If you become disabled under the statutory definition that the Social Security Administration must follow, the Administration helps you meet your basic needs and maintain a higher quality of life. The Social Security Administration administers disability benefits through two programs: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. In both programs, the Administration follows a five-step process to determine if an adult has a qualifying disability.
In response to President Biden’s Executive Order on “Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government,” the Administration is proud to announce changes that will reduce the administrative burden on claimants and help eligible individuals with disabilities access government benefits and services. On April 18, 2024, the Social Security Administration published a final rule, “Interim Improvements to the Disability Determination Process: Including How Past Work Will Be Considered.”
The final rule announces updates that will improve the disability benefits application process and reduce the time applicants wait for a decision. The new rule streamlines step 4 of the process, which evaluates whether someone applying for disability benefits can perform any of their “past relevant work.”
“This new rule will reduce the burden and time applicants face when completing information about their employment history, making it easier for applicants to focus on the most current and relevant details about their past employment history,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said. “It will also improve the quality of information frontline workers receive to make decisions, improving customer service and reducing case processing times and overall wait times.”
Under the final rule, starting June 22, 2024, the agency will only look at five years of past work when determining past relevant work. Previous policy required individuals to provide detailed information about their work history over a 15-year period, which was difficult for individuals to remember and often led to incomplete or inaccurate reporting. The agency will also no longer consider past work that began and ended within 30 calendar days. The new rule will make it easier for people applying for benefits by providing enough information to continue to make accurate determinations while focusing on the most recent relevant work activity.
This final rule is one of several regulatory updates that the Social Security Administration is issuing to improve disability programs. The Administration recently announced that it will reduce barriers to accessing the SSI program by updating the definition of a public assistance household (see Social Security Administration Updates Public Assistance Definition to Expand Access to SSI Program on ssa.gov). The Administration also announced that it will exclude food costs from the calculation of SSI benefits (see Social Security Administration Eliminates Barriers to Access SSI Benefits on ssa.gov). Additionally, the Administration announced that it will expand as a national policy the exception for rent assistance that currently applies only to SSI applicants and recipients who reside in seven states (see Social Security Administration Expands SSI Rent Assistance Policy on ssa.gov).
We continually review our program policies and make regulatory and quasi-regulatory changes as needed. For more information about the SSDI and SSI programs, including who is eligible, how to apply, and how the Social Security Administration determines disability, visit ssa.gov and Disability | SSA at ssa.gov.
To read the final rule, “Intermediate Improvements to the Disability Adjudication Process, Including How We Consider Past Work,” visit Federal Register :: Intermediate Improvements to the Disability Adjudication Process, Including How We Consider Past Work at federalregister.gov.
