Social security disability program pushed to brink of insolvency

Donate today. Share Twitter Facebook Email. This file photo shows trays of printed Social Security checks waiting to be mailed from the U.

Social Security's disability program is reported to be near the brink of insolvency. Fullscreen Slide Previous Slide 1 of 1. Your support matters. Support MPR News. However, if you qualify for disability, you can get full benefits, based on your work history, even before Also, people who qualify for Social Security disability automatically get Medicare after two years, even if they are younger than 65, the age when other retirees qualify for the government-run health insurance program.

Congress tried to rein in the disability program in the late s by making it tougher to qualify. The number of people receiving benefits declined for a few years, even during a recession in the early s. Congress, however, reversed course and loosened the criteria, and the rolls were growing again by The disability program "got into trouble first because of liberalization of eligibility standards in the s," said Charles Blahous, one of the public trustees who oversee Social Security.

Today, about Supplemental Security Income does not require a work history but it has strict limits on income and assets. As policymakers work to improve the disability system, they are faced with two major issues: Legitimate applicants often have to wait years to get benefits while many others get payments they don't deserve. At the same time, the application process can be a nightmare for legitimate applicants. About two-thirds of initial applications are rejected.

Most of these people drop their claims, but for those willing go through an appeals process that can take two years or more, chances are good they eventually will get benefits.

Astrue has pledged to reduce processing times for applicants' appeals, and he has had some success, even as the number of claims skyrockets. The number of people waiting for decisions has increased, but their wait times are going down. Patricia L. Foster said she was working as a nurse in a hospital in Columbia, S.

The disability program "got into trouble first because of liberalization of eligibility standards in the s," said Charles Blahous, one of the public trustees who oversee Social Security.

Today, about Supplemental Security Income does not require a work history but it has strict limits on income and assets. As policymakers work to improve the disability system, they are faced with two major issues: Legitimate applicants often have to wait years to get benefits while many others get payments they don't deserve.

At the same time, the application process can be a nightmare for legitimate applicants. About two-thirds of initial applications are rejected. Most of these people drop their claims, but for those willing go through an appeals process that can take two years or more, chances are good they eventually will get benefits. Astrue has pledged to reduce processing times for applicants' appeals, and he has had some success, even as the number of claims skyrockets. The number of people waiting for decisions has increased, but their wait times are going down.

Patricia L. Foster said she was working as a nurse in a hospital in Columbia, S. Foster, 64, said she injured her neck so bad she had a plate inserted. She said she also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.