The Social Security Administration (SSA) has recently introduced a significant change to the evaluation process for individuals applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Starting from June 22, applicants are no longer required to provide a detailed account of their employment history for the past 15 years. Instead, they only need to list their employment history from the previous five years.
Social Security statement
According to Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security, this new rule aims to ease the burden on applicants by allowing them to focus on the most recent and relevant aspects of their work history.
He said “This new rule will lessen the burden and time our applicants face when filling out information about their work history and will make it easier for them to focus on the most current and relevant details about their past work,” O’Malley stated.
The changes are not just beneficial to applicants but also enhance the efficiency of the SSA’s operations. “It also improves the quality of the information our frontline workers receive to make decisions, improving customer service, and reducing case processing time and overall wait times,” added O’Malley.
This adjustment is expected to streamline the decision-making process, leading to faster outcomes for those in need of disability benefits. These updates reflect the SSA’s ongoing commitment to improving the application process and ensuring a more efficient and user-friendly experience for all applicants.
Applying for both SSDI and SSI benefits involves a detailed five-step process. One crucial requirement is providing a comprehensive work history. To be eligible for disability benefits, applicants need to demonstrate that their disability prevents them from engaging in substantial work for at least one year or is expected to result in death.
Why Work History Matters
A detailed work history is essential to determine if the disability genuinely hinders the applicants from performing their job. However, recalling up to 15 years of previous work experience can be challenging for many.
Recognizing this, the administration has simplified the process by no longer requiring applicants to include work experiences that lasted less than 30 calendar days.
Important Points to Remember
- Five-step process: A structured approach to evaluate eligibility.
- Substantial work: Disability must prevent substantial work for at least one year or result in death.
- Work history: Critical for assessing the impact of disability on job performance.
- Simplified requirements: No need to list work experience under 30 days.
Impact of Shortening Employment History Requirements from 15 to 5 Years
Reducing the employment history requirement from 15 to 5 years will likely affect the evaluation process for SSDI and SSI programs. Here are the key points to consider:
Reduced burden on applicants: By reducing the past relevant work period requirement from 15 to 5 years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is easing the burden on applicants. They will no longer need to provide detailed information about their work history going back as far, which simplifies the application process.
Improved efficiency:
With a shorter time period to review, the SSA can streamline the disability decision process. This change will likely lead to faster processing times and more efficient evaluations of disability claims.
Focus on recent and relevant work history:
Concentrating on the past 5 years of employment history allows the SSA to focus on the most recent and relevant work experience when determining an applicant’s eligibility for disability benefits. This ensures that the evaluation process is based on the applicant’s current circumstances and capabilities.
Exclusion of short-term jobs:
Under the new rule, the SSA will not consider past work that started and stopped in fewer than 30 calendar days when making a disability decision. This change acknowledges that short-term jobs may not provide an accurate representation of an individual’s ability to engage in substantial gainful activity.
Will Shortening the Requirement to 5 Years Affect Disability Benefit Approvals?
Potential impact on approval rates:
The shorter time frame for considering employment history may lead to changes in approval rates for disability benefits. Some applicants who might have been denied based on their work history beyond 5 years may now have a higher likelihood of being approved. However, the overall impact on approval rates will depend on various factors and individual case circumstances.
It’s important to note that while the change in the employment history requirement is a significant update, it is part of a broader set of changes to the disability decision process. The SSA is updating the use of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) to find “not disabled” for disability eligibility.
The change aims to make it easier to get disability benefits, possibly increasing approvals:
- Focusing on the last 5 years of work better shows current skills than considering jobs from 15 years ago. This makes disability assessments more accurate.
- A shorter work history means fewer claims and appeals will be denied. Outdated job experiences won’t hurt eligibility.
- Applicants might get benefits faster. Fewer approvals needed mean less time in appeals.
- This change offers a fairer review. It acknowledges that work ability can change and past jobs might not be relevant anymore.
What is the five-step process involved in applying for SSDI and SSI benefits?
Here is a five-step process for applying for SSDI and SSI benefits:
Step 1: Financial Eligibility Screening
- The Social Security Administration (SSA) screens out SSDI applicants who earn above the substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit. In 2018, the SGA was $1,180 per month for non-blind individuals and $1,970 for statutorily blind individuals.
- For SSI, field offices evaluate the applicant’s income and resources to determine eligibility. They also verify the applicant is not working at SGA level.
Step 2: Medical Screening for Severe Impairment
- The DDS agency denies the claim if the applicant has no, or a “not severe,” impairment.
- The impairment must also meet the duration requirement – it must have lasted or be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months.
Step 3: Medical Screening for Listing-Level Impairments
- The DDS checks the applicant’s medical records to see if their disability matches the SSA’s Listing of Impairments or is equally severe. This step confirms medical eligibility.
- For children, if an impairment meets or equals the listings and duration requirement, they are found disabled. The process ends here for children.
Step 4: Assessment of Capacity for Past Work
- The DDS checks the applicant’s RFC and ability to do past work.
- Detailed information is gathered about how the applicant did their past jobs and skills learned.
- If the applicant is deemed capable of past work, the claim is denied. If not, it proceeds to step 5.
Step 5: Assessment of Capacity for Any Work
- We consider the applicant’s RFC and vocational factors (age, education, work experience). This is to see if they can do any other work in the national economy.Medical-vocational guidelines (“grids”) and profiles are used as a framework for this determination.
- The applicant is allowed or denied disability benefits based on this final assessment.
