Political effort to dismantle Social Security Disability
The following has been verified as real:
April 4, 2013
An Open Letter from Former Commissioners of the Social
Security Administration
As former Commissioners of the Social Security
Administration (SSA), we write to express our significant concerns regarding a
series recently aired on This American Life, All Things Considered, and
National Public Radio stations across the U.S. ("Unfit for Work: The
Startling Rise of Disability in America"). Our nation’s Social Security system serves as a vital
lifeline for millions of individuals with severe disabilities. We feel compelled to share our unique
insight into the Social Security system because we know firsthand the dangers
of mischaracterizing the disability programs via sensational, anecdote-based
media accounts, leaving vulnerable beneficiaries to pick up the pieces.
Approximately 1 in 5 of our fellow Americans live with
disabilities, but only those with the most significant disabilities qualify for
disability benefits under Title II and Title XVI of the Social Security Act.
Title II Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (DI) benefits and Title
XVI Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits provide critical support to
millions of Americans with the most severe disabilities, as well as their
dependents and survivors. Disabled
beneficiaries often report multiple impairments, and many have such poor health
that they are terminally ill: about 1 in 5 male DI beneficiaries and 1 in 7
female DI beneficiaries die within 5 years of receiving benefits. Despite their impairments, many
beneficiaries attempt work using the work incentives under the Social Security
Act, and some do work part-time. For example, research by Mathematica and SSA finds
that about 17 percent of beneficiaries worked in 2007. However, their earnings are generally
very low (two-thirds of those who worked in 2007 earned less than $5,000 for
the whole year), and only a small share are able to earn enough to be
self-sufficient and leave the DI and SSI programs each year. Without Social Security or SSI, the
alternatives for many beneficiaries are simply unthinkable.
The statutory standard for approval is very strict, and
was made even more so in 1996. To
implement this strict standard, Social Security Administration (SSA)
regulations, policies, and procedures require extensive documentation and
medical evidence at all levels of the application process. Less than one-third of initial DI and
SSI applications are approved, and only about 40 percent of adult DI and SSI
applicants receive benefits even after all levels of appeal. As with adults, most children who apply
are denied SSI, and only the most severely impaired qualify for benefits.
Managing the eligibility process for the disability system is a
challenging task, and errors will always occur in any system of this size. But the SSA makes every effort to pay
benefits to the right person in the right amount at the right time. When an individual applies for one of
SSA’s disability programs, the agency has extensive systems in place to ensure
accurate decisions, and the agency is home to many dedicated public servants
who take their ongoing responsibility of the proper stewardship of the programs
very seriously. Program integrity
is critically important and adequate funds must be available to make continued
progress in quality assurance and monitoring. In the face of annual appropriations that were far below what
the President requested in Fiscal Year 2011 and Fiscal Year 2012, the agency
has still continued to implement many new system improvements that protect
taxpayers and live up to Americans’ commitment to protect the most vulnerable
in our society.
It is true that DI has grown significantly in the past 30
years. The growth that we’ve seen
was predicted by actuaries as early as 1994 and is mostly the result of two
factors: baby boomers entering their high-disability years, and women entering
the workforce in large numbers in the 1970s and 1980s so that more are now
"insured" for DI based on their own prior contributions. The increase in the number of children
receiving SSI benefits in the past decade is similarly explained by larger
economic factors, namely the increase in the number of poor and low-income
children. More than 1 in 5 U.S.
children live in poverty today and some 44 percent live in low-income
households. Since SSI is a
means-tested program, more poor and low-income children mean more children with
disabilities are financially eligible for benefits. Importantly, the share of
low-income children who receive SSI benefits has remained constant at less than
four percent.
Yet, the series aired on NPR sensationalizes this growth,
as well as the DI trust fund’s projected shortfall. History tells a less
dramatic story. Since Social
Security was enacted, Congress has "reallocated" payroll tax revenues
across the OASI and DI trust funds – about equally in both directions – some 11
times to account for demographic shifts. In 1994, the last time such
reallocation occurred, SSA actuaries projected that similar action would next
be required in 2016. They were
right on target.
We are deeply concerned
that the series “Unfit for Work” failed to tell the whole story and perpetuated
dangerous myths about the Social Security disability programs and the people
helped by this vital system. We fear that listeners may come away with an incorrect
impression of the program—as opposed to an understanding of the program
actually based on facts.
As former Commissioners of the agency, we could not sit on the
sidelines and witness this one perspective on the disability programs threaten
to pull the rug out from under millions of people with severe
disabilities. Drastic changes to
these programs would lead to drastic consequences for some of America's most
vulnerable people. With the lives
of so many vulnerable people at stake, it is vital that future reporting on the
DI and SSI programs look at all parts of this important issue and take a
balanced, careful look at how to preserve and strengthen these vital parts of
our nation’s Social Security system.
Sincerely,
Kenneth S. Apfel
Michael J. Astrue
Jo Anne B. Barnhart
Shirley S. Chater
Herbert R. Doggette
Louis D. Enoff
Larry G.
Massanari
Lawrence
H. Thompson
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