Millions of jobless file for disability when unemployment benefits run out

Unemployment runs out - get on disability !!

More than 10 million people got a disability check from Uncle Sam in January.

That comes to more than 5% of the 25 - 64 age population, an 18% increase in the past few years.

About 43% are for "mental" disabilities !!

The article is looking at unemployment running out as a reason.

Being unemployed for too long reportedly is driving people mad and costing taxpayers billions of dollars in mental illness and other disability claims.

The New York Post reported Sunday that as unemployment checks run out, many jobless are trying to gain government benefits by declaring themselves unhealthy.

More than 10.5 million people -- about 5.3 percent of the population aged 25 and 64 -- received disability checks in January from the federal government, the Post wrote, a 18 percent jump from before the recession.

Among those claiming disability, 43 percent are asking for benefits because of mental illness, the Post wrote. A growing number of those people are older, former white-collar workers.

Unemployment Benefits (lack of) and Mental Disability



NYPost article:

Standing too many months on the unemployment line is driving Americans crazy — literally — and it’s costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.

With their unemployment-insurance checks running out, some of the country’s long-term jobless are scrambling to fill the gap by filing claims for mental illness and other disabilities with Social Security — a surge that hobbles taxpayers and making the employment rate look healthier than it should as these people drop out of the job statistics.

“It could be because their health really is getting worse from the stress of being out of work,” says Matthew Rutledge, a research economist at Boston College. “Or it could just be desperation — people trying to make ends meet when other safety nets just aren’t there.”

Jobless disability claims soar to record $200B as of January


The trend is alarming but is there a genuine connection ?

Or is it some kind of mass hysteria ?

Perhaps a medical conspiracy ?

I wonder how much extra drug sales are generated


It could be:

Cognitive distortions are exaggerated and irrational thoughts, identified in cognitive therapy and its variants, which in theory perpetuate some psychological disorders. The theory of cognitive distortions was presented by David Burns in The Feeling Good Handbook in 1989,[1] after studying under Aaron T. Beck.[2] Eliminating these distortions and negative thoughts is said to improve mood and discourage maladies such as depression and chronic anxiety. The process of learning to refute these distortions is called "cognitive restructuring".

see link for examples:
Cognitive Distortion



Hmmm...

If we cant find a job and the unemployment money is stopped what do we do?

We could just lay down and wait for starvation to kill us I suppose.

This is just disgusting. There are people with real disability who really are disabled and the idiots who do drugs and can't find a job try to be disabled. How pathedic.

reply to post by VoidHawk


How about not lieing about being disabled? How about moving to an area where there's jobs? What about not being corporate slave starting up your own business? The people lieing about being disabled should be sent to jail.

Originally posted by anthonygillespie2012
This is just disgusting. There are people with real disability who really are disabled and the idiots who do drugs and can't find a job try to be disabled. How pathedic.

Those who cant find a job and lose their unemployment money are also disabled, THEY ARE STARVING!!!

EVET TRIED WORKING WHEN YOUR STARVING!!!!

Originally posted by VoidHawk

Originally posted by anthonygillespie2012
This is just disgusting. There are people with real disability who really are disabled and the idiots who do drugs and can't find a job try to be disabled. How pathedic.

Those who cant find a job and lose their unemployment money are also disabled, THEY ARE STARVING!!!

EVET TRIED WORKING WHEN YOUR STARVING!!!!

They are not disabled but more like lazy and pathedic, helpless losers.

Disability fraud is a major problem. The sad thing is many honest people who deserve disability get rejected because they do not dot their i's and cross their t's when applying. The fraudsters know how the system works and what they have to say to exploit it.

It is so bad that there is an alarming number of people who join the military looking to get an injury so they can collect the DMV paycheck for the rest of their life.

reply to post by VoidHawk


If a person in unemployed then they can get on Food Stamps, also many churches and other organizations hand out food on a daily basis. No reason to go hungry in the USA.

Originally posted by VoidHawk


Those who cant find a job and lose their unemployment money are also disabled, THEY ARE STARVING!!!

EVET TRIED WORKING WHEN YOUR STARVING!!!!

For all of human history, people have managed to feed themselves, either by fishing, hunting, gathering and/or subsistence farming. Now, with large-scale food production, gardening is often only a hobby. But growing one's own food could mean increased security, health, and enjoyment. Since the details of growing your own food depend on your unique locale, here's a general overview to get you started.

LINK

Relying on the Government for basic needs......Is wrong actually.

Food Bank Locator

Many people are too proud to do this.........

At one time I was also.

Give if you can. Ask if you need. The system is now becoming a crutch for society.

Originally posted by anthonygillespie2012

Originally posted by VoidHawk

Originally posted by anthonygillespie2012
This is just disgusting. There are people with real disability who really are disabled and the idiots who do drugs and can't find a job try to be disabled. How pathedic.

