People are always asking me Social Security questions about how the government plans to keep up with costs and rapid growth so that they don’t lose out on benefits, and I always tell them not to worry—when push comes to shove, politicians always find the money somewhere because no one wants to lose millions of votes.
That being said, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t learn more by reading our free eBook and pay attention to the various proposals out there to change the program. As a Social Security Disability attorney, I always keep my ear to the ground. Lately, it seems like everyone out there just keeps coming up with new ways to make cuts.
It makes sense. Due to our increased understanding of a number of medical issues and the addition of an incredible number of women into the workforce, SSDI has grown by leaps and bounds over the last several decades to include many more people who are deserving of benefits. Unfortunately, the budget hasn’t been able to grow at the same rate, leading to lots of hand-wringing. The latest organization to add to the fear-mongering is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
What the CBO’s Latest Report Says
Not surprisingly, the CBO says that there’s a problem with how fast SSDI is growing. What is surprising, though, is their reasoning.
In their latest report, they fault the 1984 disability amendments with loosening standards (i.e. providing more deserving people with the money they need to live), and even go so far as to blame people with mental impairments and musculoskeletal disorders for not dying as fast as other disabled people. Naturally, most of their suggestions involve cuts.
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What Does the CBO Want to Cut?
The list is quite long, and involves not just cuts but fundamental changes to SSDI:
- Lowering benefits for new beneficiaries overall by 15% for new beneficiaries that start getting SSDI at age 53 by 30% until they reach age 62
- Make benefits grow slower by changing the wage-indexing measure
- Get rid of SSDI eligibility at age 62
- Change the “recent work” rules—people would have to work 4 out of the last 6 years instead of 5 out of the last 10
- Raise minimum ages for benefits in every category by two years
- Lengthen the SSDI waiting period from 5 months to 1 year
- Follow the VA model—offer partial disability payments based on level of impairment
Don’t let them get away with it. Contact your representative, and if you’re filing a claim or fighting a denial, make sure you work with an experienced Social Security Disability attorney who can answer all of your Social Security questions. Marc Whitehead is a board certified Texas Social Security Disability lawyer.
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