Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2015

Table equivalent for Chart 2. All Social Security disabled beneficiaries in current-payment status, December 1970–2015 (millions)
Year Total Disabled workers Disabled widow(er)s Disabled adult children
1970 1.81 1.49 0.05 0.27
1971 1.99 1.65 0.06 0.29
1972 2.20 1.83 0.06 0.31
1973 2.42 2.02 0.08 0.32
1974 2.67 2.24 0.09 0.34
1975 2.96 2.49 0.11 0.36
1976 3.17 2.67 0.12 0.38
1977 3.37 2.84 0.13 0.40
1978 3.43 2.88 0.13 0.42
1979 3.44 2.87 0.13 0.44
1980 3.44 2.86 0.13 0.45
1981 3.36 2.78 0.12 0.46
1982 3.19 2.60 0.12 0.47
1983 3.17 2.57 0.11 0.49
1984 3.21 2.60 0.11 0.51
1985 3.29 2.66 0.11 0.53
1986 3.38 2.73 0.11 0.55
1987 3.45 2.79 0.11 0.56
1988 3.51 2.83 0.10 0.57
1989 3.58 2.90 0.10 0.59
1990 3.71 3.01 0.10 0.60
1991 3.93 3.19 0.11 0.62
1992 4.24 3.47 0.13 0.64
1993 4.53 3.73 0.15 0.66
1994 4.80 3.96 0.16 0.67
1995 5.04 4.19 0.17 0.69
1996 5.26 4.39 0.18 0.70
1997 5.40 4.51 0.19 0.70
1998 5.61 4.70 0.19 0.71
1999 5.80 4.88 0.20 0.72
2000 5.97 5.04 0.20 0.73
2001 6.21 5.27 0.20 0.74
2002 6.49 5.54 0.21 0.74
2003 6.83 5.87 0.21 0.75
2004 7.17 6.20 0.21 0.76
2005 7.50 6.52 0.22 0.77
2006 7.80 6.81 0.22 0.78
2007 8.12 7.10 0.22 0.79
2008 8.53 7.43 0.23 0.87
2009 8.95 7.79 0.24 0.92
2010 9.40 8.20 0.24 0.95
2011 9.80 8.58 0.25 0.98
2012 10.09 8.83 0.26 1.01
2013 10.23 8.94 0.26 1.03
2014 10.26 8.95 0.26 1.05
2015 10.24 8.91 0.26 1.07
SOURCE: Table 3.
Table equivalent for Chart 3. Disabled beneficiaries aged 18–64 in current-payment status as a percentage of state population aged 18–64, December 2015
State Percent
Alabama 8.4
Alaska 2.8
Arizona 4.0
Arkansas 8.4
California 3.1
Colorado 3.2
Connecticut 4.0
Delaware 5.0
District of Columbia 3.3
Florida 4.9
Georgia 4.8
Hawaii 2.8
Idaho 4.8
Illinois 4.0
Indiana 5.6
Iowa 4.6
Kansas 4.6
Kentucky 8.1
Louisiana 6.1
Maine 7.7
Maryland 3.7
Massachusetts 5.1
Michigan 6.3
Minnesota 4.1
Mississippi 7.9
Missouri 6.4
Montana 4.7
Nebraska 4.1
Nevada 3.8
New Hampshire 6.1
New Jersey 3.9
New Mexico 5.5
New York 4.4
North Carolina 5.7
North Dakota 3.2
Ohio 5.5
Oklahoma 5.8
Oregon 4.7
Pennsylvania 5.6
Rhode Island 6.0
South Carolina 6.4
South Dakota 4.1
Tennessee 6.6
Texas 3.6
Utah 3.0
Vermont 6.2
Virginia 4.3
Washington 4.3
West Virginia 8.9
Wisconsin 5.0
Wyoming 3.9
SOURCE: Table 8.
Table equivalent for Chart 4. Age of disabled-worker beneficiaries in current-payment status, by sex, December 2015 (percent)
Age Men Women
Under 25 0.4 0.3
25–29 1.8 1.4
30–34 3.3 2.9
35–39 4.5 4.7
40–44 6.1 6.6
45–49 9.5 9.9
50–54 15.9 16.6
55–59 24.4 24.6
60–64 28.8 27.9
65–FRA 5.5 5.1
SOURCE: Table 4.
NOTE: FRA = full retirement age.
Table equivalent for Chart 5. Average monthly benefit of disabled beneficiaries in current-payment status, by sex, December 2015 (dollars)
Beneficiary Men Women
Disabled workers 1,288.71 1,035.67
Disabled widow(er)s 534.44 732.84
Disabled adult children 748.19 763.64
SOURCE: Table 4.
