November 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Analysis

The November 2020 SSD benefits statistics report from the Social Security Administration (SSA) is out, so let’s review. You’ll learn how disability payments and beneficiary numbers changed during the last 30 days. These reports track average federal disability insurance and welfare program beneficiaries and amounts each month. If you’re on disability, you can use these reports to see how your own payments compare to everyone else’s nationwide. This review includes updates from both the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.

November 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report

Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 9,657,000

Disabled Workers: 8,184,000

Spouses of Disabled Workers: 105,000

Children of Disabled Workers: 1,368,000

Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,127.81

Disabled Workers: $1,260.55

Spouses of Disabled Workers: $357.05

Children of Disabled Workers: $392.73

How the November 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries

The November 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows another huge drop in overall disability recipients this month. Today, 38,000 fewer people are getting SSD payments than during the month of October. The largest drop comes, unsurprisingly, from disabled workers, a category that lost 33,000 beneficiaries since our last report. Next comes children of disabled workers, which shrank by 5,000 recipients in the last 30 days. Spousal SSD beneficiaries lost another 1,000 recipients since October’s report came out:

Now, let’s look at how many people got new award letters in the November 2020 SSD benefits statistics report:

• 42,512 disabled-worker claims qualified for benefits (22,471 men and 20,041 women)
• 2,128 newly approved spousal beneficiaries (249 husbands and 1,879 wives)
• 18,813 children (10,428 minors less than 16 years old, 987 disabled kids and 7,398 students)

We expect disability applications to rise sharply after the holidays when the 1.6% COLA raise goes into effect.

November 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics: Looking Deeper at the Monetary Stats

The November 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows similar average payment trends as we noted last month. Specifically, average payments to spousal beneficiaries went down $.71 compared to October. Children of disabled workers saw their average payments increase $.64 during the last 30 days. SSD payments to disabled workers rose $.02 nationwide, bringing the average total benefit amount up $.08 for November.

For newly approved claims, here are the average SSD benefits awarded for November:

• $413.32/month to children of disabled workers
• $384.60/month to spouses of disabled workers
• $1,437.60/month to disabled workers (men qualified for $1,582.19/month; women qualified for $1,275.48/month)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Data in the November 2020 Report

The November 2020 SSD benefits statistics report also reveals the SSI program’s latest total beneficiaries and average pay amounts. It’s interesting to note that only children less than 18 years old gained new SSI beneficiaries this month:

Total SSI beneficiaries: 7,994,000 (-14,000)

Children under 18 receiving SSI: 1,118,000 (+13,000)

SSI recipients aged 18-64: 4,578,000 (-14,000)

SSI recipients aged 65+: 2,298,000 (-1,000)

Every other category shrank month-over-month compared to October’s report. The total average SSI benefit nationwide went down $2.24/month during the last 30 days. Children under 18 received $4.55 less in monthly SSI, while working-age beneficiaries took a $2.51 pay cut. Seniors at least 65 years old lost $.77 in monthly SSI benefits this month. Why do payments like these typically go down? Things like Medicaid or the state where each SSI beneficiary lives can influence those benefit payments, too.

You May Qualify for Legal Assistance

Want to double your odds of winning SSD benefits the first time you apply? Then have a Social Security attorney file your application paperwork. People who apply on their own without legal assistance usually wait at least 18-24 months for their first disability payment.

Not sure where to start or how to get help applying for disability benefits? Sign up for a free, no-obligation phone call with the closest advocate that’s available to help you on contingency. That means you owe $0 for legal assistance if the SSA doesn’t award you benefits. And if you do win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee.

Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free disability benefits evaluation now:

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