In the face of a stronger economy, the number of people across the country who are filing for Social Security disability benefits has decreased. This decrease has been more pronounced even than what some experts conjectured at the time the economy improved.
The total number of new applications for benefits topped out in 2011, when just over 2 million people applied for benefits. As of 2017, that number had dropped to under 1.5 million. Likewise, the total number of people receiving disability peaked in 2014 at almost 9 million and has started a slow downward trend since that time.
If anything, the statistics illustrate the fact that looser job markets, like the one we are currently experiencing, usually are a boon to people who are suffering under an illness or injury, as positions that they are able to accept tend to open up in these sorts of situations.
Many of these positions do not require any special education and also don’t require intense physical labor that someone who is disabled might not be able to perform.
Another factor is that, because of the Affordable Care Act, many people are not relying on qualifying for Social Security benefits as a backdoor means of getting affordable medical care.
Most people in Killeen and Fort Hood who are disabled really want to work, and, hopefully, the improved economy will help them find a job that suits their needs. If it does not, however, and they discover that they cannot find meaningful employment they can perform, then they should consider applying for SSD benefits. These benefits can truly be a financial lifeline to disabled Texans because they provide a stable monthly income to them so that can be used to help pay both living expenses and bills related to their disability.