“Cutting waste, fraud and abuse” is Washington D.C.’s most tired cliché. But it is also becoming perhaps its most dangerous.
Elected officials across the political spectrum widely accept that the federal government needs to eliminate some of its redundant programs.
But if you listen closely, the term “waste, fraud, and abuse” is code for something much more disturbing. The phrase provides budget hawks cover to conduct budgetary witch hunts and gut vital government programs that so many Americans depend on to survive. One such program, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, may be next.
Let’s look at the facts, instead of the hype:
MYTH: An increasing number of people taking advantage of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is accelerating Social Security’s insolvency.
FACT: According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Disability Insurance Trust Fund’s share of the overall annual cost of the Social Security program peaked in 2003, not 2011. In fact, SSA projects that the number of workers per disability beneficiary is expected to be relatively stable in the future. This means that restoring sustainability for SSDI will not require continually greater benefit cuts or revenue increases. A one-time change to offset the drop in birth rate will sustain the program into the foreseeable future.
MYTH: The high unemployment rate is the primary reason that more Americans are seeking SSDI benefits. The program is becoming an extension of unemployment insurance.
FACT: It is a misrepresentation to claim that a surge in unemployed applicants are looking to get on the public dole through SSDI. Applications are higher than they were years ago because the population has increased, Baby Boomers are getting older and having more disabilities, more women are working so they are more likely to be insured and to be injured, and medical advancements are saving the lives of people with serious medical conditions that used to be fatal.
MYTH: The current SSDI program is set up so that it keeps able-bodied people out of the workforce when they are employable.
FACT: Disability benefits are so low compared even to minimum-wage work that it cannot reasonably be considered an incentive not to work. And benefits do not start right away, even for those who successfully complete the difficult application process. Furthermore, the program has many incentives built in for those who want to return to work, including trial work periods, insurance continuation, and even retraining.
MYTH: It has never been easier to obtain Social Security disability benefits.
FACT: Getting disability approval is harder than ever. Undocumented pain, alcoholism and drug abuse have been disqualified as qualifying disabilities. Mental retardation and HIV standards are tougher. Diabetes and obesity are no longer distinct disabilities. Applicants must also present objective medical evidence of their disability before they begin receiving benefits
Read the full article at: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/229819-misinformation-fueling-attacks-on-disability-programFormer Rep. Charlie Melancon, (D-La.) has written a good article about what’s going on here.