Social Security Takes Full Control of Medical Disability Reviews to Speed Benefits

The move is intended to strengthen oversight, reduce backlogs, and improve service for the millions of Americans who rely on disability benefits.

Kelly McBride Ni

Published: 3/14/2026, 11:11:18 PM EDT

Social Security Takes Full Control of Medical Disability Reviews to Speed Benefits — A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington on March 26, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Thursday that it will bring all medical Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) under federal control, ending decades of processing by state offices. The move is intended to strengthen oversight, reduce backlogs, and improve service for the millions of Americans who rely on disability benefits.

Under the new system, SSA will handle medical CDRs through its federal Disability Case Review (DCR) unit, freeing state Disability Determination Services (DDS) staff to focus on new applications and appeals.

The SSA said this shift should help eligible individuals receive benefits more quickly and reduce delays that have slowed processing in the past.

CDRs are periodic evaluations that are required by law to determine if beneficiaries still meet Social Security’s medical criteria for disability.

Short-form reviews are fast-tracked and typically completed in 1–3 months, while full medical reviews can take 6 months or longer due to the need for updated medical evidence.

The frequency of reviews also depends on the expected improvement of a condition, and can range from every 6–18 months up to every 5–7 years. Beneficiaries mostly continue to receive payments throughout the review process.

“By centralizing medical continuing disability reviews under Social Security, we are taking another important step towards operational excellence, reducing improper payments, and providing best-in-class service to Americans in critical need of support,” SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said.

The agency pointed to improvements in initial claim processing as evidence of the shift’s potential impact. "In June of 2024, the DDS initial claims backlog was at an all-time high with over 1.26 million pending claims," the SSA said.

By February 2026, that number had dropped to approximately 831,000 following process improvements and operational changes.

Non-medical continuing disability reviews, those that do not require medical expertise, are reviews of work status, income, and living arrangements. These reviews will continue to be handled by Social Security field offices and processing centers, according to the press release.

For beneficiaries with CDRs, Social Security medical reviews require maintaining a complete, organized file of all medical records. Key documents include doctor visit notes, diagnostic test results, such as MRIs, X-rays, or lab panels, hospital and ER records, and treating physician reports detailing ongoing functional limitations.

According to the SSA, “studies show that a 20-year-old worker has a 1-in-4 chance of developing a disability before reaching full retirement age.” The SSA recommends applying for “disability benefits as soon as you develop a disability that prevents you from working,” adding that “processing an application for disability benefits takes, on average, 6 to 8 months.”