Social Security Unveils Significant Change in Disability Benefits – Here’s What You Need to Know
Since the definition of disability changed, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has made considerable changes to its disability compensation program.
As of this week, the SSA will review disabled people in a different way to determine whether or not they meet the disability requirements for acceptance into the program. The decision was taken in response to the discovery that some jobs that disabled people could perform were not widely accessible in the American labor market.
If you are a handicapped person who already qualifies for SSDI benefits or are interested in filing for disability benefits, you should review this information since it may have a substantial impact on your chances of being accepted into the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.
The Disability Definition Has Changed for the Disability Payments Program in the United States
Until this year, the Social Security Administration defined disability as being unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) because of a medically determinable physical or mental disability(ies) that was either expected to result in death or had lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months.
However, as previously stated, the government agency said that it would revise this classification after discovering 114 jobs with minimal job chances, including models, astronomers, and agricultural engineers.
As a result of these findings, the government agency stated that they will not include these vocations in the review process for eligibility for their disability benefits program. Furthermore, the organization identified 13 occupations in which judges have voiced reservations about the fitness of workers labeled as “not disabled”.
Furthermore, the Social Security Administration (SSA) stated that while deciding whether a benefit application qualifies as “not disabled,” it must assess whether the labor market provides enough jobs for those individuals.
According to Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley, it makes sense to identify vocations that are now in very low demand in the country’s economy. As a result of this adjustment, our decision-makers will no longer utilize these jobs to justify the denial of disability benefits applications.
Social Security Wants to Be More Effective at Reviewing Disability Benefits Claims
Changing the definition of disability is likely to improve the disability benefits program’s process for determining which candidates are eligible or not. As a result, this modification will allow the Social Security Administration (SSA) to be more specific when examining disability worker claims.
The federal agency also stated that it will only consider the most relevant occupations when determining whether or not a person seeking disability benefits is capable of working in other capacities. Long-term, Social Security will continue to review data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Requirements Survey to influence modifications.
In May, the government paid Social Security benefits to 7.23 million disabled workers, a 20,000 decrease from the previous month. The government compensated workers an average of slightly more than $1,500 per month.
According to the Social Security Administration, the department paid out little more than $11 million throughout the month. According to Newsweek, PlanPrep’s retirement specialist, Burt Williamson, recently stated that the lower number of disabled workers seeking benefits from the organization could be due to a variety of factors.
Furthermore, he stated that, while he cannot be certain, he believes this could be due to a mix of persons dying, transitioning from disability to retirement benefits, or losing eligibility for benefits. However, keep in mind that this is only a hypothesis proposed by the retirement specialist.