With all this election-year talk of “victims” and “47 percentages,” many Americans are understandably concerned about the state of Social Security and their continued eligibility for benefits. Last month, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is a nonpartisan policy group working on policy and public programs that affect Americans in low and moderate income groups, released a report that supported the continuance of Social Security benefits.
In the report, the Central Budget and Policy Priorities says that the Social Security Disability Insurance program provides very vital and important benefits to workers, who have no other way of earning an income after they suffer disabilities or medical impairment.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities report takes aim at those critics of Social Security who say that spending on Social Security is out of control. The report clearly speaks out against those allegations, saying that much of the rise in federal disability payments is a result of demographic factors.
For instance, there has been a slow and steady aging of the American population and an increase in the number of baby boomers. There has been an increase in the number of women who are working, and an increase in the Social Security retirement age. There are other external factors like financial crises and the resulting economic downturn that have also contributed to higher numbers of payments being made by Social Security.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priority is calling on policymakers to address the depletion of the Social Security Disability Insurance program, in order to avoid shortfalls in the future.
Lisa Siegel is a Social Security disability lawyer, helping persons with disabilities in the metro Atlanta region recover their rightful disability benefits. If you are eligible for Social Security, and have had a claim denied, speak with us to learn your rights.