Applying for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a challenging and long process. Nationally, only about 35% of initial applications were approved in 2022. At the first appeal stage (reconsideration) about 13% of applications were approved. At a court hearing, which is the second and generally last appeal stage, about 54% of claims were approved. However, the odds of approval also varied greatly by state in 2022. To better understand the chances of winning your Social Security disability claim, Atticus compared approval rates at every stage of the process and across all 50 states.

Why do disability approval rates vary by state?

Even though SSDI and SSI are both federal programs, where you live impacts your chances of approval because application reviews and appeals are handled at state or local levels. After submitting your initial application, your state's Disability Determination Services (DDS) will review your medical eligibility. DDS uses the same evaluation process in every state, but medical approval rates range from as low as 30% in Washington, D.C., to as high as 51% in New Hampshire. If your initial claim is denied, you can file for reconsideration. This is the first stage of appeal and involves DDS and SSA going over your application again. About 90% of claims are denied again at the reconsideration phase, but rates for medical approval (meaning your state DDS decided you meet the medical requirements to get disability) range from 11% in Colorado up to 26% in New Hampshire. If your reconsideration is denied, you can move to the next appeal stage — a court hearing in front of a disability judge. Your hearing will usually be held at an SSA office within your state. Most judges are also local since they only hear cases in a single office. Based on a previous Atticus study, disability judge approval rates vary significantly across the country. At the national level, judges approved claims in 54% of hearings. But going state by state, approval rates range from a low of 22% in Hawaii to a high of 54% in New Mexico. Looking at individual judges, some approved only 10% of cases while others approved over 90% of cases. Read more: Survey: Crisis of confidence in Social Security system

Social Security disability approval rates by state

The slideshow above breaks down state approval rates for SSDI and SSI. Note that the rates for initial applications and reconsiderations use what the SSA calls allowance rate. An allowance means the person was medically approved, though they may still be denied if they don't meet technical requirements (like not having enough work history to qualify for SSDI). Nationally in the past decade, the final award rate (medical and technical qualification) was about 10% lower than the allowance rate. The rates for hearings represent full approvals. Sarah Aitchison is an attorney with Atticus.