Income at Risk: Unemployment Slows For Some, But Not People with Disabilities, Allsup Finds
January 26th, 2012 | 
Author: Belleville, IL (PRWEB) April 20, 2011
During first quarter 2011, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities continued to significantly outpace the unemployment rate for other workers, according to the quarterly Allsup Disability Study: Income at Risk. Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation and Medicare services.
The Allsup study shows people with disabilities experienced an unemployment rate approximately 60 percent higher than people with no disabilities for the first quarter 2011. Specifically, the unemployment rate for the first quarter averaged 14.9 percent for people with disabilities, compared to 9.3 percent for others, according to non-seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Since the BLS began reporting unemployment rates for people with disabilities nearly three years ago, the lowest unemployment rate reported for people with disabilities was 11.1 percent, recorded in November 2008. In comparison, the highest unemployment rate for people with no disabilities during this time period topped out at 10.4 percent in January 2010.
“People with disabilities often face a significantly greater challenge in locating and maintaining employment,” said Paul Gada, personal financial planning director for the Allsup Disability Life Planning Center. “Their health conditions may make it difficult to continue working for extended periods of time, causing them to come in and out of the job market. As their conditions worsen, ultimately, hundreds of thousands find it is impossible to return to the work force.”
The BLS also reported that 45.5 percent of those individuals unemployed in March had been jobless for 27 weeks or more. This compares to 44 percent who had been jobless for 27 weeks or more during March 2010.
Number of New SSDI Claims Begins to Stabilize
The Allsup Disability Study: Income at Risk also shows that during first quarter 2011, the number of people with disabilities unable to work and applying for SSDI increased to 720,119, up just 1 percent compared with first quarter 2010. An estimated 1.8 million SSDI claims are pending in the Social Security review process with an average cumulative wait time of more than 880 days.
“It’s not easy to apply for Social Security disability benefits and many people experience significant financial hardship, including bankruptcy and foreclosure, while waiting years to receive their SSDI benefits,” Gada said.
Knowing if and when to apply for SSDI benefits are two important and complex decisions facing people with serious health conditions. “People with disabilities often wait longer than they should because they don’t understand the guidelines and their eligibility, and they haven’t sought the professional representation that could get them their benefits more quickly,” Gada said. “This can prolong their wait for the income provided by SSDI and add to their financial burdens.”
On the flipside, other individuals may be applying for Social Security benefits without meeting the guidelines. This further contributes to the delay experienced by those who do qualify for benefits.
SSDI Guidelines and Process
Generally, applicants are considered disabled by the Social Security Administration if:
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