Michael Barone has an article in IBD entitled: “Collecting Disability Becomes A Career Choice For Men:” (via Newalert):
But there is another federal program for people with disabilities that has had an unhappier effect. This is the disability insurance (DI) program, which is part of Social Security.
The idea is to provide income for those whose health makes them unable to work. For many years, it was a small and inexpensive program that few people or politicians paid much attention to.
In his recent book, “A Nation of Takers: America’s Entitlement Epidemic, ” my American Enterprise Institute colleague Nicholas Eberstadt has shown how DI has grown in recent years.
In 1960, some 455,000 workers were receiving disability payments. In 2011, the number was 8,600,000. In 1960, the percentage of the economically active 18-to-64 population receiving disability benefits was 0.65%. In 2010, it was 5.6%…..
Consider the plight of someone who at some level knows he can work but decides to collect disability payments instead. That person is not likely to ever seek work again, especially if the sluggish recovery turns out to be the new normal.
He may be gleeful that he was able to game the system or just grimly determined to get what he can in a tough situation. But he will not be able to get the satisfaction of earned success from honest work that contributes something to society and the economy.
I use the masculine pronoun intentionally, because an increasing number of American men have dropped out of the workforce altogether. In 1948, 89% of men age 20 and over were in the workforce.
In 2011, 73% were.
Social Security Disability and food stamps are the few areas where men can get benefits. Most WIC, much welfare, and even much of the Earned income credit goes to women with children. No, it’s not good for men to game the system, but the system, in some sense has “gamed them.” Our country now rewards those who do not help themselves; those who try to be successful are often punished. Some men have caught on to the game, and others simply are not able to play. There is no or little incentive to work, this combined with a sluggish economy leaves some men “going Galt.” It is not good for society, though for the individual, it may make sense.
Hey, let’s hear it for those Supplemental Security Income (SSI) “crazy checks” from Social Security! (Feminists have been telling us being male is a disability for years, why not cash in on it?)
“He may be gleeful that he was able to game the system…”
Maybe for the first few months, then he’ll be full of rage from fear that evil Conservatives will take his money away. It’s the standard welfare syndrome.
I’m not saying some people can’t game the social security disability system but you actually have to have a disability that keeps you from the work you’ve done or could do. And you can’t blame men for applying when they are out of a job. You have to have worked so much in the preceding years or you lose your eligibility. That happened to my brother, he was out of work for years and just so happened to miss the eligibility by getting sick a month after it expired. Of course, he was dead by the time they adjudicated the claim.
One other added bump is if a man does end up with a disability and he doesn’t have a college degree, the adjudicator has to deal with the fact the individual is no longer qualified for their “profession” due to such jobs requiring a college degree now. So by default the man is no longer able to do the work he did before if he’s lost his job and must seek other employment after the disability.
That’s what is killing us. Back in the early sixties you had to be unable to do any remunerative work to get disability. I think it was Clinton who changed it- with a little help from a Democratic Congress- to being unable to do what you did before.
The cheating on that program is enormous.
Today I wrote a letter to a man who I had retained to do yard work at a property I own in another state.
He had sent me a letter asking that he be paid in cash, rather than by check, since when he cashes the checks somehow the authorities find out about it and reduce his EBT Card amount accordingly.
I told him that I could send cash, but I would need a receipt from him if I did, so I would have records for tax purposes.
Then I pointed out to him that Obamacare had imposed a requirement that I submit a 1099 to him, the IRS, and the State tax people if the amount I pay him exceeds $600 in a year – and under our current arrangement, it will. And thus the Fed and state tax people will find out anyway that he has another source of income.
I told him the altenative is for him to only do the yard work for 7 months out of the year, thus keeping the amount I pay him below $600, therefore eliminating the 1099 requirement. Then I could pay him cash and so not affect his EBT card payments, although I would still need a receipt from him – and what he tells the tax people is his own business.
So he has to figure out how much he can work and still get all his EBT money, versus getting paid more and losing some of the free stuff.
It’s gonna be interesting when even the early implications of Obamacare begin to sink in with some people who think they will be getting “free” medical care and all that other free stuff as well.
I live in Canada in a middle-class neighborhood and am retired. I walk my dog everyday and am astonished at the number of young women (in their 30s and 40s) in my neighborhood whom I see during the daytime walking their dogs and who tell me that they are “on disability.” For example, for the past 8 years I have seen a woman walk her quite large dog for a mile or so several times a day, toss toys for it to chase–she has a good arm–and seemingly do everything outside that a perfectly healthy able-bodied person does.
These young, single women are not embarrassed in the least to proclaim that they do not work and have not worked for years. It seems to be a thoroughly “respectable” lifestyle for this age-group.
I used to administer Workers Comp programs for my employers in the construction industry. I know all about those impossible-to-disprove musculoskeletal disorders.
Well, the left advocates Medicare For All. Why not Social Security For All? The checks can start arriving as of the 18th birthday. No need to fake a qualifying disability. No need to make career decisions. Move to Colorado and smoke pot all day. That’s the ticket.
The American Revolution was won, in large part, because the patriots refused to conduct war in the traditional European way; lines of unprotected foolish men shooting firearms at each other. Instead, the patriots adopted the Indian way of fighting, and eventually overcame the mightiest army in existance at the time. It was an early, and still widely used, form of guerrilla warfare.
Every conservative should begin, IMMEDIATELY, soaking the system for every drop we can. The thugs have been doing so for years. Do you think we can’t develop lawyers who can do it 1000% better than theirs can?
Moreover, it will only be getting a small percentage our own money back.
Until I have time to research current statistics. In the meantime heres some information article to read.
More Women Turning to Social Security Disability Benefits; Mothers Should Know Their Options — Women’s rate of disability increases by 72 percent since 1999. http://www.prweb.com/releases/Allsup_SSDI/Women_and_disabilities/prweb2387054.htm
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)2010 Data and Trend Highlights
Covered male workers (52% of total) outnumber covered females (48% of total) although the covered female worker population continues to grow faster; female workers grew 1% over 2009 compared to males at +0.4%.
http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org/research/CDA_LTD_Claims_Survey_2011.asp
It’s ironic that since we now have laws forcing employers to hire disabled workers we have more workers out on disability.
Thanks for the link to this timely and poignant article. The harsh reality is that millions of men just cannot find jobs. Many– probably most–would prefer hard work to government support, but understand they have no choice but to live in the world as they find it.
When our economy recovers, we will need to give serious thought as to how to get these “disabled” workers back in the labor force.