- Thread starter
- #61
Obama Administrations Achievements (Thus Far) » Obama's Achievements CenterI am not back peddling. The rules changed in 1984 that made it easier to get benefits. The number of people on disability increased IMMEDIATELY and ever since.
Obama had nothing to do with any changes to eligibility rules. There has been NO CHANGE TO THE RULES under Obama.
how can the rules change in 1984 when it was enacted in 1984?
The CHANGES were enacted in 1984.
From the study in YOUR link:
Since its introduction in 1956, the DI program has insured workers against the risk of being unable to work due to disability.
From a link in the study YOU posted:
The Growth in the Social Security Disability Rolls: A Fiscal Crisis Unfolding
While aggregate population health has improved by most measures in recent decades, the rate of SSDI receipt among nonelderly adults has nearly doubled since 1984. We project that SSDI receipt will rise by an additional seventy percent before reaching a steady state rate of approximately 6.5 percent of adults between the ages of 25 and 64, with cash benefit payments exceeding $150 billion annually (excluding Medicare).
We trace the rapid expansion of SSDI to: (1) congressional reforms to disability screening in 1984 that enabled workers with low mortality disorders such as back pain, arthritis and mental illness to more readily qualify for benefits; (2) a rise in the after-tax DI income replacement rate, which strengthened the incentives for workers to seek benefits; (3) and a rapid increase in female labor force participation that expanded the pool of insured workers. Notably, the aging of the baby boom generation has contributed little to the growth of SSDI to date.
Social Security Disability Applicant Access to Professional Representation Act of 2010
The Affordable Care Act?s Early Retiree Reinsurance Program