How many people are denied disability?

How many people are denied disability? The figures on this vary by state and by year. Historically, about 70 percent of applicants for SSD and SSI have been denied at the application level. In recent years, about 77 percent have been denied and 23 percent have been approved. Truly, for the last 3 decades, getting approved for disability has been fairly difficult...despite the fact that members of the U.S. Congress often claim the program is too easy, as well as costly.

This is what the Center for American Progress has to say:

"According to CAP, the center for American Progress, almost 80 percent of SSDI applicants are denied during the initial application and “thousands of applicants die” annually waiting to learn if they will receive assistance. Furthermore, CAP also found that disability recipients who are approved tend to skew older and had worked in physically demanding jobs before applying for benefits."



I am a former disability examiner and I publish the website Social Security Disability Resource Center, or SSDRC for short. I also maintain a facebook page for SSDRC (Social Security Disability Blog).

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Neither this blog, nor the facebook page, nor my website are affiliated with the Social Security Administration.