Social Security Faces Backlog of 1 Million Disability Applications

Persistent underfunding, an aging population, and workforce attrition created a perfect storm that resulted in significant delays in processing applications for Social Security disability benefits.
“The pandemic, combined with high attrition, created backlogs. Initial disability claims pending have now reached over 1 million,” Kilolo Kijakazi, acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), said at a forum hosted by the Urban Institute on April 11.
She spoke about the challenges of operating the agency of some 60,000 employees that oversees the retirement and disability benefits of more than 70 million Americans.
“For over a decade, SSA received insufficient funding from Congress to administer its programs. This resulted in hiring freezes,” Kijakazi said. “At the same time, the number of Social Security beneficiaries was rising.”…}