The Social Security Administration (SSA) is making a major change to its list of occupations used to assess the work capacity of disability benefit applicants. The agency is updating its occupations database and eliminating 114 positions that have either been replaced by machines or relocated abroad, which will affect disability benefit eligibility [f2f5d359]. This decision comes after a report in December 2022 revealed how the outdated list was blocking many claimants who were unable to work from receiving vital monthly disability checks [28ecde65][f2f5d359].
The SSA's Disability Determination Process will now consider only the most relevant occupations when assessing an applicant's ability to work in other fields. The change is expected to bring immediate improvements to the disability benefits process [f2f5d359]. Disabled Americans have praised the change, as it will provide a more accurate assessment of an applicant's work capacity and eligibility for disability benefits [f2f5d359].
The update to the jobs list is a step towards a more modern and accurate assessment of an applicant's work capacity. However, some conservatives argue that many disabled individuals are capable of modern computer work and should be denied benefits [28ecde65][f2f5d359]. The impact on the disability community may not be easily undone, but the SSA is expected to implement the change quickly to allow new candidates to qualify for disability benefits [f2f5d359].
July is designated as Disability Pride Month in the US, with around 42.5 million Americans with disabilities. The change in the disability benefits process aligns with the spirit of Disability Pride Month and aims to provide fair and accurate assessments for disability benefit applicants [f2f5d359].