On Friday, President Biden fired Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Andrew Saul after he refused to submit his resignation. Deputy Commissioner David Black agreed to resign, which was accepted by the President. Biden appointed Kilolo Kijakazi as the Acting Commissioner, who was serving as the agency’s Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy. In an email to SSA employees on Friday, Kijakazi said “Over the past several months, I have gained great appreciation for SSA and I have witnessed the commitment you bring to public service each day.”  She thanked Saul ..read more

President Biden signed a bill today making Juneteenth a federal holiday, effective immediately. SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul emailed employees noting that all SSA offices will be closed tomorrow, June 18th. Saul also stated “This action is a call on the nation to reflect on the shameful and enduring legacy of slavery in our country. Please consider what we can all do to ensure systemic racism ends ..read more

Approval rates for those seeking disability benefits in FY2020 improved across most of the program, according to data provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA). In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Allsup, the agency reported that decision rates favored both initial applicants and those appealing for benefits at the reconsideration and hearing levels in 2020. Among initial applicants, 39% were awarded benefits in 2020, compared to 37% in 2019. Fourteen percent of claimants who received a decision at reconsideration were approved, one percent higher than the previ ..read more

President Biden announced his budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 including $14.2 billion for the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is an increase of $1.3 billion, or 9.7%, compared with the fiscal year 2021 enacted level. The increased funding is designed to improve disability determinations, outreach to communities, ensure proper payments and modernize technology at the federal agency, according to the administration. Of the funds, $895 million is targeted to SSA field offices, state Disability Determination Services (DDS) and teleservice centers for beneficiaries. The intention i ..read more

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed the outsized impact the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to control it had on workers with disabilities in 2020. In 2020, 29% of people with disabilities between age 16 and 64 were employed, slightly down from 30.9% in 2019. The unemployment rate for this same group was 13.4% in 2020 or a 5.4% increase over 2019. The data were collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of approximately 60,000 households that provides statistics about employment and unemployment. When comparing people with disabilities to ..read more

Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Andrew Saul announced key senior leadership changes as the new Biden administration transitioned into the White House yesterday. Most notable was the departure of Mark Warshawsky, Deputy Commissioner, The Office of Retirement and Disability Policy (ORDP), who was appointed to the position three and a half years ago.    The agency said he will be succeeded by Kilolo Kijakazi, a social insurance policy expert and relative SSA outsider. The ORDP leader has responsibility for SSA’s retirement and disability policy, its research division ..read more

The Social Security Administration (SSA) reported nationwide Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) awards declined another 10.5% in 2020 to 648,121, their lowest volume since 2000. SSDI awards have fallen 9 out of the past 10 years since peaking at 1,052,551 in 2010, a decline of 38%. Applications for SSDI benefits decreased by 83,627 (6.4%) to 1,226,236 in 2020. This is down 36 percent from 2010 when applications peaked at 1,926,398 ..read more

The Social Security Administration (SSA) issued a “Dear Colleague” notice yesterday announcing it will start mailing special notices to pending Social Security Disability Insurance applicants that explain hearing options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Claimants will be directed to choose from a telephone hearing, online video hearing, or both, according to the SSA. Other hearing witnesses, such as medical or vocational experts, will only participate by phone. According to the notice: “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of finding new ways to serve the public,” said Commissione ..read more

The Social Security Administration (SSA) today announced the cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be 1.3% in 2021. This is slightly lower than the 1.6% increase applied to benefits this year, and significantly lower than 2.8% and 2.0% the prior two years. Click here for a history of COLAs since 1975. The average monthly SSDI benefit will increase to $1,277 from $1,261, an increase of $16 (or $192 annually), according to SSA. The COLA is based on third-quarter results reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical ..read more

The United Spinal Association, a national advocacy organization, announced today it is suing the Social Security Administration, challenging the agency’s requirement of “wet signatures” for certain online disability benefits applications. United Spinal Association v. Andrew M. Saul seeks permanent declarative and injunctive relief from the signature requirements that affect SSDI and SSI claimants who retain disability representatives. United Spinal alleges the agency violates the Administrative Procedure Act by creating barriers to the complex disability program that violate longstanding fede ..read more