From the Dallas Morning News:

The aging of the nation’s 78 million baby boomers has brought a flood of Social Security claims for illnesses and disabilities, creating an unprecedented backlog. As a result, many are finding they have to wait years for their funds.

Unable to work, many are already teetering on the edge of financial ruin. The delays in processing their claims exhaust their savings, drive them deep into debt and sometimes deny them the health care they need.

“I thought at times that Social Security wanted me to give up, but I couldn’t,” said Judith Byrd. “I had paid my taxes, and my disability entitled me to benefits.”

… There are also allegations that private disability insurance companies are unnecessarily clogging the public system by requiring many of their applicants to file separate, and often questionable, claims with Social Security.

… “Politicians haven’t paid attention to the disability claims system because most people think they’ll never use it,” said Linda Fullerton, president of the Social Security Disability Coalition. “But then something happens, and that check becomes a godsend. This isn’t welfare; it’s insurance that workers have paid for.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 6th, 2008 at 5:06 am and is filed under insurance, social security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post