Nov 24, 2012

Don't Balance The Budget By Breaking The Disabled

     From an Op Ed by Alex Doolittle and Debra Shifrin in the Seattle Times:
Balancing the federal budget was a focal point of the campaign season leading up to the election. ...
Which cuts should be made is still being debated. Many believe entitlement programs should be on the shortlist, with some politicians targeting the Social Security Disability Insurance benefits program as one of the top contenders of waste and fraud.
Adversaries of the program cite increasing cases of nondisabled claimants receiving benefits as the primary reason for their extreme criticism of what has proved to be a vital lifeline for disabled workers in the United States.
But critics fail to mention key facts. Social Security Disability Insurance cases are on the rise because the baby-boomer generation is getting older and more susceptible to injury and illness, and more women in the workforce today means more women are eligible for the insurance than ever before....
Earlier this year, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty released a report showing that denying Social Security Disability Insurance benefits perpetuates homelessness. The study stated that up to 40 percent of the national homeless community could qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, but only 14 percent actually receive them. ...
If any cuts to the Social Security Disability Insurance program are approved, people will not have access to the benefits they contributed to while they worked.

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