October 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Review

We have the October 2020 SSD benefits statistics report from the Social Security Administration (SSA), so let’s dive in. Our analysis reveals how disability payments and beneficiary numbers changed during the last 30 days. These reports track how much in benefits the federal disability insurance and welfare programs pay Americans each month. If you’re on disability, these reports show how your checks compare to average nationwide payments. We’ll include data from both the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.

October 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report

Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 9,695,000

Disabled Workers: 8,217,000

Spouses of Disabled Workers: 106,000

Children of Disabled Workers: 1,373,000

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 October 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries

According to the October 2020 SSD benefits statistics report, there are now 37,000 fewer total recipients compared to September. That’s almost as many people as the entire population of Aurora, Colorado! Disabled workers made up the most losses this month (31,000). The children of disabled workers category lost 4,000 beneficiaries during the last 30 days. Spousal beneficiaries fell by 1,000 this month, reaching an all-time low in the program’s history.

In addition, the SSA regularly strikes any dead, fraudulent or recovered SSD beneficiaries off the following month’s payment rolls.

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

The October 2020 SSD benefits statistics report also lists pay raises for most groups this month. Unfortunately, one group’s payment went down this month: Spouses lost $.52, on average, compared to September. Here are how the other SSD recipient groups fared during the past 30 days:

• $1.40 increase in total SSD benefits nationwide
• $1.43 increase for disabled workers, on average
• $1.77 avg. increase for children of disabled workers

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

The October 2020 SSD benefits statistics report also shows changes in the SSI program’s beneficiaries and pay amounts. This is the first time since July that every category’s lost thousands of SSI beneficiaries during a 30-day period:

Total SSI beneficiaries: 8,008,000 (-44,000)

Children under 18 receiving SSI: 1,117,000 (-13,000)

SSI recipients aged 18-64: 4,592,000 (-27,000)

SSI recipients aged 65+: 2,303,000 (-4,000)

Compared to one year ago, the October 2020 SSD benefits report shows 74,000 fewer people getting SSI payments. That’s an incredible drop during this 12-month period. SSI beneficiaries aged 65 and older now has 13,000 fewer recipients in that category compared to October 2019. That strikes us as unusual, considering that every day, 10,000 people turn 65 years old in the U.S. We still can’t know how much the pandemic influenced these numbers, but it surely accounts for some of this month’s losses.

Here are the current average SSI payments nationwide for each beneficiary category, according to October’s report:

• $579.56/month, averaged across all age groups
• $686.04/month for children less than 18 years old
• $609.07/month for recipients aged 18-64
• $469.31/month for seniors aged 65 and older

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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