Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2015

Benefits Awarded, Withheld, and Terminated

Disabled Workers Who Work

Table 52. Distribution of workers with benefits withheld because of substantial work, by diagnostic group and age, December 2015
Diagnostic group Total Under 30 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–FRA
  Number
Total 39,103 4,000 8,551 9,748 12,012 4,792
Congenital anomalies 94 32 33 20 9 0
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 718 63 123 193 229 110
Infectious and parasitic diseases 882 37 174 287 308 76
Injuries 2,167 233 554 480 639 261
Mental disorders  
Autistic disorders 249 166 61 14 8 0
Developmental disorders 76 31 27 12 6 0
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 110 61 30 10 6 3
Intellectual disability 1,202 451 403 219 117 12
Mood disorders 6,573 601 1,816 2,049 1,716 391
Organic mental disorders 1,197 254 321 269 269 84
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 1,687 235 612 445 331 64
Other 2,041 304 721 577 361 78
Neoplasms 4,205 284 612 880 1,711 718
Diseases of the—  
Blood and blood-forming organs 323 95 103 57 45 23
Circulatory system 1,762 54 186 404 663 455
Digestive system 923 57 176 211 332 147
Genitourinary system 1,633 128 430 511 444 120
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 7,929 211 766 1,780 3,391 1,781
Nervous system and sense organs 4,279 631 1,218 1,089 1,052 289
Respiratory system 543 27 66 97 229 124
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 115 13 28 32 29 13
Other 113 12 25 35 32 9
Unknown 282 20 66 77 85 34
  Percent
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Congenital anomalies 0.2 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.0
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 1.8 1.6 1.4 2.0 1.9 2.3
Infectious and parasitic diseases 2.3 0.9 2.0 2.9 2.6 1.6
Injuries 5.5 5.8 6.5 4.9 5.3 5.4
Mental disorders  
Autistic disorders 0.6 4.2 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.0
Developmental disorders 0.2 0.8 0.3 0.1 (L) 0.0
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 0.3 1.5 0.4 0.1 (L) 0.1
Intellectual disability 3.1 11.3 4.7 2.2 1.0 0.3
Mood disorders 16.8 15.0 21.2 21.0 14.3 8.2
Organic mental disorders 3.1 6.4 3.8 2.8 2.2 1.8
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 4.3 5.9 7.2 4.6 2.8 1.3
Other 5.2 7.6 8.4 5.9 3.0 1.6
Neoplasms 10.8 7.1 7.2 9.0 14.2 15.0
Diseases of the—  
Blood and blood-forming organs 0.8 2.4 1.2 0.6 0.4 0.5
Circulatory system 4.5 1.4 2.2 4.1 5.5 9.5
Digestive system 2.4 1.4 2.1 2.2 2.8 3.1
Genitourinary system 4.2 3.2 5.0 5.2 3.7 2.5
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 20.3 5.3 9.0 18.3 28.2 37.2
Nervous system and sense organs 10.9 15.8 14.2 11.2 8.8 6.0
Respiratory system 1.4 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.9 2.6
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3
Other 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2
Unknown 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTES: These data represent the total number of beneficiaries with benefits withheld in December 2015 regardless of when their benefits were initially withheld.
FRA = full retirement age; (L) = less than 0.05 percent.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 53. Distribution of workers with benefits terminated because of successful return to work, by diagnostic group and age, 2015
Diagnostic group Total Under 30 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–FRA
  Number
Total 39,652 3,044 9,601 11,277 11,498 4,232
Congenital anomalies 138 26 63 27 18 4
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 759 43 148 226 231 111
Infectious and parasitic diseases 1,199 27 203 451 439 79
Injuries 1,927 150 465 494 567 251
Mental disorders  
Autistic disorders 237 138 79 16 4 0
Developmental disorders 144 45 66 18 (X) (X)
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 128 43 59 20 (X) (X)
Intellectual disability 2,803 582 1,161 632 378 50
Mood disorders 7,984 462 2,120 2,607 2,255 540
Organic mental disorders 1,373 201 379 364 336 93
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 2,112 128 715 680 497 92
