There has been a lot of media lately that says Social Security Disability is nothing but a secret welfare system. These articles go on to say that people who are too young and still able to work are taking advantage of a system that has slowly made it easier to get disability benefits, but they are wrong. Getting disability benefits is not some sort of entitlement issue, and the facts prove it.
Social Security Benefits Do NOT Equal Social Welfare
The first issue we have with calling Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI) some sort of welfare is that it isn’t. Every working American pays Social Security taxes expecting that their contributions will be there when they retire, but what if they are disabled before retirement? That’s what SSDI is for. You can’t get it if you didn’t pay into the Social Security system, therefore it’s not welfare.
The next issue we have is the thought that SSDI is filled with young claimants who don’t have disabilities. This is false. Most claimants for SSDI are older individuals that are nearing retirement age. Younger claimants do happen, but they have disabilities that prevent them from working. In order to get benefits without a disability, major lying and fraud would have to be committed because it’s not easy to get SSDI.
To get disability benefits you must prove that you have paid into the Social Security system—usually for at least ten years. You must also have extensive medical records that prove you have a condition that prevents you from working. The Government Accountability Office says that the fraud rate for SSDI is less than 1 percent, so we know these application measures help prevent illegal claims. But even if you meet these requirements your claim can still be rejected. That’s when having a disability attorney can help.
Disability attorneys are familiar with the paperwork and the processes that you must go through to claim Social Security Disability. We are there to help with hearings and to make sure the evidence of a claimant’s disability is properly considered. Sometimes this process can take a while, it may even take years, but people with disabilities can get to the other side of the claims process.
To learn more about why SSDI isn’t some secret welfare system, stick with our Tulsa disability attorneys on this blog. You can also voice your concerns on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
