Here’s a grim statistic: in June 2012, more workers joined the Social Security Disability program than got new jobs, according to two new government reports.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on July 7 that the economy created just 80,000 jobs in June. That same month, according to the SSA, 85,000 workers were enrolled in the disability benefits program.
In fact, according to the website Investors.com, since the recovery officially ended in June 2009, 2.6 million jobs have been created and half-a-million more people than that – 3.1 million – signed up for disability benefits. That means 19 percent more people joined the ranks of the disabled than joined the ranks of the employed.
And, at the end of June 2012, a total of 8,733,461 people were on the ranks of the disabled (via the Social Security Administration disability program), a .3 percent increase over the May figure of 8,707,185. At the end of June 2011, the number of disabled totaled 8,403,449, an increase of 330,012, or 3 percent.
In general, when unemployment is high and jobs scarce, more people attempt to win disability benefits. The number of disabled and in “payment status” first reached the 8 million mark in the second quarter of 2010. Many of these people had the assistance of a Social Security attorney or Social Security lawyer in navigating the often complex process of applying for and obtaining benefits.
In fact, according to statistics from the SSA , between April 2011 and June 2012, there was only one month (November 2011) in which initial applications for disability benefits numbered fewer than 200,000. In June 2012, 274,000 applied for benefits, the third highest in that timeframe. A total of 84,766 people were awarded benefits, an increase of 9.53 percent over May.
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