July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report

July 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Update

The July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report from the Social Security Administration is here, and so is our analysis. We’ll explain how disability pay amounts and beneficiary numbers changed in the last 30 days. These monthly reports track the how the federal government’s two benefit programs help Americans. If you depend on disability benefits, you can compare your payments against the national average. We’ll explore the latest numbers from both federal programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).



July 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Update

Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 9,788,000

Disabled Workers: 8,294,000

Spouses of Disabled Workers: 109,000

Children of Disabled Workers: 1,385,000

Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,125.92

Disabled Workers: $1,258.91

Spouses of Disabled Workers: $358.49

Children of Disabled Workers: $389.93

How the July 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries

For the second month in a row, the July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report shows a massive drop in beneficiaries. Today, 56,000 fewer people are getting monthly SSD payments than we noted in June’s report. The children’s category saw the biggest losses, down by 31,000 this month. Disabled workers came second, losing 23,000 SSD beneficiaries in the last 30 days. For the first time since we started publishing these report updates, the spousal category fell significantly this month. At least 2,000 husbands and wives of disabled workers lost their benefits in July:

July 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics - Total Monthly Beneficiaries

While these numbers probably seem high to some readers, they represent all SSDI beneficiaries currently in active-payment status. In other words, these aren’t people who just got approved for disability within the last month. Overall, the SSA approved 73,448 new disability claims since May, according to the July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report. That includes 49,320 newly approved disabled workers, 2,404 spousal beneficiaries and 21,724 children. That last category includes 15,983 kids younger than 16, 1,457 disabled children and 4,284 students aged 17-19.

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

The July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report also includes average monthly payments for all categories. This month’s amounts show mixed results: Half got a raise, while the other half received pay cuts. Average SSD benefits for disabled workers went down just $.05 month-over-month. Children, however, lost $1.41 this month compared to June’s report. Spousal beneficiaries got paid $.27 more compared to last month. Nationwide, the average total SSD beneficiary payment rose $1.93 over the last 30 days.

July 2020 SSD Benefits Statistics - Monthly Monetary Average

Husbands of disabled workers qualified for $418.27/month, on average; for wives, it’s $378.56. Newly approved minor children received $380.87, on average. Disabled children qualified for $417.16 in SSD benefits. Students aged 17-19 qualified for $483.65/month in SSD benefits, on average.

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

The July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report also shows updated information for the SSI program. Every category lost SSI beneficiaries this month. We noted 16,000 fewer working-age SSI recipients compared to June’s report. The second-largest drop comes from the children’s category, with 10,000 recipients struck from this month’s rolls. Finally, about a thousand seniors aged 65 and older stopped getting SSI payments this month. Overall, that brings total SSI beneficiaries down by 28,000 in the last 30 days:

Total SSI beneficiaries: 8,028,000 (-28,000)

Children under 18 receiving SSI: 1,121,000 (-10,000)

SSI recipients aged 18-64: 4,612,000 (-16,000)

SSI recipients aged 65+: 2,295,000 (-1,000)

We noted very few SSI pay changes in the July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report. SSI payments to children went down $1.46/month compared to June. Seniors, however, got paid $.19 less in July, on average. Working-age SSI recipients got a slight pay increase this month. According to the July 2020 SSD benefits statistics report, average payments for that group went up $.56. That means the average SSI payment nationwide fell $.05 for July.

Applying for disability through a Social Security attorney makes you 3x more likely to get benefits approved right away. If you can’t afford to wait for much-needed benefits, we strongly recommend using legal assistance to file your claim.

Every disability lawyer in our network offers contingency-based help. This ensures that if the SSA doesn’t approve your application, you pay the lawyer $0 for helping you. And if you win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee. Those who apply with our legal assistance qualify for an average of $12,000 in lump-sum back pay. The SSA pays that amount in addition to monthly disability benefits.

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.