Social Security Administration (SSA) Annual Data for
Number of Deaths Among Claimants Awaiting an ALJ Determination
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(Updated )
This dataset contains data for fiscal year(s) 2006 - 2017 and is currently available in the following formats:
Background
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 2006 - 2017.
Dataset Index
Dataset Description
This dataset shows the numbers of OASDI and SSI claimants who died while awaiting an ALJ determination in each fiscal year 2006 - 2017, obtained by matching individuals identified in the CPMS as having appealed for an ALJ determination to the death information recorded in the NUMIDENT. These numbers were stable at around 7,000 per year from 2006 through 2009, declined to under 6,000 for 2010, rose gradually to 9,714 for 2016, and dropped to 9,570 for 2017. These changes in the number of deaths can be explained by the changing numbers of disability claimants pending an ALJ determination over this period.
Data Collection Description
Microdata was gathered from the Case Processing Management System (CPMS) for cases that were pending an ALJ determination at the end of each fiscal year. Claimants who died while their case was pending an ALJ determination were identified by the Office of the Chief Actuary by querying the agency’s master file of death information, the NUMIDENT. For a complete analysis, see Actuarial Note Number 159 dated May 2018 (PROBABILITY OF DEATH WHILE PENDING AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE DETERMINATION).
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.
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 who died while awaiting an ALJ determination.
Under 18: The number of OASDI and SSI claimants under age 18 who died while awaiting an ALJ determination.
Age 18+: The number of OASDI and SSI claimants over age 18 who died while awaiting an ALJ determination.