Trump’s Budget Director Gets Social Security Disability Insurance Wrong
End Notes
[1] CBS News, “Face the Nation transcript March 19, 2017: Cruz, Pelosi, Mulvaney,” March 19, 2017, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-transcript-march-19-2017-cruz-pelosi-mulvaney/.
[2] CNN, “Transcript of Republican debate in Miami, full text,” March 15, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/politics/republican-debate-transcript-full-text/.
[3] SSA, “Disabled worker beneficiaries in current payment status at the end of December 2016, distributed by age and sex,” https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/benefits/da_age201612.html.
[4] Kathy A. Ruffing, Geographic Pattern of Disability Receipt Largely Reflects Economic and Demographic Factors: Disability Benefits Especially Important in South and Appalachia, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, January 9, 2015, https://www.cbpp.org/research/geographic-pattern-of-disability-receipt-largely-reflects-economic-and-demographic-factors.
[5] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Chart Book: Social Security Disability Insurance, Part I: “Why Is Social Security Disability Insurance Important?,” updated August 23, 2016, https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/chart-book-social-security-disability-insurance#Section_one.
[6] Kathy Ruffing, “New Research: Demographics Explains Most of Disability Rolls’ Growth,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 3, 2015, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/new-research-demographics-explains-most-of-disability-rolls-growth.
[7] SSA, Monthly Statistical Snapshot, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/.
[8] SSA, The 2016 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds, June 2016, Table V.C5, https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/2016/lr5c5.html. The Congressional Budget Office projects similar figures; see https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/recurringdata/51307-2017-01-ssdi.pdf. While the percent of eligible workers receiving DI is expected to remain stable, the number is expected to rise starting in 2021, after Social Security’s retirement age rises from 66 to 67 for those who reach 62 in 2017 and later.
[9] SSA, Benefits Paid by Type of Beneficiary, https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/icp.html.
[10] Kathy A. Ruffing, “U.S. Disability Benefits Modest by International Standards,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 1, 2016, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/us-disability-benefits-modest-by-international-standards.
[11] SSA, Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2014, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2014/sect04.html.
[12] Kathleen Romig, “DI Beneficiaries Have Extensive Work Histories,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 25, 2015, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/di-beneficiaries-have-extensive-work-histories.
[13] Kathy Ruffing, “No Surprise: Disability Beneficiaries Experience High Death Rates,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 4, 2013, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/no-surprise-disability-beneficiaries-experience-high-death-rates.
[14] Paul Van de Water, “Few Disability Insurance Beneficiaries Could Support Themselves by Working,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, March 9, 2015, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/few-disability-insurance-beneficiaries-could-support-themselves-by-working.
[15] Kathy A. Ruffing, “Disability Insurance Has Many Safeguards Against Fraud and Abuse,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 21, 2015, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/disability-insurance-has-many-safeguards-against-fraud-and-abuse.