Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a payroll tax-funded, federal insurance program of the United States government. SSDI, managed by the Social Security Administration, is designed to provide income to people who are unable to work because of a disability. SSDI is intended to be provided until their condition improves, and is intended to guarantee income if the individual's condition does not improve.
SSDI is a social insurance program, and benefits are only granted after a lengthy determination process, whereby the applicant must prove that they are disabled. SSDI is contrasted with Supplemental Security Income ("SSI"), a welfare, or needs-based program administered by the Social Security Administration for people who demonstrate financial and resource poverty, in addition to medical disability. Applicants for SSDI are often required to concurrently apply for SSI if they may qualify, and vice versa.
Informal names for SSDI include Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) and Title II benefits, named for the chapter title of the governing section of the Social Security Act.
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According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), a person qualifies for SSDI if they:
The work requirement is waived for applicants who can prove that they became disabled at or before the age of 22, as these individuals may be allowed to collect on their parent's or parents' work credits. The parent(s) experience no loss of benefits.
Medical evidence that demonstrates the applicant's inability to work is required. The applicant may meet a SSA medical listing for their condition.[2] If their condition does not meet the requirements of a listing, their residual functional capacity is considered, along with their age, past relevant work, and education, in determining their ability to perform either their past work, or other work generally available in the national economy. It may take up to five years or more to prove. In most cases, the people who need this are DEAD before they are able to excercise this right. Most people are pushed to the standard attorney (if they can afford one), or stuck in the system. Two years seems to be the minimum, and five the average.
Determination of a residual functional capacity often constitutes the bulk of the SSDI application and appeal process. A residual functional capacity is assessed in accordance with Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 404, section 1545[3] by a disability determination service (DDS) or, on appeal, by an administrative law judge (ALJ), and is generally based upon the opinions of treating and examining physicians, if available. The DDS or ALJ may also require the applicant to visit a third-party physician for a medical opinion.
Residual functional capacity is classified according to the five exertional levels of work defined in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, which are: Sedentary, Light, Medium, Heavy, and Very Heavy. A person is generally not considered disabled if they are found to retain the capacity for work at or above the sedentary level, but persons over 49 or who cannot read or speak English may be found disabled at the light or medium exertional level.
The amount of time it takes for an application to be approved or denied varies, depending on the level of the process at which the award is made. In 2006, there were 2,532,264 applications for SSDI.[4] As of March 31, 2007, the number of pending applications (or "backlog") was 1,463,153.[5] Experts have asserted that this backlog is being caused by the increase in applicants, the increase in retiring SSA workers, the inability of the SSA to replace the retiring workers and budget limitations.[6]
The Social Security Administration estimates that the initial benefits application will take 90–120 days, but in practice filings can take up to eight months to complete. The appeals process for denied filings can likewise take 90 days to well over a year to get a hearing, depending on caseloads.[7]
In an attempt to speed up the application process, beginning in August 2006, the SSA implemented changes to the application process in the six-state New England region, on a trial basis. On December 1, 2007, the SSA implemented the program nationwide.[8]
The SSA provided a table of average wait times which were current through the end of fiscal year 2006.[4] These times include awards and denials.
| Level | Name | Wait time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial application | 88 |
| 2 | Reconsideration | never without an attorney |
| 3 | Hearing | 483 |
| 4 | Appeals Council | 203 |
| 5 | Federal district court | no data |
Nationwide statistics provided by the SSA in 2005 stated that 34 percent of all SSDI applications are ultimately approved.[9]
In these statistics, the breakdown of approvals and denials at each level were:
| Level | Approval % | Denial % | % of denials appealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial application | 10 | 75 | 12 |
| Reconsideration | 12 | 86 | 2 |
| Hearing | 2 | 12 | 98 |
| Appeals Council | 33 | 07 | no further appeals, goes to Federal district court |
While legal representation is not required by law, the percentages above may tend to favor those with representation, especially when medical evidence is less compelling, and especially at the more advanced stages. As a result, specialized law firms focused on representing SSDI and SSI claimants and have formed a substantial private industry around the Social Security Administration. The AARP is the largest.
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SSDI may refer to:
| This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File Extract. Most persons who have died since 1963 and who had a Social Security Number (SSN) and whose death has been reported to the Social Security Administration will be listed in the SSDI.
Unlike the Death Master File, the SSDI is available online for free from several genealogy websites. The SSDI is a popular tool for genealogists and biographers. The database contains valuable genealogical data: the deceased person's birth date, death date, SSN, State or Territory where the SSN was issued, and last place of residence. Once a deceased person is found in the database, the person's Application for Social Security Card (Form SS-5) can be ordered from the Social Security Administration. The SS-5 contains additional genealogical data such as birth place, father's name, and mother's full maiden name.
Given the growing problem of identity theft and the importance of the Social Security Number as a personal identifier in the United States, it might seem unusual that these identifiers are released publicly. The principle involved is that living persons have a right to privacy which includes the right not to have their Social Security Number revealed, but once a person dies they lose their right to privacy and therefore the Social Security Administration can reveal their number and report their dates and places of birth and death.
The death index is used to prevent fraud so that no one can steal the identity of a dead person, and take out a credit card or a bank loan in a dead person's name.
Instances of famous people not being found in the index (such as the eccentric Andy Kaufman) often contribute to theories that the particular person is still alive.
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Social Security Death Index. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |
   | SSA's SSDI Web Site - Qualify and Apply for Disability & SSI |
| | SSDI Web Chat - About.com - Disability Services Guide - 61 Questions About Social Security Disability Services |
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