SSA's disability examiner workforce lost 25% of staff in a single year, causing an 81% increase in claim processing times

State Disability Determination Services (DDS) agencies, which make the initial medical decisions on SSDI/SSI claims, experienced examiner attrition rates reaching 25% in FY 2022 and averaging 19% from FY 2019-2023. This exodus caused a 21% productivity decrease and an 81% increase in average processing times from 121 to 219 days. Why it matters: over 1 million initial disability claims are now pending simultaneously for the first time in history, so applicants who are by definition unable to work must wait 7+ months with no income, so many lose housing, deplete retirement savings, or declare bankruptcy while waiting, so when they are finally approved they require more intensive and expensive support services, so the total cost to government and society far exceeds what timely processing would have cost. The structural root cause is that DDS examiner positions require months of specialized training, pay significantly less than comparable private-sector medical review positions, involve high-stress caseloads, and over two-thirds of DDS directors cite large caseloads, stress, high production expectations, and job complexity as the primary drivers of turnover -- creating a self-reinforcing cycle where departures increase workload on remaining staff.