May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report

May 2019 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Review

The May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report from the Social Security Administration (SSA) came out yesterday, so let’s dive in. Below, you’ll see how beneficiary numbers and average payments changed over the last 30 days. We analyze each report so people on disability can compare their monthly payments against the national average. This analysis will cover both the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.



May 2019 SSD Benefits Statistics Update

Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 10,113,000

Disabled Workers: 8,486,000

Spouses of Disabled Workers: 117,000

Children of Disabled Workers: 1,510,000

Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,098.09

Disabled Workers: $1,235.49

Spouses of Disabled Workers: $351.68

Children of Disabled Workers: $383.77

How the May 2019 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries

Total beneficiaries fell significantly in the last month, according to the May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report. There’s no surprise that most of that loss comes from disabled workers, which fell by 12,000 in May. However, the children’s category also lost 4,000 beneficiaries since April’s report came out. Like most months going back to the beginning of 2018, spousal beneficiaries stayed flat in May.

May 2019 SSD Benefits Statistics - Total Monthly Beneficiaries

In addition, the SSA removes beneficiaries who died or filed fraudulent claims between these monthly reports. Those who got well enough to go back to work in May were also struck off this month’s disability rolls.

May 2019 SSD Benefits Statistics: Looking Deeper at the Monetary Stats

The May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report lists yet another pay increase across all categories this month. Average monthly checks jumped up $.47, with children getting another $.41 in this month’s payments. Spouses enjoyed an additional $.35 in May, while disabled workers saw the smallest raise at $.30 more compared to April. This is a much bigger month-over-month pay increase than we saw in the last report. If things go well this year, SSD beneficiaries may look forward to another COLA increase announcement around November 2019.

May 2019 SSD Benefits Statistics - Monthly Monetary Average

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Numbers in the May 2019 Report

Next, let’s see SSI numbers changed in the May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report. This month, there were 8,083,000 total SSI beneficiaries — 40,000 fewer than we noted in April. Unlike that month’s report, both SSD and SSI programs saw fewer overall beneficiaries in May. Once again, the average SSI payment fell slightly month-over-month. According to the May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report, this month’s average SSI payment was $566.57 nationwide. That’s nearly a whole dollar ($.88) less than SSI beneficiaries received, on average, for April. You can see all SSI beneficiaries and average payment amounts for each age range in our chart below:

Adults aged 18-64 lost the most SSI beneficiaries this month, according to the May 2019 SSD benefits statistics report. That category lost 23,000 people since April’s report came out. People over 65 saw a small drop in SSI beneficiaries, with 2,000 fewer this month compared to April.

Getting a Social Security attorney to file your application makes you 3x as likely to get approved for benefits. You’ll also get your first payment much faster than you would applying on your own. However, less than 1 in 5 first-time applicants have legal assistance from a qualified lawyer. Shockingly, 2 in 5 first-time applicants get turned down for making basic errors on the claim paperwork. But it won’t cost you anything now to get the legal assistance you need. In fact, lawyers cannot charge you any fees you don’t agree to in advance in writing. Then, the SSA has to approve the fees you’re charged before you pay them to ensure they meet federal law. In other words, any lawyer that helps you gets paid nothing unless your case wins. And if you do win, you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee!

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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.