According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of Americans receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) may have reached a plateau recently after jumping by 42 percent since 2004.
The Journal reported that the number of Americans receiving benefits reached 10,939,936 in March 2013, and has remained close to that level since. The highest level the SSDI program has reached in enrollment since that point last year was 10,988,269 in December 2013. As of March 2014, enrollment numbers were at 10,981,423.
“The program has become so large that budget watchers have estimated it could exhaust all of its trust fund reserves sometime in 2016 or 2017,” the Journal reported. “But as people have watched it grow, some experts have wondered if it would ever stop growing. Now they know – it leveled off, at least for now.”
The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays out close to $140 billion each year in SSDI benefits. The Journal reported that as the economy has begun to rebound, application numbers have dropped. It reported that in 2013, 2.6 million people applied for benefits, the lowest number since 2008.
How Do I Know if I am Eligible for SSDI?
In order to qualify for SSDI, a person suffering from a disability has to show the SSA that his or her condition will last longer than 12 months. For more information on Social Security Disability qualifications, we suggest you visit our FAQ page.
In addition to this, a person may know that he or she regularly requires doctor visits and he or she may have to provide the SSA with documentation.
If you have questions about Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), contact a Tulsa Social Security Disability attorney. We offer free evaluations of your case.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security Disability lawyers
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/04/16/has-social-security-disability-enrollment-hit-plateau/
