1994 731,456 100.0 8.3 20.0 . . . 19.4 33.2 19.1
1995 689,683 100.0 8.4 18.8 . . . 17.9 32.4 22.5
1996 648,031 100.0 8.6 17.8 . . . 17.5 33.3 22.8
1997 543,444 100.0 8.8 15.8 . . . 17.7 34.2 23.6
1998 518,568 100.0 8.9 14.9 . . . 19.7 34.4 22.0
1999 506,744 100.0 8.7 14.1 . . . 21.0 33.6 22.7
2000 508,790 100.0 8.4 13.2 . . . 21.3 32.9 24.3
2001 544,232 100.0 7.8 12.8 . . . 22.1 35.0 22.4
2002 610,386 100.0 7.3 12.7 . . . 22.5 35.4 22.1
2003 653,514 100.0 6.5 11.9 . . . 22.7 36.4 22.5
2004 664,266 100.0 6.1 11.4 . . . 22.1 36.4 24.0
2005 628,643 100.0 5.8 11.2 . . . 21.1 35.9 26.0
2006 621,018 100.0 5.6 11.0 . . . 20.9 35.7 26.7
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Disability Research File, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Data for the initial and reconsideration levels are current through August 2007. Data for the hearing level or above are current through September 2007.
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.