Current Event 4/7

"Disabled, but Looking for Work" Motoko Rich April 6, 2011 This article follows the story of Christopher Howard, a man who collects social security benefits because of physical disabilities and the loss of his job. He will receive these payments, 574 dollars a month, until he find a job or reaches the age of retirement. Christopher has not been able to find a steady job, because of his disability. He is not alone in the search for a job, and receiving Social Security benefits. Programs that intend to help disabled people obtain jobs have only given a small portion of the beneficiaries jobs. Even while 3.5 million people are looking for jobs, it is becoming even more important for the disabled to get, and keep their jobs. Social Security has been paying far more to the disabled than they are taking in from taxes. At this rate, the disability trust will run out by 2018. The people collecting disability benefits have gone up about 5 million people since 2000, last year they collected around 115 billion dollars combined. One in 21 Americans receive benefits for disability, raising from 1 in 30 in 2000, Christopher Howard lives in Arkansas where the ratio is 1 in 12, one of the highest in the U.S. While people may be recovering, they are scared to leave the benefits and move onto work, they are using them as a type of safety net. However, many beneficiaries cannot work, even when being given the right services and working conditions because of going without work for so long, they are beginning to lose their skills and ambition. What many of the disabled people do not realize when looking for work and "leaving their safety net" of benefits, they are not necessarily going without some support. The Social Security offers incentives to try and encourage people to re-enter the work force. These incentives include collecting the benefits from Social Security for 9 months, making any amount in payment, if their income falls below 1,000 dollars a month they can receive Social Security benefits again immediately for up to three years and they can keep Medicare coverage for up to eight years after returning to work. In 1999 a law was passed by congress permitting the Ticket to Work program, a program that helps beneficiaries in the search for a job. The program has not been very successful, only 13,656 people have returned to work in the past three years, out of 12 and a half million, and less than a third of them made enough money to drop benefits from Social Security. The first time I read through this article I was unsure of the point the author was trying to make. Whether that is because I don't know much about the current state of Social Security or because I was simultaneously trying to read and listen to Jenna rant about math, well, I think I'm pretty sure it was a little of both. However, the second time I read it, and went through with a highlighter, things started to fit together. The author stated several facts, along with the story of Christopher Howard to explain the crisis the state of Social Security is in. I believe, the way disabled and other beneficiaries are collecting social security needs to be changed, obviously. Tax payers are not going to want to pay more taxes in order to pay for the beneficiaries of Social Security. Though, as of now, besides saying "those people just need to get a job", which is known to not be so easy, greater payments from taxpayers is what this is going towards, if that is to be avoided, a new system may be in order. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/business/economy/07disabled.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=social security&st=cse&scp=4&adxnnlx=1302188458-yMD11I9e3txPQA5JBTiU2g