The Social Security Administration keeps records of how often people who apply for Social Security disability benefits get awarded them.
Over the years, the Administration’s statistics show it has gotten harder for people, especially workers, to claim benefits successfully.
For example, in the 1990s and 2000s, almost 60% of all workers claiming benefits based on a disability had their claims accepted. In other words, in 6 of 10 cases, the Administration agreed that the worker had a disabling condition.
By contrast, in 2019, fewer than 50% of workers had successful claims.
The percentage of workers who actually receive benefits is lower since the Administration can also deny benefits on other grounds. For example, someone applying for SSDI benefits may not have an adequate work history to obtain them, even if they are legally disabled.
While historically, the number of workers who apply for Social Security and receive benefits has been over 50%, in 2019, only about 1 in 4 workers received benefits.
San Diego workers who are applying for disability benefits should consider getting help
Workers in Southern California who find themselves unable to continue a job because of a physical or mental impairment will have a lot riding on their application for Social Security disability.
Without these benefits, they may have no way of covering their medical bills and other personal expenses. Having their application for benefits denied could be a financial disaster for them.
Because it seems to get more and more challenging to convince the government to award benefits, someone who needs them may want to have professional legal help with their case.