In a surprising new study that doesn’t really have an answer for the statement it makes, the National Center for Policy Analysis found that since 1970, the amount of women receiving Social Security disability payments has increased dramatically. As of 2012, 48 percent of the workers who were on disability were women. In 2000, that figure was 43 percent, and back in 1970 that figure was a mere 29 percent.
The author of the study doesn’t have a concrete answer for the trend. “I don’t know why more women are going on disability than men,” she said. There are a couple of theories though. It could be that more women are using Social Security as a “bridge to retirement,” or it could be that as more women have entered the workforce since 1970, there are more women eligible for Social Security disability due to a debilitating condition or injury.
Ultimately the statistic doesn’t mean much. Whatever your gender, your race, your sexual orientation, your religion — it shouldn’t matter when something as important as Social Security disability is on the line.
These payments are absolutely crucial for the people who apply and receive them. They are living with injuries, medical conditions or other disabilities that make maintain a usual work life impossible.
Obtaining them, though, is very difficult. Claims are often denied because the definition for a disability in the eyes of the Social Security Administration is very strict, even while the definition is broadening, according to an official with the Independent Women’s Forum. With that in mind, it is crucial for any SSD applicant to discuss their application with an attorney to ensure it is as compliant as possible, thus increasing your chances to earn these important benefits.
Source: Newsmax.com, “Study: Record Number of Women Receiving Disability Payments,” Andrea Billups, May 29, 2014
