Nearly 30,000 Americans died waiting for Social Security benefit decision

Nearly 30,000 Americans died waiting for their Social Security benefit decision last year, according to Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley.

O’Malley said that the 30,000 was a “small percentage” of the average number of people waiting for a decision but it “remains imperative that we issue decisions faster at every level,” during testimony before the Senate Budget Committee.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is serving more Americans than ever, as record numbers of Baby Boomers retire and lean on the agency for monthly benefits.

That, on top of Americans waiting for disability decisions, has caused large processing backlogs that result in thousands of Americans dying before ever hearing back about their Social Security decision.

“The Social Security disability process is one area where the consequences of systemic failures can be truly devastating,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of michaelryanmoney.com, told Newsweek.

Ryan said the 30,000 represent a “tragic failure of a system designed to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

On average, disability applicants must wait eight months to get an initial decision from Social Security. And if you need to appeal for a reconsideration, that can take an extra eight months, O’Malley said.

“In some states, these numbers are a year or more,” O’Malley said, adding that the safety net program is serving more customers than ever before while having the lowest staffing levels in 50 years.

O’Malley also said the gap “between growing numbers of beneficiaries and dwindling numbers of customer service staff will only get worse unless you act.”

“In fact, SSA’s Chief Actuary projects the number of new applicants and total beneficiaries we serve will only continue to rise in the coming years,” he added.

More than 70 million Americans rely on Social Security benefits each month, but with significantly lowered staff levels, many more are waiting months to get the help they need.

“Imagine trying to serve more customers with half the staff—talk about a recipe for disaster,” Ryan said. “The result? Initial decisions are taking nearly eight months on average. Then add in the appeals. For someone with a life-threatening condition, that’s an eternity.”

Ryan said one of his closest friends was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given just four months to live. Despite the situation qualifying for automatic acceptance under the SSA’s compassionate allowance program, he was denied.

“The impact of these delays goes beyond just financial hardship. We’re talking about people unable to afford basic necessities or critical medical care,” Ryan said. “For many, the stress and deterioration of health while waiting can be a death sentence in itself. It’s a cruel irony that a system designed to help those with disabilities is, in some cases, exacerbating their conditions.”

Between 2017 and 2023, phone wait times were found to nearly triple for Social Security beneficiaries. For initial disability decisions in particular, wait times are doubled, with some states seeing disabled Americans routinely wait more than a year.

“We cannot sugar-coat the severe damage that decades of staff reductions have done to Social Security’s customers,” O’Malley told lawmakers.

The severe staffing cuts are occurring alongside Social Security’s underfunding as well. Despite seeing around $600 million in fixed cost increases, O’Malley said the budget for the SSA has remained around the same since 2018.

“We continue to see this across the board when it comes to Social Security benefits, but a shortage in staffing is putting the agency at a severe disadvantage when it comes to the numerous claims they are receiving and attempting to process,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee, told Newsweek.

“The results can be highly unfortunate, as is the case here with many actually passing away before there is any type of movement on their paperwork.”

For 2025, President Joe Biden asked for $15.4 billion to help the agency get its staffing crisis under control and reduce wait times for Americans across the country.

O’Malley said if approved, that could reduce wait times on the 800 number by over 20 minutes to 12 minutes and ultimately reduce the claims backlog by 15 percent.

There would also be fewer over or underpayment errors for recipients, which can sometimes force Americans to owe thousands back to the agency through no fault of their own, O’Malley said.

Ryan said the Social Security disability insurance is in need of a complete overhaul to fix many of the problems that exist for disabled and low-income Americans.

“This means not just throwing money at the problem, though increased funding is crucial,” Ryan said. “We need to streamline processes, eliminate redundant steps, and put more trust in the assessments of treating physicians. Most importantly, we need to remember that behind every application is a human being in desperate need of help.”

Beene echoed this statement, saying the 30,000 dying before their decisions is a “call to action” for Social Security.

“The idea has been kicked around about more paperwork available virtually, more AI integration, and possibly staffing additions,” Beene said. “Ultimately, one or a combination of all of those is going to have to happen to ensure fewer situations like these occur.”