What happens to claimants who are denied disability benefits? Researchers at Mathematica tracked claimants over 50 who were insured for SSDI benefits but who were rejected at the initial level of review. Few of those were able to find employment. The numbers were even lower for those who were found unable to perform their past work, but then denied at Step 5 of the Sequential Evaluation. https://www.cbpp.org/blog/denied-disability-applicants-fare-badly-in-the-labor-market.