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Old 01-09-2015, 09:52 AM
 
8,071 posts, read 9,985,879 times
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There is a difference between SSI, and SSDI. The current discussion, as noted, is using SSI funds to "bail out the (actual/anticipated) deficit" in SSDI.

For as long as I have been alive, there have been two urban legends which have yet to come to fore:

By the time you get to retirement age, Social Security will be bust and you will get nothing.

By the time your children are ready for college, Tuition Costs will have doubled.

Neither have come to be, and I seriously doubt (and I say this as one who has NO confidence in the self aggrandizement group in Congress) that SSI will be materially changed during the next couple of decades. Depending on whose numbers you use, SSI is currently "solvent" through 2030-40ish.
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Old 01-09-2015, 10:37 AM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,107,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
Thanks, Happy Texan, for the information. When original posters are vague about what they mean, it's always somewhat confusing. When I think of the term "Social Security" I think of retirement benefits because that's what most of us have and that's what is mostly discussed in this forum.

O.K., at least we now know what the subject matter of the thread is: SSDI = Social Security Disability Insurance. Contrary to the implication in the original post, Congress is not searching for a way to "take away" anybody's SS, whether disability or regular, but on the contrary is looking at ways to possibly preserve the full disability payments in the face of automatic reductions required by law when and if the SSDI Trust Fund runs out of money. That puts a big difference on the spin of the whole discussion and allows us to proceed in a more rational and objective manner.
Part of the blame belongs to slanted news articles that don't give the complete story.
Due diligence is needed today when perusing the news headlines in the morning over your coffee

I try to hunt for objective stories that present "Just the facts ma'am."
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Old 01-09-2015, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,107,183 times
Reputation: 27718
Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
Lenore and Ariadne

Please distinguish for us the diff between SSDI (disability) and SSI, which I believe is a supplement to regular Soc Security for very low-income people who have very few assets (investments, savings, etc).

(I feel some are still mixing up SSDI with SSI.)

Benefits for People with Disabilities
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits
What's the Difference Between SSDI and SSI? - Social Security Retireme... - AARP
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Old 01-09-2015, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Baltimore, MD
5,280 posts, read 5,949,500 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
Lenore and Ariadne

Please distinguish for us the diff between SSDI (disability) and SSI, which I believe is a supplement to regular Soc Security for very low-income people who have very few assets (investments, savings, etc).

(I feel some are still mixing up SSDI with SSI.)
SSI is a welfare program for the aged and disabled. It has nothing to do with Social Security.

Social Security has two trust funds... the Disability Trust Fund and the Retirement/Survivors Trust Fund. Workers pay into both trust funds through payroll taxes AND Congress has historically changed the percentage of payroll tax paid into each trust fund depending on current and future needs. Congress has previously bailed out the Retirement/Survivor Trust Fund by allocating a higher percentage of payroll towards that fund at the expense of the Disability Fund as well as vice versa.

Unless a similar redistribution of payroll taxes is forthcoming, it appears that Social Security will be unable to fulfill its obligation to Disability benefit recipients.

The House of Representatives has passed a rule that is clearly an attempt to prevent the rescue of the Disability Trust Fund. http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/...14hres5pih.pdf

I believe this is an attempt to "divide and conquer". The disabled worker vs. the retired worker. There is a lot of talk about rampant fraud in the disability program, however, it is mostly anecdotal. The amount of fraud in the Disability component of Social Security is miniscule compared to the amount of fraud in the Medicare program.

Stay tuned.
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Old 01-09-2015, 12:58 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,107,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lenora View Post
SSI is a welfare program for the aged and disabled. It has nothing to do with Social Security.

Social Security has two trust funds... the Disability Trust Fund and the Retirement/Survivors Trust Fund. Workers pay into both trust funds through payroll taxes AND Congress has historically changed the percentage of payroll tax paid into each trust fund depending on current and future needs. Congress has previously bailed out the Retirement/Survivor Trust Fund by allocating a higher percentage of payroll towards that fund at the expense of the Disability Fund as well as vice versa.

Unless a similar redistribution of payroll taxes is forthcoming, it appears that Social Security will be unable to fulfill its obligation to Disability benefit recipients.

The House of Representatives has passed a rule that is clearly an attempt to prevent the rescue of the Disability Trust Fund. http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/...14hres5pih.pdf

I believe this is an attempt to "divide and conquer". The disabled worker vs. the retired worker. There is a lot of talk about rampant fraud in the disability program, however, it is mostly anecdotal. The amount of fraud in the Disability component of Social Security is miniscule compared to the amount of fraud in the Medicare program.

Stay tuned.
I would imagine there is a healthy dose of fraud in all government programs that hand out money/benefits that aren't audited annually.

They finally got around to auditing the Lifeline program after the costs skyrocketed and nearly 60% got booted because they didn't qualify. Saves us over $1 billion a year now.

An audit well worth the money. Every program that doles out taxpayer dollars should have an annual audit to remove the fraud.
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Old 01-09-2015, 02:27 PM
eok
 
6,684 posts, read 4,211,750 times
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Disabled people need more income than retired people. What if their wheelchair needs a new axle or something? What if their front door is too narrow and they have to go out the back door for their wheelchair to fit through it, but their back door ramp gets cracked by tree roots? A retired person can use his cane and go out the front door, at low cost.

Moderator cut: snip

If fraud were really the problem, the obvious answer, for anyone with the least bit of common sense, would be to investigate the fraud. But we're talking about Republicans here. Not people with common sense.

This is definitely a political discussion and should be moved. Hopefully this message, with all its common sense, will help get it moved.

Last edited by Keeper; 01-10-2015 at 08:01 AM..
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Old 01-09-2015, 02:46 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,107,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eok View Post
Disabled people need more income than retired people. What if their wheelchair needs a new axle or something? What if their front door is too narrow and they have to go out the back door for their wheelchair to fit through it, but their back door ramp gets cracked by tree roots? A retired person can use his cane and go out the front door, at low cost.

Moderator cut: snip

If fraud were really the problem, the obvious answer, for anyone with the least bit of common sense, would be to investigate the fraud. But we're talking about Republicans here. Not people with common sense.

This is definitely a political discussion and should be moved. Hopefully this message, with all its common sense, will help get it moved.
It's not one side or the other here. It's been known for quite some time the fund was going broke.
Just like all other funds. Congress kicked it down the road until they couldn't kick it anymore.

Don't blame one side or the other because this funding issue didn't happen yesterday.
Congress gets an annual report and every year they chose to ignore the problem.

Last edited by Keeper; 01-10-2015 at 08:02 AM..
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Old 01-09-2015, 02:52 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,476,720 times
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The SS trustees have warned three presidents now that SS id in danger of cuts as required by the law .They have basically ignore reforming it even tho their own commission recommended specific changes. SS is stand alone program. Disability is a stand alone under it. SSI is between federal and state general funded. The latter will have cuts first as reported as required by law. But SS compared to those or Medicare is much more easy to solve. It will only get done when crisis state as politicians won't touch it until then.
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Old 01-09-2015, 03:09 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,729 posts, read 40,764,681 times
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No because I'm not under Social Security.
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Old 01-09-2015, 03:35 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,107,183 times
Reputation: 27718
Last week it was multi-employer pensions going broke.
This week it's SSDI fund going broke.

Do we need a few more "headlines" of other funds going broke and potential cuts to notice a pattern forming ?
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