Using artificial intelligence to support disability claim processing

Challenge: SSA provides timely support to millions of Americans with disabilities. As medical records grow increasingly complex and staff resources remain limited, SSA faces challenges in processing disability claims efficiently. As a result, the agency is seeking innovative technology solutions to help address these issues.

Approach: With TMF support, SSA intends to improve their disability determination process by enhancing several key systems, including the National Case Processing System and the Intelligent Medical-Language Analysis Generation tool. Through the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, SSA plans to tackle a growing backlog of cases. This effort is expected to:

• Reduce processing times by flagging potential issues in decision rationales and providing timely occupational information
• Provide adjudicators real-time feedback and decision support, potentially saving thousands of work hours annually
• Improve the accuracy of determinations
• Improve service delivery to vulnerable populations