An "expert" is anyone with a briefcase who is at least 50 miles from home. There are millions of "experts" on Social Security disability these days. Everywhere you look someone has a new "report" about Social Security disability and a new theory about how easy disability benefits are to get and how the Government is just handing out benefits to one and all.
I can't respond to each and every myth, rumor or lie about disability benefits. But I have chosen two or three that especially burn my biscuits.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 1. It's quick and easy to get Social Security disability benefits. The truth is, even if you have a legitimate disability that can be medically proven, and even if you meet all the requirements set forth in the Social Security Act, the 20 Code of Federal Regulations, etc., it will probably take 18 to 24 months to get on disability. You will be questioned, examined, poked, prodded and interrogated until you almost wish you were dead instead of applying for benefits. You will most likely have to appear at a hearing before a US administrative law judge and it will take you a minimum of 17 months just to get a hearing. Once you get there, there is only about a 40 percent chance that you will be approved, based on national averages. And if approved your payment will be rather meager.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 2. Social Security disability is draining the U.S. treasury and cheating the taxpayers. The most fundamental of all lies and myths. Social Security benefits are not paid by the US Treasury and never have been. Social Security is a self-financing program paid for by mandatory contributions by employers and workers under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Mandatory tax is withheld from each worker's salary and matched by the employer. This money then goes into the Social Security Trust Fund (SSTF) and is used to pay benefits to persons who meet strict federal guidelines about disability. Not one dime is paid out of the US Treasury or the general budget of the USA. Social Security benefits do not increase the national debt and are not counted in the general government budget.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 3. States are incentivized to transfer unemployment claims to Social Security because Social Security is a federal program which saves the states money. Actually, it is the states themselves who decide whether an individual qualifies for Social Security disability benefits. Each state has a state-run Disability Determination Service (DDS) or a variation of that name. State employees at the DDS review each claim to determine whether Social Security benefits can be paid. I don't know whether these state employees have incentive to approve Social Security claims but I suspect they do not. I suspect this because the state Disability Determination Services DENY approximately 70 percent of all Social Security disability applications. When you are denying 7 out of 10 claims, it seems to me that you aren't very incentivized. I think someone may have this backwards. Seems to me the states are incentivized to DENY claims, if anything.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 4. Social Security is laden with fraud, corruption and scams. Fact: The number one priority at Social Security, according to Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, is fraud prevention. In fact, repeated investigations by the Inspector General and various committees of the US Congress have found only a few isolated instances of widespread fraud, not the millions of cases that one would expect if they believe the "reports" and rumors going around. There have been a few widely publicized cases involving fraud; however, the consequent investigations found that these were isolated instances, not the widespread fraud that people imagined.
FACT, RUMOR OR LIE # 5. The recent surge in Social Security disability claims is due to a bad economy, expiring unemployment benefits, and the ease with which disability benefits can be had. Truth: The two largest factors influencing the surge in Social Security disability applications are:
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I can't respond to each and every myth, rumor or lie about disability benefits. But I have chosen two or three that especially burn my biscuits.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 1. It's quick and easy to get Social Security disability benefits. The truth is, even if you have a legitimate disability that can be medically proven, and even if you meet all the requirements set forth in the Social Security Act, the 20 Code of Federal Regulations, etc., it will probably take 18 to 24 months to get on disability. You will be questioned, examined, poked, prodded and interrogated until you almost wish you were dead instead of applying for benefits. You will most likely have to appear at a hearing before a US administrative law judge and it will take you a minimum of 17 months just to get a hearing. Once you get there, there is only about a 40 percent chance that you will be approved, based on national averages. And if approved your payment will be rather meager.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 2. Social Security disability is draining the U.S. treasury and cheating the taxpayers. The most fundamental of all lies and myths. Social Security benefits are not paid by the US Treasury and never have been. Social Security is a self-financing program paid for by mandatory contributions by employers and workers under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Mandatory tax is withheld from each worker's salary and matched by the employer. This money then goes into the Social Security Trust Fund (SSTF) and is used to pay benefits to persons who meet strict federal guidelines about disability. Not one dime is paid out of the US Treasury or the general budget of the USA. Social Security benefits do not increase the national debt and are not counted in the general government budget.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 3. States are incentivized to transfer unemployment claims to Social Security because Social Security is a federal program which saves the states money. Actually, it is the states themselves who decide whether an individual qualifies for Social Security disability benefits. Each state has a state-run Disability Determination Service (DDS) or a variation of that name. State employees at the DDS review each claim to determine whether Social Security benefits can be paid. I don't know whether these state employees have incentive to approve Social Security claims but I suspect they do not. I suspect this because the state Disability Determination Services DENY approximately 70 percent of all Social Security disability applications. When you are denying 7 out of 10 claims, it seems to me that you aren't very incentivized. I think someone may have this backwards. Seems to me the states are incentivized to DENY claims, if anything.
MYTH, RUMOR OR LIE # 4. Social Security is laden with fraud, corruption and scams. Fact: The number one priority at Social Security, according to Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, is fraud prevention. In fact, repeated investigations by the Inspector General and various committees of the US Congress have found only a few isolated instances of widespread fraud, not the millions of cases that one would expect if they believe the "reports" and rumors going around. There have been a few widely publicized cases involving fraud; however, the consequent investigations found that these were isolated instances, not the widespread fraud that people imagined.
FACT, RUMOR OR LIE # 5. The recent surge in Social Security disability claims is due to a bad economy, expiring unemployment benefits, and the ease with which disability benefits can be had. Truth: The two largest factors influencing the surge in Social Security disability applications are:
- The baby boomer population is aging, living much longer than our parents, and filing legitimate disability claims because of impairments that come with older age.
- Millions of women joined the work force during and after World War 2 and represent a large demographic segment of workers now eligible for disability benefits.
Click Here to Contact a Disability Advocate About A Claim
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