WASHINGTON, DC — It's not good news for those waiting for Social Security disability benefits; over 1 million new applications are pending review as of March 2023.
According to USAFacts, which compiled the data, this is the highest number they've seen since 2008 when they first analyzed these numbers.
What this means is that an estimated 8,000 applicants file for bankruptcy nationwide and 10,000 die each year waiting for a decision, with no financial assistance before an application is approved.
The last time the benefits backlog was this high was in August 2010.
Utah has the 16th worst backlog in the country, with applications waiting to be processed up 63 percent from 2019 to 2022.
Applications have remained fairly consistent, but the processing time has nearly doubled from four months to nearly 7.5 months, largely due to a lack of employees at the state level and reduced funding.
SSA lost roughly seven percent of its workforce during the pandemic, but attrition rates at the agency are 25 percent, causing their lowest staffing in 25 years.
To address the staffing shortfall, the agency requested $800 million from Congress to handle the backlog.
