5 ms·

Am I reading this right: almost 1 in 5 American adults is on disability?

darawk 6y ago
Yes. Disability numbers are shockingly high. It's an issue that is really not talked about enough.
bostonvaulter2 6y ago
Yes, it is truly scary. A large portion of them are in more rural areas that have been decimated. Also, IIRC states pay money to trainers/consultants that help people get on the national disability programs.
amznthrwaway 6y ago
That number doesn't match what the SSA publishes in their annual reports.[1]. They put the figure on disability at 8.9 million disabled workers, with 11.2 million total beneficiaries once you include the disabled workers' children.) That said, the real figures are still startling. They represents 4.4% of the US worker population but some states rely incredibly heavily on the program. Alabama - 8.0% of the population Arkansas - 7.9% of the population Kentucky - 7.6% of the population Maine - 7.4% of the population Mississippi - 7.5% of the population West Virginia - 8.6% of the population 1: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2019/di_asr19.pdf https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2019/di_asr...
- Forbo 6y ago
  No idea why this was downvoted into oblivion, so I vouched for it. It seems to state factual information and cites direct sources. The information presented is located on page 29. Maybe instead of just drive-by downvoting, you can state some reasoning for doing so.
  - Noumenon72 6y ago
    For a second I thought I'd lost my ability to vouch, then I reloaded and found you had already done so. Thanks for recognizing good posts!
sk2020 6y ago
Collecting disability doesn’t necessarily mean you’re incapacitated or can’t work at all. Depression is a common disability, for example. It’s very common for veterans who served more than 4 years to get some amount of disability if they are persistent, and often not for crippling injuries (sleep apnea is a popular one)

Yes. Disability numbers are shockingly high. It's an issue that is really not talked about enough.

Yes, it is truly scary. A large portion of them are in more rural areas that have been decimated. Also, IIRC states pay money to trainers/consultants that help people get on the national disability programs.

amznthrwaway 6y ago

That number doesn't match what the SSA publishes in their annual reports.[1]. They put the figure on disability at 8.9 million disabled workers, with 11.2 million total beneficiaries once you include the disabled workers' children.) That said, the real figures are still startling. They represents 4.4% of the US worker population but some states rely incredibly heavily on the program. Alabama - 8.0% of the population Arkansas - 7.9% of the population Kentucky - 7.6% of the population Maine - 7.4% of the population Mississippi - 7.5% of the population West Virginia - 8.6% of the population 1: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2019/di_asr19.pdf https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2019/di_asr...

Forbo 6y ago
No idea why this was downvoted into oblivion, so I vouched for it. It seems to state factual information and cites direct sources. The information presented is located on page 29. Maybe instead of just drive-by downvoting, you can state some reasoning for doing so.
- Noumenon72 6y ago
  For a second I thought I'd lost my ability to vouch, then I reloaded and found you had already done so. Thanks for recognizing good posts!

sk2020 6y ago

Collecting disability doesn’t necessarily mean you’re incapacitated or can’t work at all. Depression is a common disability, for example. It’s very common for veterans who served more than 4 years to get some amount of disability if they are persistent, and often not for crippling injuries (sleep apnea is a popular one)