my guess is probably closer to 75% of those collecting are fraud.
Having worked in health care for decades (a large,well known hospital) I can guarantee that there are many,many people...of *all* ages....with serious.long term (if not permanent) disabilities.
Of course there are frauds....many frauds.Crooked doctors (particularly chiropractors and psychologists),crooked lawyers,crooked patients.I've seen them.But my guess is that 75% is high.In fact I'd guess that even 50% is high.
About 60-65% seems right to me.
I am on disability and my experience with it and how it is administrated tells me that it is the biggest scam on the part of the lawyers filing. The scam is for the lawyers to convince those applying they need a lawyer imemadeatly. then to delay the cases as long as possible while doing a claim. getting a lawyer involved with the case can add about a year to the process when it is not needed. the reason why is they lengthen out the filling. the filling is from the time of the filling with the government till the government makes the final decision on whether the disability qualifies. the money is held and given as a one time cash payment if the person qualifies. if the person contacts a lawyer the lawyer gets a third of that money as payment for representing the person. in most cases the person does not need that lawyer. the only time a lawyer is needed is when it goes to hearing in which case the person probably should not be on disability and even if they have a lawyer most likely will not win. I don’t know the percentages but I believe that most of those applying usually go through an appeal process because the first decision is always a no unless you are dealing with real sever disabilities that one the person is only being refused because of problems with paper work and there is no hearing. the second hearing takes place about 6- months to a year later at that hearing there is an actual meeting with some one and an evaluation is done. at that point there is a review of the case and if the review goes negative then you need a lawyer because then it comes down to an interpretation of law not an evaluation if you are disabled. most of those cases become dependent on the administrative judge and all the lawyer is there for is to argue a point in law.