January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report

January 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Review

The Social Security Administration’s January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report is here, so let’s review those numbers. We’ll explain how federal disability beneficiary numbers and amounts changed in the past 30 days. We publish these report updates so those on disability can compare their payments to the national average. Below, we review data from both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.



January 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Update

Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 9,907,000

Disabled Workers: 8,360,000

Spouses of Disabled Workers: 112,000

Children of Disabled Workers: 1,435,000

Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,122.29

Disabled Workers: $1,257.88

Spouses of Disabled Workers: $361.83

Children of Disabled Workers: $391.75

How the January 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries

The January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows another big drop in people on disability. This time, disabled workers account for nearly all those who fell off this month’s rolls. That category lost 18,000 beneficiaries since December’s report came out. The spousal beneficiary category shrank as well, with 1,000 husbands and wives no longer receiving SSD payments this month. Children of disabled workers added another 1,000 beneficiaries this month, according to the January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report.

January 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics - Total Monthly Beneficiaries

So, how many new applicants got approved for Social Security disability in the past month? According to the January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report, just 39,356 disabled workers got claims approved last month. This included 20,678 men paid $1,563.25 and 18,678 women who received $1,260.60 in SSD benefits, on average.

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

We only saw modest raises listed for most beneficiary categories in the January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report. At this national level, average payments went up $.06 month-over-month. Disabled workers received $.23 more in this month’s checks, while spousal beneficiaries lost $.31, on average. Children of disabled workers enjoyed the biggest pay bump since December, receiving $.83 more in monthly SSD benefits:

January 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics - Monthly Monetary Average

We often report on children getting SSD, but let’s take a closer look at that category. Minor children now living with a disabled parent received $373.95, on average. Disabled children received $517.85 in SSD benefits, on average. High school students aged 19 and younger got paid $534.92, on average.

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

So, how do Supplemental Security Income (SSI) numbers look in the January 2020 SSD benefits statistics report? Every single group receiving SSI benefits got smaller in the last month, it seems. SSI recipients aged 18-64 saw the biggest losses, listing 22,000 fewer beneficiaries since December’s report came out. Children getting SSI payments saw the second-largest drop, losing 13,000 beneficiaries month-over-month. The January 2020 report also shows 3,000 fewer people aged 65+ getting SSI. Overall, that adds up to 38,000 people struck from this month’s SSI rolls:

Total SSI beneficiaries: 8,039,000 (-38,000)

Children under 18 receiving SSI: 1,119,000 (-13,000)

SSI recipients aged 18-64: 4,625,000 (-22,000)

SSI recipients aged 65+: 2,295,000 (-3,000)

While SSI beneficiary numbers shrank in every category, payment amounts went up. This is due to the 1.6% COLA increase now in effect for all federal benefit payments. The January 2020 SSD benefits report shows SSI payments nationwide went up $9.14 this month, on average. However, minor children saw the biggest SSI pay bump in January, receiving $10.27 more. Working-age SSI beneficiaries added another $10.06 to this month’s checks, while seniors got a $7.41 raise since December.

Having a Social Security attorney triples your approval odds the first time you apply for disability benefits. Not sure if you really need an attorney to help file your claim? Sign up for a free, no-obligation phone call to get legal assistance today!

Since all the lawyers we match you with work on contingency, you’ll owe $0 for legal assistance until you’re approved. It’s the best way to get paid the most disability benefits you deserve, and faster than applying on your own. What’s more, no attorney will accept your case as a client unless they’re convinced you qualify for benefits. And if your case does 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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Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.