Social Security Administration (SSA) Annual Data for
Spoken Language Preferences
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Initial Claims

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(Updated October 3, 2024)

This dataset contains data for fiscal year(s) 2023 on and is currently available in the following format(s):

Comma Separated Values (CSV)

Background

The goal of the SSA is to improve core services provided to the public and provide alternative methods for conducting business with the agency. In support of this goal, SSA is committed to providing equal access to services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals. The above datasets provide quarterly data about spoken language preferences for individuals applying for SSDI benefits.

Dataset Index

Agency Program Description

SSA administers two different programs which pay disability benefits: Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The Disability Insurance program pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you are "insured," meaning that you worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. The disability standard for SSDI and SSI benefits are the same except for issues of blindness and for SSI Disabled Child benefits (SSI DC). Eligibility for disability benefits for both programs administered by SSA has two sets of eligibility criteria, namely disability and non-disability criteria. A favorable finding is required for both disability and non-disability criteria in order for benefits to be awarded.

For more information about the disability program, go to: Benefits for People with Disabilities.

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Data Collection Description

SSA collects language preference data when members of the public contact us to apply for Social Security and Medicare benefits and services. We use our electronic systems to capture this information. The Social Security Unified Measurement System (SUMS) provides work measurement data for all workloads processed throughout SSA. SUMS Counts Demographics Data (SCDD) is the data source for SSA's LEP reports. SCDD is populated by associating the agency’s SUMS workload data with demographics data, which is housed in the SUMS client tables and is sourced by the Integrated Client Data Base. Demographics data includes spoken language, written language, age range, and gender.

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Notes

• A Federal Fiscal Year (FY) is the 12-month period that starts the Saturday after the last Friday of September and ends the last Friday of September. Most years our fiscal year workload reports contain 52 weeks since we include only full weeks, rather than cut off in the middle of a week. Every few years the reporting period is 53 weeks when we apply the end of week cutoff.

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Data Dictionary

Spoken Language: Language preference of the claimant for oral communication.

Fiscal Year (FY): The 12-month period that starts the Saturday after the last Friday of September and ends the last Friday of September.

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