May 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Analysis

What does the May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report from the Social Security Administration tell us this month? Keep reading to learn how disability beneficiary numbers and average monthly payments changed over the last 30 days. These reports show updates tracking the federal government’s disability insurance and welfare programs. This way, people who currently rely on disability to make ends meet can compare their payments against the national average. Our statistical snapshot below includes data for both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

May 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Update

Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 9,895,000

Disabled Workers: 8,331,000

Spouses of Disabled Workers: 111,000

Children of Disabled Workers: 1,452,000

Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,121.69

Disabled Workers: $1,258.98

Spouses of Disabled Workers: $359.08

Children of Disabled Workers: $392.69

How the May 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries

The May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows fewer people on this month’s rolls compared to April. As you might recall, April’s report showed total beneficiaries went up for the first time in the last five years. However, May’s report reveals the SSD program’s shifting back to the downward trend we started tracking back in April 2015. We predict we may see total SSD recipients increase again in July 2020, based on the number of claims filed. The May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows 9,000 fewer disabled workers in current-payment status this month. In addition, the spousal benefits category struck 1,000 husbands and wives of disabled workers off this month’s rolls:

Children of disabled workers is the only group that added beneficiaries in the May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report. That category gained another 1,000 recipients compared to April. Overall, these shifts across different age groups mean 7,000 fewer people received SSD payments compared to April. SSA data shows a higher than average disability claim approval rate for husbands, wives and children in May. The award rate for those groups was 54%, on average. By comparison, the SSA approved just 35.5% of disabled-worker benefit applications in May 2020.

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

The May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows average payments for any group didn’t change much this month. Two categories saw tiny increases in their average monthly payments for May: disabled workers and their dependent children. Payments to children increased $.25, on average, while disabled workers received $.20 more in SSD benefits compared to April. Spouses, on the other hand, got paid $.65 less this month, on average. These small shifts in this month’s monetary average brought May’s total SSD benefit payment down by $.06 nationwide.

Now, let’s look at what the May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report tells us about people with newly approved claims. This month, 57,788 disabled workers across the U.S. got approved for Social Security disability. Of those, 53% were men who qualify for an average monthly SSD payment of $1,419.93. Women make up the remaining 47%, qualifying for about $1,260.29/month in SSD payments. When it comes to spousal SSD claims, the SSA approved benefit applications from 388 husbands and 2,450 wives this month. Wives qualified for $385.29/month, while husbands got approved for $385/month in SSD benefits, on average.

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

Up next, we look at the May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report to see how it affects people who depend on SSI. Since April’s report came out, the only category that added new SSI beneficiaries is people aged 65 and older. However, every other group lost beneficiaries month-over-month. May’s report shows 3,000 fewer SSI recipients in both the children under 18 and working-age beneficiary categories compared to April. On average, that means 5,000 people nationwide stopped receiving SSI benefits sometime between April and May:

Total SSI beneficiaries: 8,048,000 (-5,000)

Children under 18 receiving SSI: 1,124,000 (-3,000)

SSI recipients aged 18-64: 4,625,000 (-3,000)

SSI recipients aged 65+: 2,299,000 (+1,000)

Much like last month, the May 2020 SSD benefits statistics report reveals small average pay increases across the board. Children under 18 got paid $.84 more in SSI benefits compared to April. SSI recipients aged 18-64 received $.60 more in May, while those aged 65+ got paid $.45 more, on average. As a result, the total average monthly SSI payment nationwide rose $.60 higher in May.

You May Qualify for Legal Assistance

Applying for disability through a Social Security attorney makes you 3x more likely to get approved for benefits right away. Because disability lawyers work on contingency, you won’t pay anything now for professional claim help. About 1 in 3 people who receive disability benefits file multiple appeals before the SSA approves their claims. Every time you appeal a denied disability claim, it delays your first payment by as much as one year. Can’t afford to go months or years without any income? Sign up for a free consultation with the closest disability lawyer who’s available to help you.

This consultation includes a free phone call to discuss your specific situation. You’re not obligated to do anything else, and deciding whether or not to move forward is entirely up to you. If a lawyer can’t get your disability claim approved, then you pay $0 in legal fees. And if you do win, 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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