More people are applying for Social Security disability benefits because of the the grim economy. Many of those applying have minimal education and may have had challenges keeping a job even in the best of times. They were often the first to lose their jobs when the recession arrived. Social Security disability is a lifeline for such people, but the crush of applicants is creating an unsustainable cost burden on the program. And once people are on the Social Security rols, it’s unlikely that they will ever return to work. As one commentator notes, “The current SSDI system sends a negative message to disabled Americans that they are not valued members of the labor force by making it impossible for them to draw any benefits and work, even part-time.”
As long as we continue to follow policies that equate disability with a total incapacity to work, people with disabilities who could otherwise be productive workers with the proper support will continue to be relegated to lives of poverty. Some may not be able to work, but our current policy is based on a blanket assumption that disability is antithetical to employment.
