The number of workers taking federal disability insurance payments hit yet another record in July, increasing to 8,753,935 during the month from the previous record of 8,733,461 set in June, according to newly released data from the Social Security Administration.

The 8,753,935 workers who took federal disability insurance payments in July exceeded the population of 39 of the 50 states. Only 11 states -- California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and New Jersey -- had more people in them than the number of workers on the federal disability insurance rolls in July.

Virginia, the twelfth most-populous state, had 8,096,604 people in 2011, according to the latest Census Bureau estimate. That would make Virginia’s population about 657,331 less than the number of workers who took federal disability insurance payments in July.

Congress enacted legislation in 1956 to add federal disability insurance to the Social Security system. Over the decades, the number of Americans actually working has dramatically declined relative to the number claiming federal disability insurance payments.

By July 1967, there 74,520,000 Americans actually working and 1,145,663 workers taking disability payments. That made a ratio of 65 actual workers for each worker collecting disability. In July 1987, there were 112,634,000 people actually working and 2,759,852 people collecting disability -- a ratio of about 41 actual workers to each worker collecting disability.

When President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, there were 142,187,000 people actually working and 7,442,377 workers collecting disability -- a ratio of about 19 to 1.

In June, there were 142,415,000 people actually working and 8,733,461 workers claiming disability -- a ratio of about 16 to 1.

In July, in addition to the 8,753,935 workers who received federal disability insurance payments, there were also 165,564 spouses of disabled workers and 1,850,653 children of disabled workers who received payments. That brought the total number of disability beneficiaries to 10,770,152.

Federal disability insurance is funded by a 1.8 percent payroll tax that is split between employers and workers. Self-employed people pay the entire 1.8 percent.

READ FULL SOURCE ARTICLE


The BasicsProject.org informational and educational pamphlet series is now available for Kindle and iPad. Click here to find out more...


The New Media Journal and BasicsProject.org are not funded by outside sources. We exist exclusively on tax deductible donations from our readers and contributors. Please make a tax deductible donation today.