Every month the Social Security Administration (SSA) releases a statistical snapshot of the disability benefits program. These statistics provide an inside look at where benefits fall on a monthly basis and can be very beneficial to future applicants who are looking to file. Below is a brief overview of what the June 2016 SSD benefits statistics looked like during the last 30 days.
Overview of June 2016 SSD Benefits Statistics
Total Number of Social Security Disability Benefit Beneficiaries: 10,728,000
Disabled Workers: 8,872,000
Spouses of Disabled Workers: 139,000
Children of Disabled Workers: 1,716,000
Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,025.20
Disabled Workers: $1,166.33
Spouses of Disabled Workers: $321.26
Children of Disabled Workers: $352.67
June 2016 SSD Benefits Statistics Report: Looking Deeper at This Month’s Beneficiaries
From May to June 2016, the disability program saw a decrease of more than 52,000 beneficiaries. This is the largest decline that the program has seen in more than a year. While there are no immediate red flags that indicate why the significant decrease in the number of beneficiaries happened, one can assume that it’s part of the typical fluctuation that occurs each month in the program.
As you can see in the chart below, the number of disability beneficiaries remained steady during the past year. This is a good sign for both current and future beneficiaries who rely on benefits to make ends meet.
June 2016 SSD Benefits Statistics: Looking Deeper at the Monetary Stats
When looking at monetary changes, the disability benefits program saw an increase in the monthly average for June by $2.45. While this increase may not seem significant, it can be an encouraging sign for applicants who have yet to be awarded disability or fight an appeal. The monthly average that is mapped out in the chart below is representative of disabled workers, spouses of disabled workers, and children of disabled workers.
Seeking Legal Help
All disability applicants have the right to seek help from an attorney or advocate. A legal representative can help you collect medical documentation, check your claim status and even appeal, if necessary. Since attorneys always work on contingency, you pay $0 for legal assistance if you don’t win benefits. And if you do win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee.
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Megan Kelly is a former blogger and copywriter for LeadingResponse.