Table equivalent for Chart 6. Disabled beneficiaries in current-payment status, by diagnostic group, December 2015 (percent)
Diagnostic group Disabled workers Disabled widow(er)s Disabled adult children
Intellectual disability 4.0 3.6 46.0
All other mental disorders 26.6 25.3 25.2
Nervous system and sense organs 9.4 7.4 10.9
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 31.7 36.0 1.0
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 3.1 5.0 0.4
Circulatory system 8.2 7.4 0.5
All other impairments 16.9 15.2 15.9
SOURCE: Table 6.
Table equivalent for Chart 7. Distribution of workers, by diagnostic group and sex, December 2015 (percent)
Diagnostic group Men Women
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 1.3 1.9
Injuries 8.1 4.2
Mental disorders 13.8 18.5
Circulatory system 3.6 2.0
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 63.2 60.6
Nervous system and sense organs 4.5 7.1
All other impairments 5.5 5.8
SOURCE: Table 34.
Table equivalent for Chart 8. Social Security disability awards, 1980–2015 (thousands)
Year Total Disabled workers Disabled widow(er)s Disabled adult children
1980 446.08 396.56 16.05 33.47
1981 396.55 351.85 14.15 30.55
1982 338.28 297.13 12.44 28.71
1983 359.60 311.55 14.41 33.64
1984 415.59 362.00 17.17 36.43
1985 433.54 377.37 17.09 39.08
1986 475.81 416.87 18.42 40.53
1987 471.91 415.85 16.40 39.67
1988 463.52 409.49 15.33 38.70
1989 477.75 425.58 15.17 37.00
1990 522.17 467.98 15.42 38.77
1991 607.11 536.43 29.59 41.09
1992 716.88 636.64 33.24 47.01
1993 714.32 635.24 31.84 47.25
1994 706.26 631.87 29.90 44.48
1995 718.70 645.83 29.60 43.28
1996 693.53 624.34 28.61 40.58
1997 654.66 587.42 28.55 38.70
1998 677.47 608.13 29.40 39.94
1999 691.89 620.49 29.65 41.75
2000 675.60 610.70 27.60 37.30
2001 732.70 661.90 26.50 44.30
2002 805.31 730.38 28.34 46.59
2003 829.83 755.71 27.32 46.80
2004 854.87 775.24 27.74 51.88
2005 909.68 821.21 29.58 58.90
2006 885.88 798.68 28.68 58.52
2007 901.11 804.79 28.81 67.52
2008 987.53 877.23 30.61 79.69
2009 1,081.98 970.70 31.52 79.77
2010 1,141.93 1,026.99 33.26 81.68
2011 1,114.06 998.98 33.18 81.90
2012 1,063.05 960.21 33.20 69.64
2013 965.19 868.97 31.60 64.63
2014 869.37 778.80 29.67 60.90
2015 839.43 741.48 30.40 67.55
SOURCE: Table 35.
Table equivalent for Chart 9. Average monthly benefit awards, by sex, 2015 (dollars)
Beneficiary Men Women
Disabled workers 1,410.94 1,113.75
Disabled widow(er)s 533.90 706.81
Disabled adult children 523.33 532.57
SOURCE: Table 36.
Table equivalent for second pie illustrated in Chart 10. Disabled-worker awards, by selected diagnostic group, 2015: Mental disorders category only
Diagnostic group Percent
Mood disorders 6.8
Organic mental disorders 2.3
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 1.7
Other 2.7
Autistic disorders 0.3
Developmental disorders 0.1
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 0.1
Intellectual disability 1.1
SOURCE: Table 37.
Table equivalent for Chart 11. Final outcome of disabled-worker applications, 2005–2014 (percent)
Year Initial awards Reconsideration awards Hearings and Appeals Council awards Pending final decision Medical denials Technical denials
2005 25.4 2.5 14.2 0.0 30.8 27.1
2006 23.9 2.4 13.5 0.0 30.1 30.2
2007 24.2 2.6 13.0 0.0 28.8 31.5
2008 24.8 2.6 12.2 0.1 27.7 32.6
2009 24.8 2.4 11.6 0.2 28.3 32.8
2010 22.9 2.2 11.0 0.3 28.4 35.2
2011 21.9 2.2 10.5 0.7 28.9 35.7
2012 21.2 2.2 9.1 3.2 26.9 37.3
2013 20.8 2.2 4.4 11.6 23.4 37.7
2014 20.3 1.7 0.3 17.3 22.1 38.3
SOURCE: Tables 60–63.
NOTES: 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.
The proportion of claims awarded at each level of the process is likely to change 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 is likely to result in a decrease in the overall proportion of claims awarded at this step.