In the past few months our Los Angeles readers have seen quite a few individuals jump into the field of presidential candidates, from both parties. For all intents and purposes it appears as if the race toward the 2016 presidential election is well underway. As a result, many candidates are moving past their initial introduction to the American people and into the nitty-gritty of policy details. One topic that is likely to continually arise throughout the course of the presidential election campaigns is potential reforms to the Social Security disability program.
A recent article took a look at one particular factor regarding SSD information that many people already know: the number of people receiving SSD benefits has skyrocketed over the last two decades. Many people point to this issue as a problem, primarily for the potential sustainability of this hugely important benefits program. Several presidential candidates are expected to propose overhauls to the system.
The article noted that in 2013 an estimated 9 million Americans were receiving SSD benefits. Factors such as the aging of the country’s population, along with decreasing employment opportunities, are suspected as playing a large role in the increase in the number of people receiving SSD benefits.
It can be easy for many people to forget that Social Security Disability isn’t paid out as a “freebie” based on tax revenue collected by the federal government: workers pay into the SSD system so that if they are ever in need those benefits will be there. The application process to receive SSD benefits is stringent, with quite a few important requirements that must be met. Of course, these are points that may not be pointed out by presidential candidates from either political party.
Source: Forbes, “The Boom In Disability Benefits,” Neil Howe, June 30, 2015
