Posted on 06/17/2014 6:42:54 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
The total number of Americans now on the Social Security Disability Insurance program topped 11 million in May, a record high and an increase of 18% since January 2009, according to new data from the Social Security administration, furthering a trend that will have severe economic and budget consequences.
More than 5.2 million workers have enrolled in the program since President Obama took office, and enrollment is climbing faster under Obama than at any time in the program's history. An average 81,000 workers joined the Social Security Disability Program each month during Obama's years. Under President Bush, by contrast, monthly enrollment averaged 66,000, and the overall average since 1975 is 52,000.
While there is debate about the exact causes of the swelling ranks of workers on disability, it's clear that the sluggish economic recovery under Obama played an important role.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
Eventually the government will have to do what the military does. Require medical review of disabilities that are not inherently permanent (like missing limbs), at either six month or annual intervals.
Because doctors do not like to be put on the spot about whether to give disability or not to their patients, so often assign disability when there is none, the only proper response is to pay a select number of doctors to review all cases of disability at the state level.
There also has to be significant penalties for disability fraud. This is already common practice by insurance companies, who will hire private detectives if they suspect fraud. For example getting pictures of a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair dancing.
One must also realize that receiving SSDI is not a disqualifier for receiving SNAP, EITC, Section 8, WICs, TANF or any of the other entitlements. They are largely ‘earned income’ and asset based.
Because living off of others is easier than work.
1. Every free-money recipient is a potential Democrat voter.
2. Every person on the welfare roll of “disability” is not on the unemployment roll; makes the unemployment number look better.
11m (current number) minus 5.2m (added under Obama) = 5.8
5.2 / 5.8 = 89% increase not 18%
or did I miss something?
agreed..going on disability is NOT an act of desperation. it is a planned long-term application event. I have a friend who has since moved to long term comma status, who truly was disabled and it took his people an entire year to get the 1st check. His people worked on that check for months on end, they were pulling their hair out..
it is fraud for tens of thousands, and is planned and deliberate... for those who are cheating, they would be better served to put that kind of time into working in fast food joints.
I think everyone can agree there are legitimate cases as you cite. However, it is my belief that the fraud vastly outnumbers the legitimacy.
Lawyers are part of it now. They advertise their ability to get you onto disability government assistance. You have to wonder how they get paid that makes it worth while for them. They have to be getting a cut of the disability check.
Half the people in an average Social Security office at any time are 28+ year old gang bangers. They usually outnumber the old.
1). Food lines and Hoovervilles wouldn’t help the Marxist agenda, yet.
2). Cloward and Piven
I think you are right. How could there possibly be this many disabled?
answer: there aren’t... millions are cheats.
Disability. Gravy Train Fraud.
Disablilty fraud is rampant, I often get calls from people looking for someone to certify them.
The fraud and drama around it makes people who desparately need it wait. People who are dying, people who are severely disabled, with severe mental and physical illness.
All for some clowns with a bad back.
Maybe because you aren’t counting those who go from disability to Medicare?
Sorry: Medicare and regular Social Security?
I can understand it.
I know a lady who wears leg braces and when she walks it is more a lurch then a stride.
She has worked since she was 16 but now can not find a job even though she is qualified.
She recently bitterly stated that she should have started applying for SSDI rather then job hunting.
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