SSDI Approval Rates by State (FY2022 Study)

The Same Program. Wildly Different Outcomes.

Social Security Disability Insurance is a federal program with uniform eligibility rules. Whether you live in Oklahoma or Kansas, the law says the same thing about who qualifies. The SSA's Blue Book of medical conditions doesn't change by ZIP code. The five-step evaluation process is identical coast to coast.

And yet, your odds of getting approved at the initial decision level differ by nearly 40 percentage points depending on which state's Disability Determination Services (DDS) office handles your file.

That's not a rounding error. That's a system that produces dramatically different outcomes for people with the same conditions — based entirely on geography.

🚨 The Headline Number

In FY2022, Oklahoma approved just 30.8% of initial claims. Kansas approved 54.9%. A claimant with the same disability is 79% more likely to be approved in Kansas than in Oklahoma — same federal program, same rules.

Why States Vary So Much

Each state runs its own DDS office — a state government agency that makes initial disability decisions under contract with SSA. Though they're supposed to follow identical federal guidelines, outcomes differ because:

Examiner culture and management: Some offices historically lean toward denial. Supervisors set the tone for how borderline cases are decided.
Caseload pressure: High-volume offices may rush decisions. Under time pressure, denial is the path of least resistance.
Functional capacity interpretation: Examiners have latitude in assessing how a condition affects your ability to work. That judgment varies.
Training and staffing consistency: Newer examiners are statistically more likely to deny than experienced ones.

SSA has published data on state variation for two decades. The disparities have not been corrected. In fact, as our data shows, the gap between the best and worst states has remained stubbornly wide across multiple fiscal years.

Regional Picture

The pattern isn't random — it follows clear regional lines. The South denies at the highest rate. The Northeast and Midwest are more claimant-friendly. These aren't small differences.

🔴 South

36.6%

Hardest region — every Southern state except Maryland falls below the national average

🟡 Midwest

42.5%

Near national average — wide variation within region

🟡 West

42.6%

Near national average — California drags the region down

🟢 Northeast

44.1%

Most claimant-friendly region — 7.5 points above the South

⚠️ California's Hidden Problem

Despite being a blue state with strong worker protections, California approves only 37.2% of initial claims — below the national average. With 164,597 decisions processed in FY2022, California denied more people (103,355) than most states have total applicants.

Full State Rankings: FY2022

Sort by approval rate, total decisions, or number of people denied. Green = top third. Red = bottom third.

Rank ↕	State ↕	Approval Rate ↕	Total Decisions ↕	Approved ↕	Denied ↕
1	Washington, D.C.	29.8%	6,836	2,034	4,802
2	Oklahoma	30.8%	29,500	9,086	20,414
3	Kentucky	32.8%	43,097	14,126	28,971
4	West Virginia	33.3%	15,756	5,242	10,514
5	Alabama	33.5%	39,967	13,397	26,570
6	Mississippi	34.1%	28,994	9,883	19,111
7	Indiana	34.3%	46,425	15,939	30,486
8	New Mexico	34.4%	13,288	4,573	8,715
9	Arizona	35.0%	27,172	9,519	17,653
10	Georgia	35.3%	58,812	20,751	38,061
11	Texas	35.3%	131,588	46,458	85,130
12	North Carolina	35.9%	58,781	21,111	37,670
13	California	37.2%	164,597	61,242	103,355
14	Colorado	37.8%	16,235	6,140	10,095
15	Florida	38.0%	104,074	39,576	64,498
16	Arkansas	38.2%	25,707	9,814	15,893
17	Delaware	38.3%	4,802	1,840	2,962
18	Louisiana	38.4%	33,636	12,924	20,712
19	Hawaii	38.7%	5,105	1,974	3,131
20	Tennessee	38.9%	35,229	13,701	21,528
21	Ohio	39.0%	78,557	30,625	47,932
22	Utah	39.1%	11,807	4,613	7,194
23	South Dakota	39.2%	5,278	2,067	3,211
24	Illinois	39.2%	48,396	18,972	29,424
25	Nevada	39.7%	12,553	4,979	7,574
26	Pennsylvania	40.4%	81,371	32,882	48,489
27	New York	40.4%	101,889	41,205	60,684
28	Michigan	41.0%	61,054	25,054	36,000
29	Washington	41.1%	29,946	12,316	17,630
30	Virginia	41.3%	45,707	18,867	26,840
31	North Dakota	41.7%	3,226	1,344	1,882
32	New Jersey	41.7%	39,626	16,510	23,116
33	Missouri	41.9%	42,792	17,923	24,869
34	Maine	42.7%	8,390	3,582	4,808
35	South Carolina	42.8%	25,075	10,728	14,347
36	Idaho	42.8%	9,812	4,200	5,612
37	Wisconsin	43.0%	24,021	10,330	13,691
38	Iowa	43.1%	18,167	7,838	10,329
39	Connecticut	44.0%	18,761	8,259	10,502
40	Minnesota	44.2%	25,494	11,267	14,227
41	Wyoming	44.6%	2,675	1,192	1,483
42	Vermont	44.8%	3,481	1,558	1,923
43	Oregon	46.0%	15,230	7,008	8,222
44	Maryland	46.3%	19,929	9,234	10,695
45	Massachusetts	46.8%	26,548	12,413	14,135
46	Rhode Island	46.9%	6,397	3,002	3,395
47	Montana	47.8%	3,244	1,550	1,694
48	Nebraska	49.1%	8,816	4,326	4,490
49	New Hampshire	49.4%	6,370	3,147	3,223
50	Kansas	54.9%	7,143	3,919	3,224
51	Alaska	69.5%	1,174	816	358

💡 Note on Alaska

Alaska's 69.5% approval rate is statistically unusual — only 1,174 total decisions, making it an outlier. Kansas at 54.9% with 7,143 decisions is a more meaningful best-in-class comparison for most states.

What This Means If You've Been Denied

Being denied doesn't mean you don't qualify. It may mean your state's DDS office has a culture of denial — and that an appeal, handled correctly, can reverse that outcome.

At the Appeals Council and ALJ hearing level, national approval rates rise to approximately 55%. Claimants who work with a disability advocate or attorney win at significantly higher rates than those who appeal alone.

✅ The Appeal Opportunity

Over 1 million people were denied at the initial level in FY2022. Most of them never appealed. SSA data consistently shows that claimants who appeal — especially with professional help — win at rates that dwarf initial approvals.

Denied in a Low-Approval State?

Your state's approval rate doesn't have to be your outcome. Get a free case review from a disability advocate — we only get paid if you win.

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Methodology

Source: Social Security Administration, State Agency Fiscal Year Workload Data (SSA-SA-FYWL.csv), updated March 2023.

Metric: "Favorable Determination Rate" — approvals divided by total medical determinations at the initial DDS level.

Fiscal Year: 2022 (October 2021 – September 2022).

Scope: 50 states plus Washington D.C. Puerto Rico, Guam, and federal component rows excluded. Total: 1,682,530 decisions analyzed.

Note: This measures initial DDS determinations only. It does not include reconsideration or ALJ hearing outcomes, which have higher approval rates nationally.

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. SSDI eligibility is determined by the Social Security Administration based on individual medical and work history. DeniedSSDI.com connects claimants with independent disability advocates and attorneys.