In a piece released recently titled “Nine Facts That Prove Disability Insurance Isn’t a Giant Boondoggle”, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) listed several facts about Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) that the media portrays incorrectly.
The piece comes on the heels of a CBS News 60 Minutes report titled “Disability, USA”, which we have blogged about extensively. The NOSSCR release came directly from Rebecca Vallas, the organization’s deputy director of government affairs.
Among the bulleted points by the NOSSCR:
- The Social Security disability standard is the strictest in the developed world – and most applications are denied. (“Fewer than four in ten applicants are approved, even after all stages of appeal. Beneficiaries have severe impairments and illnesses like cancers, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, multiple sclerosis, emphysema and severe mental illness.”)
- Social Security’s disability programs are highly efficient and experience little fraud.(“The Social Security Administration’s administrative budget is equal to just about 1.4 percent of benefits paid out each year.”)
- Growth in Disability Insurance was expected and is primarily due to demographics.
- Growth in the program has little to do with the recession.
- Few beneficiaries are able to work.
- Disability benefits are incredibly modest. (“Disability Insurance benefits average $1,130 a month, just over the austere federal poverty level for a single person, or about $35 per day.”)
- Social Security’s disability programs keep millions of Americans out of poverty and deep poverty.
- Social Security’s disability programs are all most Americans have to rely on when illness or injury strikes. (“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just one in three private sector workers have access to employer-provided long-term disability insurance, and plans are often less adequate than Social Security.”)
- We can ensure Social Security’s long-term solvency without cutting benefits.
As the smear campaign by several media outlets and politicians continues against disability benefits, it will be important for organizations like the NOSSCR to continue to remind the public that the program is necessary for a strong economy.
If you have questions about applying for SSDI, contact a Tulsa Social Security disability attorney. We offer free evaluations of your case, and you may reach us by phone at (918) 265-1404. Contact us today to learn more about your rights.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability attorneys
