From the Washington Post:
The number of former workers seeking Social Security disability benefits has spiked with the nation's economic problems, heightening concern that the jobless are expanding the program beyond its intended purpose of aiding the disabled.
Applications to the program soared by 21 percent, to 2.8 million, between 2008 and 2009, as the economy was seriously faltering.
The growth is the sharpest in the 54-year history of the program. It threatens the program's fiscal stability and adds to an administrative backlog that is slowing the flow of benefits to those who need them most....
Economists say the program has grown because eligibility rules were loosened in the 1980s.
Economists say the program has grown because eligibility rules were loosened in the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteExactly what does this mean? Or is this another attempt to cast doubt on the viability of Social Security in general?