Disabled individuals in Georgia are far more likely to suffer financial hardship than the rest of us. Disabled people who are able to work will face various obstacles put in their way in regards to locating employment. However, circumstances are much worse for those that are limited in their ability to work.
Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income at least allow these individuals to receive a minimum amount of income so that they do not end up losing their homes or having to go without meals.
Nobody is getting rich off of the receipt of SSDI or SSI. Close to 9 million workers receive SSDI. These individuals on average make $1,129 per month. The 1.9 million children of disabled workers receive approximately $300 per month. Many adults receiving SSI are paid $525 per month with little or no other type of income.
Individuals receiving SSDI or SSI generally never make the same kind of money that they did prior to the disability taking place. Though we also often hear stories of recipients milking the system, we forget that more than half of the applications for SSDI are denied. Also, provisions are included in the Social Security provisions that would encourage recipients of SSDI and SSI to return to work if at all possible.
Attorneys that represent these recipients are only providing such individuals with the benefits that was agreed to be paid to them by the federal government – as these same people have been paying into the program for a great many years. There are always proposals about modifications that should be made to the Social Security system to keep programs like SSDI and SSI viable into the future. Unfortunately, recipients generally cannot wait for legislators to take action.
Source: Center for American Progress, “The Facts on Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income for Workers with Disabilities,” Shawn Fremstad and Rebecca Vallas, May 30, 2013
