Do You Get Disability? The SSA Is Using AI to Decide

How Artificial Intelligence Impacts Your SSDI Application

As a Memphis Social Security disability attorney, I know firsthand how much people rely on the Social Security Administration (SSA) for their futures. And as technology evolves, the process for getting disability will evolve with it. As one example, the question of “Do you get disability and, if so, when?” has in recent years depended, in part, on AI.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be an extremely powerful tool for sifting through information quickly. And as a result, the SSA uses it in increasing ways to help them figure out who qualifies for disability as quickly as they can.

So how does AI impact your disability claim? And how can you make sure your application gets past the bots?

How Is the SSA Using AI Technology to Consider Applications?

The SSA currently uses two AI systems to sort through initial claims: Quick Disability Determinations (QDD) and Compassionate Allowances (CAL).

According to the SSA, these technologies help them “identify claimants with the most severe disabilities and allow us to expedite our decisions on those cases while maintaining accuracy.”

You should consider these systems similar to job search websites. A human being in HR doesn’t read your résumé as the first step. Instead, bots go through, looking for key words and phrases and checking to make sure your application is complete. Using this method, it can throw out hundreds of applications before a human ever sees a single one.

The SSA also says their tech helps them find “cases where a favorable disability determination is highly likely and medical evidence is readily available.” In other words, their bot tells them when an application has full and clear information with highly specific terminology.

What This Means If You Need SSDI

First, despite the SSA’s promises, this technology doesn’t necessarily speed things up. It’s possible, but you should still expect months of wait time as they process your initial application.

In my experience as a Memphis SSDI lawyer, I haven’t seen the rise of AI technology correlate with faster processing time at the SSA. In fact, due to budget and staff cuts, it’s usually been the opposite.

However, it continues to support what we’ve always known about your SSDI application: you need to be as accurate and complete as possible on your first try to have the highest chance of success.

For years, this meant completing a robust application so the humans reading it would easily understand your need. Now, those first readers might be bots, but the process on your end hasn’t changed.

Do You Get SSDI? A Better Chance with the Right Help

If you need SSDI, focus first on creating a fantastic initial application. We’ve developed a free report, called An Honest Guide to Disability, that will help you prepare. And we’re always here if you have questions.

That said, the SSA denies the majority of applications. This is true whether or not it makes it through the first round of AI. It’s a completely normal result, and it shouldn’t shock or scare you. Instead, you should focus on the next step:

If the SSA denies your initial claim, you have exactly 60 days to file an appeal.

For this part of the process, you really need an attorney. It’s critical you have someone look over your initial application who can help you understand what might be missing and provide the resources to strengthen your claim. We do that, and more. We gather expert testimony and witnesses as necessary, represent you at the hearing, and communicate with you and the courts every step of the way.

What’s more, we don’t get paid a penny unless and until we win your case. And even then, it’s only a fraction of your past-due benefits. That means you keep every dollar you make in SSDI benefits moving forward.

Remember, you only have 60 days to appeal. So if you’ve been denied SSDI, reach us online or call us at 901-327-2100. We look forward to helping you.