Most disability claims get denied. Here's why — and what Social Security is actually looking for.

Navigating the application process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be difficult. People wait around six months on average just to get a first decision, according to the latest available government data.

Even then, that initial decision is more often than not a ‘no.’ Among claims filed from 2014 through 2023, 68% were denied, according to the latest available government data, either on medical grounds or for technical reasons, such as not having worked recently enough to be insured.

And approval doesn’t mean payment straight away: benefits don’t begin until five months after the date Social Security decides a disability started — a waiting period that often overlaps with the time a claim spends under review, though not always.

The bipartisanWe Can’t Wait Act, introduced by Rep. Carol Miller of West Virginia and Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York on Sept. 2, aims to address that wait by allowing SSDI beneficiaries to receive payments immediately in exchange for a “modestly reduced” monthly benefit. The bill has been backed by more than two dozen organizations as part of the We Can’t Wait Coalition, including the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR). 

However, some disability rights groups have raised concerns, including The Arc of the United States, a leading nonprofit advocating for and supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It tells Yahoo News that any benefit cuts would “leave many SSDI beneficiaries worse off in the long run.”

Here’s what applicants should know when filing a claim.

Why is the approval rate for SSDI so low?

About 18% to 21% of SSDI applicants have their initial claims approved, according to the Social Security Administration‘s latest analysis of applicants from 2014 to 2023.

SSDI applicants face the challenge of not just proving that they are disabled, but also that their condition has kept them from working, or is expected to keep them from working, for at least 12 months, or that it is terminal. People need to prove they qualify on both medical grounds (for example, their condition is severe enough) and technical reasons (that they have worked enough to be eligible).

“The low initial approval rate likely reflects the complexity of proving both medical and non-medical eligibility,” Shannon Benton, the executive director of the Senior Citizens League, told Yahoo News. “Claims may be denied when medical evidence is incomplete or does not clearly establish the severity and functional impact of a condition.”

The lengthy application asks for details about an applicant’s medical conditions, their last five years of work history and their medical providers. But even a carefully completed form may not capture what Social Security is really looking for.

“Many initial applications do not contain enough evidence about the claimant’s functional limitations,” said Kelly Blad, president of the National Association of Disability Representatives (NADR), whose membership includes nearly 700 disability representatives nationwide. “Medical records may document diagnoses, medications and treatment, but say very little about how long the person can sit, stand or walk; whether they can concentrate and remain on task; how often they would miss work; or whether they can function reliably five days a week.”

That burden of proof falls hardest on people who may struggle to carry it. “So even folks who really should qualify will often answer a question wrong, or fail to get the right records in at the right time,” Stephanie Akpa, head of policy and public affairs at Atticus, a company that connects disability applicants with lawyers and helps people apply for and win disability benefits, told Yahoo News. “If there’s a shadow of a doubt that you qualify, the agency will generally deny you and then expect it to get sorted out on appeal.”

Which conditions get rejected?

In August, the SSA took steps to speed up SSDI decisions for people with particularly serious issues, adding 14 conditions to the existing 300 on itsCompassionate Allowances list, a fast-track program that applies to both SSDI and SSI.

While the additions were welcomed by disability advocates, not all conditions are treated equally by the SSDI system. People with conditions that fluctuate or rely on symptoms that are hard to measure objectively tend to face tougher odds at a successful application.

“These may include chronic pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, long COVID, mental health conditions and disorders involving fatigue,” Blad said. “These conditions can be profoundly disabling, but their effects may not be fully reflected in laboratory testing or a brief medical examination.”

Other conditions, due to their severity, are significantly more likely to be approved.

“If you have ALS, Alzheimer’s, metastatic cancer, or a recent heart transplant, the system understands that you almost certainly can’t work, and, barring paperwork errors or missed records, folks generally get approved,” Akpa said.

This is not as clear-cut when it comes to conditions that vary in severity for each person.

“Where it’s hard is conditions that are moderate for some people but utterly debilitating for others, like early-stage cancers, back problems, diabetes, and really any mental health condition,” Akpa said.

Mental health claims also fall into this category, which can lead to complications, Blad said. Mental disorders made up 13.5% of all disabled-worker awards in 2024, according toSSA data, despite being one of the most common conditions among applicants.

“The condition itself may make it hard to seek care, keep appointments, complete paperwork or communicate effectively,” Blad said. “Unfortunately, those gaps can be interpreted as evidence that the condition is not severe.”

What can applicants do?

While there’s no guaranteed path to approval, experts say thorough documentation, awareness of fast-track options, legal representation and persistence if denied can strengthen an applicant’s case.

“Applicants can generally improve their chances by providing thorough medical documentation, responding promptly to SSA requests and seeking qualified assistance if their claim is denied,” Benton said.

Details are also key. Blad said applicants should ask treating providers to document functional limitations, not just diagnoses, detailing bad days and the help they need from others. She added that applicants should notify SSA immediately if they have a terminal illness or another exceptionally serious condition, as some claims may qualify for expedited processing through programs such asCompassionate Allowances.

Darcy Milburn, social security and health care policy director at The Arc, said that claimants should seek legal help if they feel they need it during the process. 

“The complexity of the SSDI application process is an enormous barrier to accessing urgently needed benefits. It can be extremely difficult for someone to get through the application process without the assistance of a lawyer.”

Above all, experts caution that a denial isn’t automatically the end of the road. Applicants generally have 60 days to appeal and should do so rather than start over, Blad said.

“In fact, folks who get denied and do appeal, with legal representation, have a higher than 50% success rate, higher than any other appellate system we as lawyers know of,” Akpa said.