Cutting SSDI could damage nation’s economy

A focal point of the campaign season was balancing the federal budget, and some want to cut the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program because they say that nondisabled claimants are receiving benefits.

While some may be trying to defraud the Social Security disability system, the facts are that SSDI cases are on the rise because the baby-boomer generation is getting older, and they are now more susceptible to injury and illness. Also more women in the workforce are also eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance.

Stabilizing the national budget is a priority, but it cannot be achieved by turning our backs on our country’s disabled workers, according to The Seattle Times.

If more SSDI claimants are denied the benefits that they have earned, the entire nation will experience larger societal costs such as:

1. SSDI prevents disabled workers from relying on safety-net programs like welfare, emergency-response, and healthcare systems.

2. It also prevents significant personal and societal burdens like home foreclosures, evictions, and bankruptcies. Basically, denying Social Security Disability Insurance benefits perpetuates homelessness in our nation.

If any cuts to the SSDI program are approved, people will not have access to the benefits that they contributed to while they worked.

If you or someone you know needs help with benefits, contact a Social Security lawyer at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin.