The federal Social Security Disability Insurance program is expected to become insolvent by 2016, according to the Social Security Board of Trustees. This means, without reform, retirees and disabled Americans filing for the social security benefits may not receive all the money to which they are entitled.
After many years of hard work, can you imagine not getting the money you have earned? Congress has been discussing many ways to change the social security system to help disabled citizens receive the benefits they deserve. However, these proposed changes may have some unfavorable consequences.
Higher taxes and smaller paychecks. The Autor/Duggan plan, proposed by MIT chairman David Autor and University of Maryland’s Mark Duggan, would require employers to pay for disability insurance for their employees. Up to half the cost of these premiums could be deducted from workers’ paychecks to cover the expense. Disability insurance coverage would kick in only if the employee develops a disability that affects his or her ability to work.
Longer waiting periods. Congress has considered several ways to save the social security insurance fund. One way to cut back on the number of applicants and recipients of social security disability benefits is to increase the waiting period before benefits from five months to one year. This would likely discourage people from applying for disability who don’t really need it, but would also put financial stress on disabled citizens who really need the money.
More denials. Less benefits. With reform, the criteria for being eligible for SSDI may become a lot tougher. This would make it more difficult for some people to obtain the benefits they need to cover medical expenses and the cost of living. The percentage of people denied disability benefits will increase dramatically as more people are turned away because they don’t meet the new requirements. Additionally, the amount of benefits disabled citizens receive may be considerably less than expected as Congress attempts to maintain the SSDI fund for as long as possible.
If you have recently become disabled, you may need to file for social security disability insurance. To ensure you are getting all the benefits you have worked so hard for, you can contact an experienced social security disability attorney. The friendly legal team at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers is standing by to help you in your time of need.