Other 2,090 192 729 655 427 87
Neoplasms 2,229 122 345 492 872 398
Diseases of the—  
Blood and blood-forming organs 349 83 140 77 37 12
Circulatory system 1,479 25 176 363 547 368
Digestive system 750 35 159 195 253 108
Genitourinary system 1,479 94 375 521 390 99
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 6,847 130 655 1,787 2,804 1,471
Nervous system and sense organs 4,484 438 1,343 1,352 1,065 286
Respiratory system 506 24 82 127 171 102
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 123 8 35 34 35 11
Other 121 19 29 32 31 10
Unknown 391 29 75 107 (X) (X)
  Percent
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Congenital anomalies 0.3 0.9 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.1
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 1.9 1.4 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.6
Infectious and parasitic diseases 3.0 0.9 2.1 4.0 3.8 1.9
Injuries 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.4 4.9 5.9
Mental disorders  
Autistic disorders 0.6 4.5 0.8 0.1 (L) 0.0
Developmental disorders 0.4 1.5 0.7 0.2 (X) (X)
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 0.3 1.4 0.6 0.2 (X) (X)
Intellectual disability 7.1 19.1 12.1 5.6 3.3 1.2
Mood disorders 20.1 15.2 22.1 23.1 19.6 12.8
Organic mental disorders 3.5 6.6 3.9 3.2 2.9 2.2
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 5.3 4.2 7.4 6.0 4.3 2.2
Other 5.3 6.3 7.6 5.8 3.7 2.1
Neoplasms 5.6 4.0 3.6 4.4 7.6 9.4
Diseases of the—  
Blood and blood-forming organs 0.9 2.7 1.5 0.7 0.3 0.3
Circulatory system 3.7 0.8 1.8 3.2 4.8 8.7
Digestive system 1.9 1.1 1.7 1.7 2.2 2.6
Genitourinary system 3.7 3.1 3.9 4.6 3.4 2.3
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 17.3 4.3 6.8 15.8 24.4 34.8
Nervous system and sense organs 11.3 14.4 14.0 12.0 9.3 6.8
Respiratory system 1.3 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.5 2.4
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3
Other 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2
Unknown 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.9 (X) (X)
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Because of differences in data sources and calculation methods, statistics reported in this table may differ from those reported by the Office of the Chief Actuary.
FRA = full retirement age; (X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals; (L) = less than 0.05 percent.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 54. Average monthly benefit for workers with benefits withheld because of substantial work, by diagnostic group and age, December 2015 (in dollars)
Diagnostic group Total Under 30 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–FRA
Total 1,333.38 981.25 1,205.20 1,333.01 1,459.69 1,540.17
Congenital anomalies 1,184.34 1,000.08 1,194.61 1,361.95 1,407.18 0.00
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 1,248.10 1,028.99 1,206.68 1,178.34 1,319.28 1,394.14
Infectious and parasitic diseases 1,311.40 1,015.65 1,174.63 1,322.09 1,358.67 1,536.53
Injuries 1,467.97 1,160.04 1,396.83 1,451.11 1,586.10 1,635.66
Mental disorders  
Autistic disorders 875.53 831.72 955.19 963.71 1,022.80 0.00
Developmental disorders 899.83 800.40 969.92 1,073.69 750.47 0.00
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 973.42 889.17 949.67 1,284.02 1,285.90 1,263.90
Intellectual disability 919.21 850.43 954.87 956.81 975.79 1,068.72
Mood disorders 1,237.01 909.18 1,138.99 1,257.32 1,373.19 1,492.12
Organic mental disorders 1,259.08 950.40 1,180.34 1,294.81 1,517.98 1,549.83
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 1,113.34 907.43 1,056.93 1,184.40 1,260.62 1,153.06
Other 1,206.65 1,018.49 1,185.35 1,249.49 1,325.04 1,272.10
Neoplasms 1,588.53 1,116.81 1,424.34 1,617.44 1,668.03 1,690.17
Diseases of the—  
Blood and blood-forming organs 1,303.85 1,059.37 1,255.23 1,384.22 1,560.40 1,830.25
Circulatory system 1,462.06 1,060.82 1,314.72 1,389.24 1,513.67 1,559.34
Digestive system 1,490.99 1,032.36 1,288.34 1,491.93 1,569.06 1,733.78
Genitourinary system 1,440.99 1,084.68 1,267.59 1,445.56 1,630.06 1,723.42
