What percentage of SSDI recipients pass their CDR?

Executive Summary — Clear but Conflicting Percentages on CDR Success Rates

The available analyses present conflicting claims about what share of SSDI recipients “pass” a Continuing Disability Review (CDR): figures range from roughly 75% to 97% depending on the source and how “pass” is defined (i.e., benefits continued after any review versus after full medical review). The dataset and summaries provided do not offer a single authoritative Social Security Administration (SSA) figure; instead, the material contains multiple interpretations and small‑sample or secondary summaries that produce divergent pass‑rate estimates ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}. This analysis extracts the key claims, shows where they conflict, and explains what each percentage likely represents so readers understand why a single clear percentage is not present in the provided materials.

1. What the competing numbers actually claim — three headline interpretations that clash

Three headline interpretations appear across the provided analyses: roughly 75% continuation, about 90–92%, and 95–97% continuation after a CDR. One analysis explicitly states the national approval/continuation rate is “just under 75%,” implying about one quarter of reviews lead to cessation ^[1]. Another group of items interprets SSA or secondary summaries to say roughly 90% of those reviewed continue benefits, or that only 8% of reviews resulted in cessation in a given year ^{[5] [4]}. A third cluster cites small‑loss figures — 3–5% losing benefits after CDRs — and from that infers 95–97% pass rates ^{[2] [3]}. These numbers are not reconcilable without clarifying what class of review or time period each refers to, because the SSA conducts different review types (short forms, full medical CDRs, aged cases) and reports outcomes in multiple ways ^{[6] [7]}.

2. Why the figures diverge — definitions, review types, and reporting windows matter

The divergence stems from differences in definitions and which SSA dataset is being summarized. SSA runs periodic CDRs that vary from short paper reviews to full medical re‑evaluations; some summaries report the share of processed cases that resulted in continued benefits, others report cessation rates only for full medical CDRs, and still others aggregate across years or mix short‑form paperwork reviews with full reviews ^{[6] [7]}. Secondary sources that claim 90% or higher continuations often rely on selective year snapshots or on combining “benefits continued” with cases closed for administrative reasons, while the “just under 75%” figure is presented as a national approval/continuation rate for processed CDRs in one summary ^{[1] [4]}. Without consistent denominators and timeframes, pass rates shift dramatically.

3. Which figures are tied to primary SSA data and which are secondary interpretation

Among the analyses, the most directly SSA‑tied references note the existence of SSA datasets such as “Periodic CDRs — Processed,” but do not themselves publish a single consolidated pass‑rate summary in the excerpts provided ^{[7] [6]}. The 75% figure is presented as a national continuation rate in one summary ^[1], while the 90–92% and 95–97% figures appear in lawyer or advocacy website summaries that interpret SSA trends or select annual numbers ^{[5] [2] [3]}. That pattern signals that the lower figure may come from an SSA process overview, while the higher figures are secondary extrapolations or narrower‑scope metrics. Users should prefer direct SSA tabulations for definitive answers, but those tabulations must be filtered by review type and year to be meaningful.

4. What to watch for if you need a trustworthy, actionable percentage

If you need a single number to apply to policy or casework, insist on three clarifications from any source: the exact SSA dataset name and year, whether the denominator is all CDRs processed or only full medical CDRs, and whether the numerator counts benefits continued, benefits ceased, or benefits ceased after appeal. The materials here point to SSA’s process and open datasets but do not provide a single SSA‑ratified pass rate; consequently, the safest interpretation is that pass rates vary materially by review type and year, and the range in these summaries is roughly 75%–97% depending on those choices ^{[6] [1] [7]}.

5. Bottom line and recommended next steps for precise verification

Bottom line: the collected analyses show no single authoritative percentage in the provided material; instead they produce a credible range from about 75% to the high‑90s, and the gap reflects methodological differences more than simple error ^{[1] [2] [3] [5]}. For a definitive, current pass rate, retrieve SSA’s primary “Periodic CDRs — Processed” dataset and filter by the exact review class and year; that will yield a reproducible numerator and denominator and resolve whether the appropriate figure is near 75%, ~90%, or in the mid‑90s ^{[7] [6]}.