Unfortunately, not all states are built alike when it comes to Social Security disability approval. Some states have such an overwhelmingly large population, ODAR offices are bogged down with applications. Some states have small populations, so approval rates rely entirely on just a handful of ALJs. If you’re considering expanding your Social Security disability caseload, here are some of the best states to take cases by available claimants and percentage of population on benefits.
Best Cases by Percentage of Population
These states are great for attorneys because a high percentage of citizens are approved for disability benefits. When taking Social Security disability cases in these states, you’ll have a much higher chance of your claimant winning her case than the nationwide average. Here are some top states by approval rates:*
- Hawaii—67%
- Utah—63%
- New Mexico—56%
- New Jersey—56%
- Tennessee—54%
- Maine—52%
It’s important to know which states have high approval rates so you can take claims in neighboring areas with better chances of success. For example, Nevada’s approval rate is just 37%. Right next-door is Utah, which has an overall approval rate that’s nearly twice as high. Taking cases just outside of your firm’s home state could lead to significant revenue gain.
Best Cases by Population
While a high approval rating is great, it’s not always possible to only take claims in one area if the volume of awarded cases isn’t enough to sustain your Social Security disability firm. Here are some states that award a lot of disability benefits:
- California—760,000 recipients
- Florida—600,000 recipients
- Kentucky—225,000 recipients
- Michigan—385,000 recipients
- New York—560,000 recipients
- Tennessee—270,000 recipients
Not surprisingly, many of the states with a high volume of approved claimants have a high population. While some states (Tennessee, New Jersey) have the best of both worlds, it’s likely you’ll need to strike a balance of taking cases that have better approval odds with cases in highly-populated states when expanding your practice.
Some states are simply tough no matter which way you look at it. Wyoming, for example, has just 14,000 SSDI or SSI recipients, and only 3.9% of the population receives disability benefits. While expanding your caseload to Wyoming might be tricky, nearly every other state has a good balance of either a high approval rating, or a high volume of applicants looking for benefits.
Expand Your Caseload Today
Entering a new state can be not only challenging, but also expensive. Setting up paid ad campaigns or buying new billboards ads up quickly, and it often takes well over two years to receive any revenue from a Social Security case. If you’re considering expanding into a new state or would simply like more cases in your own neighborhood, give eGen a call today at 617.800.0089. We would be happy to discuss our customizable Social Security disability lead packages and campaigns with your firm’s staff today.
*Source: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/