As disability representatives we continue to monitor the impending Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) shortfall and will continue to do so until there is some resolution to the problem. Estimates are that the disability trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits to disabled workers by sometime late next year. This will result in a nearly 20 percent reduction of pay for disabled recipients, many of who are already feeling a financial pinch.
The Republicans in congress have rejected suggestions to transfer money from Social Security’s retirement fund to the disability fund to extend the life of the disability fund. At first glance, you may think this is a good idea. After all, why should seniors use their funds to bailout the disability trust fund? The problem is money has been transferred between the two funds several times to extend the life of the two programs. And yes, money has been taken from the disability fund and transferred to the retirement fund before.
Unfortunately the Republicans have no reservations about sticking it to the disabled and have even suggested that a large portion of those on Social Security disability are able to work, but are just too lazy. I wonder how the Republicans would act if the retirement fund was running out of money? Do you think they would have the same disdain for our seniors?
The fact is Social Security benefits make some of our less vulnerable Americans, both the disabled and seniors, a little less vulnerable. Seniors should be standing side-by-side with the disabled demanding that there be no reduction of benefits for either group. If this were to happen, considering the substantial lobbying power of senior advocates, it would be hard to believe that Republicans would not have a change of tune.
If anyone ever thought that the impending disability fund shortfall was much ado about nothing, remember what Carolyn Colvin, acting director of the Social Security Administration, said a few months ago. “I don’t want to be dramatic, but I’ve worked with this population my whole career. I think we [would] give them a death sentence,” Colvin said when asked about the repercussions of reduced disability benefits.
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