Congress established the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program in 1956 after more than 20 years of debate. Prior to 1956 there was no safety net for people who became disabled and were unable to work. Despite substantial opposition to SSDI, Congress managed to establish one of the most important social programs in the country’s history. Now, more than 60 years later it’s worth examining how today’s SSDI program compares to what Congress envisioned in 1956.
When it was introduced there was agreement that SSDI should be for workers who had substantial work histories that would be paid for through payroll taxes to offer “modest” benefit levels. Congress also made SSDI difficult to obtain by including stringent disability criteria to meet before approval.
Back in 2015 Social Security released an issue paper examining how closely the program has lived up to Congress’ vision back in 1956, which can be found here.
The issue paper concluded that today’s Social Security looks pretty close to how the program was first intended to look.
According to the issue paper, “as the DI program’s designers intended, most disabled-worker beneficiaries are older; the majority of them are aged 50 or older when they start receiving benefits. The program’s strict eligibility standards are reflected in the high mortality rate among beneficiaries within 5 years of starting benefits. Its goal of providing only the most basic of benefits is reflected in the fact that the average benefit level remains less than one-third of the national AWI and only slightly above the federal poverty line. Although the Social Security DI program has grown and adjusted to meet the demographic changes in the United States since 1956, it also succeeds in dutifully following the core tenets that Congress established for it nearly 60 years ago.”
