Bloomberg News is out with a piece attacking Social Security disability. It's a rehash of very argument you've ever heard that it's easy to get Social Security disability benefits, that it's a disguised unemployment program and that almost no one receiving disability benefits ever returns to work. The suggested solution is to make it more attractive for those receiving disability benefits to return to work.
How do you write something like this without it occurring to you that the baby boom generation might have something to do with the surge in disability claims and without finding out that there are already endless work incentives in the Social Security disability programs? Neither point is mentioned.
While the piece fails to mention the work incentives, it is pretty spot on otherwise. I regularly encounter claimants whom I believe can work, but choose not to do so. I am not a doctor and I agree the Baby Boomer generation does explain some of the surge. Many of these claims are legitimate. However, many claims are not legitimate and people who could probably work become entitled. The vast majority that get on the rolls will stay on the rolls until death.
ReplyDeleteI wish it could be blamed on the Baby Boomers, however, the biggest increase I have seen in claimants are in the child and under 40 year olds.
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