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 1,366.84 1,102.38 1,245.63 1,303.07 1,388.39 1,472.99
Nervous system and sense organs 1,324.70 997.14 1,243.88 1,372.72 1,498.78 1,565.89
Respiratory system 1,361.45 964.43 1,158.87 1,245.36 1,427.73 1,524.13
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 1,262.17 887.38 1,098.58 1,245.99 1,497.21 1,504.77
Other 1,332.71 1,104.05 1,108.18 1,303.05 1,491.44 1,812.30
Unknown 1,309.38 1,177.04 1,084.67 1,359.04 1,374.95 1,547.06
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTE: FRA = full retirement age.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 55. Average monthly benefit for workers with benefits terminated because of successful return to work, by diagnostic group and age, 2015 (in dollars)
Diagnostic group Total Under 30 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–FRA
Total 1,217.46 1,025.61 1,123.69 1,194.08 1,302.00 1,400.77
Congenital anomalies 1,135.35 979.34 1,096.92 1,265.29 1,299.12 1,140.55
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases 1,172.99 1,089.00 1,145.93 1,145.16 1,197.73 1,246.76
Infectious and parasitic diseases 1,230.24 1,103.86 1,163.47 1,208.83 1,262.52 1,387.82
Injuries 1,366.12 1,184.66 1,340.20 1,351.66 1,431.80 1,402.65
Mental disorders  
Autistic disorders 930.75 903.22 963.28 998.18 968.23 0.00
Developmental disorders 961.88 998.33 947.69 839.74 (X) (X)
Childhood and adolescent disorders not elsewhere classified 993.99 996.93 978.63 932.66 (X) (X)
Intellectual disability 927.60 917.26 928.82 922.99 912.10 1,195.11
Mood disorders 1,163.47 984.88 1,111.47 1,144.18 1,238.91 1,298.57
Organic mental disorders 1,170.74 1,031.77 1,081.55 1,209.97 1,235.81 1,445.87
Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders 1,062.01 1,004.40 1,033.92 1,081.53 1,078.88 1,124.94
Other 1,136.49 999.11 1,119.96 1,118.57 1,228.20 1,262.91
Neoplasms 1,538.75 1,213.67 1,409.14 1,506.87 1,592.88 1,671.55
Diseases of the—  
Blood and blood-forming organs 1,130.90 1,000.86 1,068.63 1,131.76 1,431.22 1,825.40
Circulatory system 1,343.35 1,200.63 1,183.83 1,265.87 1,377.96 1,454.30
Digestive system 1,384.82 1,162.68 1,316.84 1,326.90 1,422.22 1,573.85
Genitourinary system 1,357.81 1,154.52 1,240.87 1,328.20 1,512.51 1,540.23
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 1,282.69 1,123.21 1,183.07 1,236.79 1,301.03 1,361.93
Nervous system and sense organs 1,228.69 1,076.02 1,160.07 1,215.17 1,327.05 1,482.37
Respiratory system 1,189.30 1,025.88 1,067.40 1,110.05 1,224.33 1,365.68
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 1,120.56 1,165.35 1,045.60 1,120.56 1,165.99 1,182.00
Other 1,268.64 1,179.42 1,126.59 1,215.73 1,459.06 1,429.14
Unknown 1,216.14 1,001.38 1,136.71 1,172.73 (X) (X)
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Because of differences in data sources and calculation methods, statistics reported in this table may differ from those reported by the Office of the Chief Actuary.
FRA = full retirement age; (X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 56. Distribution, by state or other area, 2015
State or area All workers, December Workers with benefits withheld because of substantial work, December Workers with benefits terminated because of successful return to work, calendar year
Number Percentage of all workers Number Percentage of all workers
All areas 8,909,430 39,103 0.4 39,652 0.4
Alabama 234,229 503 0.2 615 0.3
Alaska 12,620 131 1.0 93 0.7
Arizona 155,862 627 0.4 737 0.5
Arkansas 140,027 390 0.3 472 0.3
California 699,241 3,794 0.5 3,686 0.5
Colorado 105,960 593 0.6 496 0.5
Connecticut 81,784 392 0.5 409 0.5
Delaware 27,385 140 0.5 146 0.5
District of Columbia 14,612 115 0.8 143 1.0
Florida 565,238 1,789 0.3 1,961 0.3
Georgia 285,889 819 0.3 1,131 0.4
Hawaii 22,800 141 0.6 129 0.6
Idaho 44,090 183 0.4 198 0.4
Illinois 288,827 1,325 0.5 1,531 0.5
Indiana 208,908 659 0.3 717 0.3
Iowa 78,222 444 0.6 416 0.5
Kansas 74,677 348 0.5 376 0.5
Kentucky 206,175 561 0.3 569 0.3
Louisiana 157,310 806 0.5 980 0.6
Maine 58,476 269 0.5 264 0.5
Maryland 131,074 827 0.6 831 0.6
Massachusetts 205,060 1,612 0.8 1,382 0.7
Michigan 350,684 1,177 0.3 1,275 0.4
Minnesota 126,390 916 0.7 904 0.7
