The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced changes to occupation requirements when applying for disability benefits.
Announced on Monday, June 24, the SSA said it would remove obsolete or seldom performed occupations from a list of jobs that disabled applicants for the Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. The list includes jobs like reptile farmer, canary breeder and railroad telegrapher.
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The list of professions, from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, is used to determine whether a benefit applicant could find another job based on their abilities, which could result in a rejection of benefits on the basis of being determined "not disabled." In all, 114 jobs are being dropped from the list.
The agency also identified 13 DOT occupations, including dance hall host, nut sorter and magnetic tape winder, where "federal courts have questioned supporting evidence of a 'not disabled' finding." The SSA said it is implementing additional evidence requirements for these jobs.
An SSA spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek that the changes became effective as of June 22, 2024.
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The list was originally compiled by the Department of Labor, but according to The Washington Post, it was abandoned several decades ago due to the economy's shift away from blue-collar manufacturing. However, the SSA still relies on the list during the final stages of the application process.
"While the agency's disability decision process remains sound, it continually seeks improvements to ensure its disability programs remain current and to ease the burden on customers," the SSA said in the release. The government agency added that it "anticipates that, as a result, it will only consider the most relevant occupations when determining if someone applying for disability benefits could perform other types of work."
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"It makes sense to identify occupations that now exist in very limited numbers in the national economy," said Martin O'Malley, commissioner of Social Security. "By making this update, our decision-makers will no longer cite these jobs when denying a disability application."
The move has been praised by some on social media. The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy said the update was "important" and "will ease life for millions."
"This is HUGE. More work to be done but HUGE especially for disabled people of color who are more likely to be denied. Hoping for immediate relief for the thousands in court now!" activist and scholar Dr. T. Anansi Wilson posted on X, formerly Twitter.
SSDI supports individuals who are disabled and have a qualifying work history, either through their own employment or a family member. SSI is for those with a qualifying disability and very low- to no-income.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
