Trump administration cuts to Social Security disability benefits among the cruelest
Hardly a day goes by without the Trump administration finding a new way to slash the safety net.
But its latest proposal — which would cut Social Security disability benefits by $2.6 billion over 10 years — is one of the cruelest. It would require millions of beneficiaries to re-prove their disability — and navigate a complex web of red tape and paperwork — every two years. Hundreds of thousands of people could lose benefits even though their condition has not changed.
We’ve seen this movie before, when the Reagan administration implemented a similar policy. People with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, serious mental illness and even terminal cancer were notified they were “no longer disabled” and their benefits terminated.
All told, half a million people lost benefits. Thousands died, many by suicide. President Ronald Reagan’s “disability purge” caused such suffering, it sparked a bipartisan revolt by 18 states that refused to implement it. Ultimately, a rare unanimous vote by Congress ended the nightmarish policy in 1984.
Proving eligibility for benefits is an arduous process that can take months if not years, and hundreds, if not thousands of pages of medical evidence. America has among the strictest eligibility standards in the world. Over 60% of applications are denied, and tens of thousands of people die each year waiting for benefits.
OUR VIEW:Reserve benefits for disabled workers, not displaced ones
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2020/01/27/trump-administration-cuts-disability-benefits-among-cruelest-editorials-debates/4592737002/?fbclid=IwAR3vJXiR9lUJHIww7HeBQn7dgjZ7q_o-h1ncTAjvd4MiArtEuowJjbIdSdc
But its latest proposal — which would cut Social Security disability benefits by $2.6 billion over 10 years — is one of the cruelest. It would require millions of beneficiaries to re-prove their disability — and navigate a complex web of red tape and paperwork — every two years. Hundreds of thousands of people could lose benefits even though their condition has not changed.
We’ve seen this movie before, when the Reagan administration implemented a similar policy. People with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, serious mental illness and even terminal cancer were notified they were “no longer disabled” and their benefits terminated.
All told, half a million people lost benefits. Thousands died, many by suicide. President Ronald Reagan’s “disability purge” caused such suffering, it sparked a bipartisan revolt by 18 states that refused to implement it. Ultimately, a rare unanimous vote by Congress ended the nightmarish policy in 1984.
Proving eligibility for benefits is an arduous process that can take months if not years, and hundreds, if not thousands of pages of medical evidence. America has among the strictest eligibility standards in the world. Over 60% of applications are denied, and tens of thousands of people die each year waiting for benefits.
OUR VIEW:Reserve benefits for disabled workers, not displaced ones
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2020/01/27/trump-administration-cuts-disability-benefits-among-cruelest-editorials-debates/4592737002/?fbclid=IwAR3vJXiR9lUJHIww7HeBQn7dgjZ7q_o-h1ncTAjvd4MiArtEuowJjbIdSdc
Comments
So much income escapes social security contributions that the business and self-employment contribution could be eliminated and the funds would still grow if it was funded by both “Earned and Unearned Income.” Imagine how that might impact available investment capital.
If you didn't understand that then oh well.