Mississippi 131,143 296 0.2 377 0.3
Missouri 220,596 847 0.4 817 0.4
Montana 27,848 127 0.5 128 0.5
Nebraska 42,162 247 0.6 255 0.6
Nevada 65,211 280 0.4 314 0.5
New Hampshire 48,223 413 0.9 315 0.7
New Jersey 202,497 1,169 0.6 977 0.5
New Mexico 65,167 279 0.4 343 0.5
New York 510,196 3,110 0.6 2,657 0.5
North Carolina 330,353 827 0.3 1,062 0.3
North Dakota 13,917 122 0.9 161 1.2
Ohio 356,826 1,369 0.4 1,331 0.4
Oklahoma 127,565 504 0.4 571 0.4
Oregon 109,815 400 0.4 366 0.3
Pennsylvania 407,320 2,017 0.5 1,893 0.5
Rhode Island 37,476 174 0.5 160 0.4
South Carolina 178,822 420 0.2 518 0.3
South Dakota 19,212 129 0.7 117 0.6
Tennessee 251,021 576 0.2 730 0.3
Texas 569,586 3,573 0.6 3,760 0.7
Utah 47,923 305 0.6 270 0.6
Vermont 22,565 155 0.7 125 0.6
Virginia 212,711 838 0.4 909 0.4
Washington 179,674 1,140 0.6 891 0.5
West Virginia 91,995 248 0.3 263 0.3
Wisconsin 161,864 765 0.5 667 0.4
Wyoming 13,252 94 0.7 90 0.7
Outlying areas  
Puerto Rico 173,131 85 (L) 87 0.1
Other a 15,819 33 0.2 37 0.2
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Because of differences in data sources and calculation methods, statistics reported in this table may differ from those reported by the Office of the Chief Actuary.
(L) = less than 0.05 percent.
a. Includes American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and foreign countries.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 57. Distribution, by sex and age, 2015
Age group All workers, December Workers with benefits withheld because of substantial work, December Workers with benefits terminated because of successful return to work, calendar year
Number Percentage of all workers Number Percentage of all workers
  All disabled workers
Total 8,909,430 39,103 0.4 39,652 0.4
Under 30 169,948 4,000 2.4 3,044 1.8
30–39 686,650 8,551 1.2 9,601 1.4
40–49 1,426,539 9,748 0.7 11,277 0.8
50–59 3,627,437 12,012 0.3 11,498 0.3
60–FRA 2,998,856 4,792 0.2 4,232 0.1
  Men
Subtotal 4,581,300 22,362 0.5 20,635 0.5
Under 30 98,332 2,551 2.6 1,947 2.0
30–39 358,529 5,082 1.4 5,246 1.5
40–49 710,402 5,139 0.7 5,477 0.8
50–59 1,845,243 6,691 0.4 5,759 0.3
60–FRA 1,568,794 2,899 0.2 2,206 0.1
  Women
Subtotal 4,328,130 16,741 0.4 19,017 0.4
Under 30 71,616 1,449 2.0 1,097 1.5
30–39 328,121 3,469 1.1 4,355 1.3
40–49 716,137 4,609 0.6 5,800 0.8
50–59 1,782,194 5,321 0.3 5,739 0.3
60–FRA 1,430,062 1,893 0.1 2,026 0.1
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Because of differences in data sources and calculation methods, statistics reported in this table may differ from those reported by the Office of the Chief Actuary.
FRA = full retirement age.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 58. Work-incentive utilization among disabled workers, 2010–2014
Work-incentive category 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 a
Workers who participated in a trial work period (TWP) 196,117 219,944 231,462 221,054 200,783
Started a TWP 114,173 126,298 128,036 117,965 101,306
Completed a TWP 68,176 79,231 86,209 84,096 79,929
Workers with at least 1 suspension month because of earnings above the substantial gainful activity level
Extended period of eligibility 108,942 106,941 111,250 113,400 115,121
Initial reinstatement period 5,358 5,914 5,997 5,450 4,291
Favorable decision on expedited reinstatement request 12,558 12,242 11,049 9,732 7,685
Workers using miscellaneous work incentives for at least 1 month
Impairment-related work expenses 10,222 10,831 11,604 10,708 9,083
Subsidies 23,024 23,678 23,903 22,523 19,901
Special conditions 4,308 4,018 3,969 3,399 2,875
Unsuccessful work attempts b 6,552 8,540 12,560 15,363 14,932
SOURCE: Disability Control Research File, August 2016.
a. Approximately 10 percent of work-related continuing disability reviews (CDRs) for earnings in 2014 are still in progress; all other years are subject to change because of work-related CDR processing that may address work activity in previous years.
b. For the 2010–2011 period, there are missing data for unsuccessful work attempts in the administrative files because of a systems issue.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.