A cut to Social Security disability benefits may be around the corner

Washington Post ^ | 07/25/2015 | By Jonnelle Marte

[SeekAndFind]

The annual check-up for Social Security is in, and one program looks more dire than the rest.

If Congress doesn’t act, people receiving Social Security disability benefits could see a nearly 20 percent cut to payments at the end of next year, according to the latest version of the Social Security trustees report released Wednesday.

The disability trust fund will be depleted by the fourth quarter of 2016, leaving the administration with enough income to pay 81 percent of benefits, according to the report, which is updated annually.

The health of the Social Security program didn’t change by much, and the cut to disability benefits has been expected for years. But now that Congress has still not come up with a compromise for boosting the funding, the shortfall is more imminent. As explained in the report’s summary:

"Social Security’s Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund now faces an urgent threat of reserve depletion, requiring prompt corrective action by lawmakers if sudden reductions or interruptions in benefit payments are to be avoided."

The cuts would most immediately affect the 10.9 million people receiving disability benefits as of 2014, but other beneficiaries could see benefit cuts down the line. If Congress doesn’t act to reform the program, the trust fund used for retirement benefits would be depleted by 2035, a year later than previously expected.

[sitetest]

Dear rlmorel.

Some cheaters are obvious. But some legitimately disabled folks are not. I managed to walk into therapy unaided the other day. I don't think I looked disabled. But then I found I needed to go to the back of the facility. I didn't have my walker and regretted it. I barely made it back there. I had my wife retrieve my walker for the return trip.

As much as possible, I try to do the hardest thing. I would like to regain some of my strength and stamina. I won't do it by using my wheelchair or walker at every opportunity. But where I can walk a few steps from the hanicapped space into a facility, I would find it daunting if the car were parked in the non-handicapped spaces.

sitetest

[Ditter]

Yes I understand but when a young person gets out of their car and runs into the store, it is pretty obvious that they don't need a handicapped parking space. I see that all the time. My husband has a handicapped plackard because he has diabetic neuropathy. They gave us 2 of them so I have one in my car but I only use it when he is with me.

[rlmorel]

I don’t disagree at all. I work in medicine, so I understand what disability is.

The system and the way it is set up is is ripe for abuse, and people abuse it.

People like you aren’t the problem.