Social Security Administration (SSA) Annual Data for
Number of Claimants Pending an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Determination
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(Updated )
This dataset contains data for fiscal year(s) 2005 - 2017 and is currently available in the following format(s):
Background
In Actuarial Note 159, "Probability of Death While Pending an Administrative Law Judge Determination", we provide the number of applicants pending an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) determination and the number of these individuals who died while waiting for fiscal years 2006 - 2017. The data and analysis in Actuarial Note 159 is not in a machine readable format. We are providing these datasets as machine readable versions.
Actuarial Note Number 159 dated May 2018 discussed Determining whether an individual is disabled under the definition in the Social Security Act often requires a complex analysis of the alleged physical or mental impairment to evaluate the extent of limitation for performing work that exists in the economy. All information needed to establish disability is not always provided at initial application, and, furthermore, the individual’s impairment severity or functional limitations can change during the time needed to make determinations. This complex analysis must be repeated by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) on appeal when a claimant is not found disabled or receives a less-than-fully-favorable decision (applicants may appeal the date of onset of the disability established by the State Disability Determination Service (DDS) or other aspects of the claim unrelated to a disability) at the initial determination by a disability examiner and medical consultant at a State Disability Determination Service (DDS), or upon reconsideration of the initial DDS determination (in addition to appeals following a final determination by the DDS, cases may be remanded to an ALJ by the Appeals Council or a federal court). Because of the frailty of many applicants for disability, those who await an ALJ determination will, as a group, experience higher mortality than the general population. This dataset shows the number of claimants who died while their case was pending an ALJ determination for fiscal years 2005 - 2017.
Dataset Index
Agency Program Description
Due to the recent economic recession, the number of initial applications for all disability benefits rose sharply after 2007, reaching a peak in 2010. As a result, appeals to ALJ also rose, reaching a peak in 2011. The number of applicants with claims pending an ALJ determination began rising significantly in 2011, and continued rising through 2016, even while initial disability applications declined after 2010.
Dataset Description
This dataset shows the number of OASDI and SSI claimants with their case pending an ALJ determination at the end of each fiscal year. The total number of persons pending an ALJ determination at the end of each year ("Total" column) is slightly larger than the number of cases of living claimants pending ("Total Alive at End of Year" column), because in certain circumstances the case is not closed upon death of the applicant; benefits may be awarded to the family or estate of the claimant if the ALJ determines that the claimant had met the requirements for disability.
Data Collection Description
The Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) provides microdata from the Case Processing Management System (CPMS) for cases that were pending an ALJ determination at the end of each fiscal year.
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.
- Single asterisk (*): 2009 data is for April-September.
Data Dictionary
Fiscal Year (FY): The 12-month period that starts the Saturday after the last Friday of September and ends the last Friday of September.
Total: The total number of OASDI and SSI claimants with their case pending an ALJ determination at the end of each fiscal year.
Total Alive at End of Year: The total number of living applicants with claims pending an ALJ determination.
Under 18 Alive at End of Year: The number of living applicants under age 18 with claims pending an ALJ determination.
Age 18+ Alive at End of Year: The number of living applicants over age 18 with claims pending an ALJ determination.