Those who cant find a job and lose their unemployment money are also disabled, THEY ARE STARVING!!!

EVET TRIED WORKING WHEN YOUR STARVING!!!!

They are not disabled but more like lazy and pathedic, helpless losers.

No disabled true but your attitude sucks, there is no need to be like that. Anyway, I also disagree with applying/getting disability money when you are not disabled but you have to look at it from other peoples points of view.

No money = no food, transportation or anything. Yes you can get food stamps but is there anything that covers transporation costs etc? I'm not from the US so I wouldn't know.

Edit: I also love the way people say"move to where there is more jobs" with what? Brass buttons?

It really ticks me off that our own government has their priorities wrong.
I have two cousins who are on disability. Why? They have done drugs and are claiming to be bi-polar. The SSA has taken pity on them and have approved them for benefits.

Me, on the other hand, have stayed clear of drugs and have reconstructed ankles and a fused spine from birth defects, plus ruptured/bulging discs in my neck from a car accident, and a few other problems. Do they approve me? No. They tell me to go work in sales where I'd be on my feet all day.

The SSA is the problem. They need to start giving it to those who NEED it by no fault of their own and stop giving it to those who have caused their own problems. Social Security wasn't created to make sure those who have partied away their health are taken care of.

reply to post by Afterthought


I know of a many people who are on disability for being bi-polar who used a lot of drugs in their early years. Not fair at all, while some of them are my friends I just don't see how an able body person being 'bi-polar" is enough to warrant a 100% disability claim.

I know of a lady who is about 60, almost died from cancer which resulted in among other things severe mobility problems and nerve damages that rendered on of her arms almost useless. She was denied because they determined she can still type therefor she can still work. Sick when someone who paid into Social Security for over 40 years can't get a claim but a 25 year old kid with drug problems can.

This story does not tell the real story.

To get SSI or SSDI you have to fight for it and it takes statement from doctors and specialist.
Plus you get checked by a doctor from SSDI
Then you have to prove you can not work ANY job in your area not just the jobs you worked before. If you can roll your wheel chair and set in it for 6 hours you can be a greeter at WalMart if that type of job is in your area..
Then you get turned down the first time automatically in 98% of the cases.
Then you likely will have to hire a lawyer to push your claim.
All this takes 2 to 5 years.

Most of these people that filed will never get SSDI disability. but by filing you can then get things like food stamps without having to look for work. You also are more likely to get into public housing .

The only disability that takes less time is if you are a war time veteran with a non service connected and under the treatment of the VA doctors.
That is the veterans disability pension and because the VA trust there doctors you might get it in 3 to 12 months.
There is no fooling the VA doctors you are ether disabled or not.

I am on Veteran Disability Pension and it was not hard to get BECAUSE i was in real bad shape by the time I came to the point I could not work any more.
And since then i have had a heart attack and bypass surgery.

What you have is not Millions of jobless going on disability.
But Millions of ex working disabled ether going on disability or or ex working disabled returning to disability.

Yes you might have less then 1% faking it but they will not last long as many are criminals that get arrested and lose there disability or get turned in by people that get mad at them.

This is nothing new, it's only being dramatized due to the economic situation.

"Mental disability" is very real, and not to be taken lightly. Some abuse it, yes. Though others really do need it. Everyone is different, no two "disabilities" are the same... Also, "Mental Disability" is not permanent, due to the nature of the compensation, a person getting compensation for mental disability can be brought in for check ups or review.

If there is a new "rise" in Mental Disability compensation, then I would imagine it's related to severe anxiety issues and other similar problems. If Veterans are being counted in this "statistic", then anxiety/stress related problems, as well as a serious rise in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders would be a huge dent in these stats. Let's not forget the "economic downfall" coincides directly with the war, and thousands of disabled veterans.

reply to post by jrod


It is quite backasswards. I'm just happy that I did manage to work fulltime and close to fulltime hours since I was 16, but that also was my downfall. It's funny how things catch up with you when they weren't that bad a few years ago, then when your problems escalate, nobody understands. It's even documented that I've lost one inch of height in just a year and a half. That you can't fake, but it's still not enough to convince them that my condition is declining faster than they'd like to believe.

Originally posted by anthonygillespie2012
This is just disgusting. There are people with real disability who really are disabled and the idiots who do drugs and can't find a job try to be disabled. How pathedic.

Not everyone who is unemployed is on drugs. And I doubt the addicts are smart enough to apply for disability.

The problem is all the inflation is strangling the American economy.

The solution to this is quite simple, we stop letting the #ing bankers steal our money from us. Salaries have remained stagnant for nearly 10 years except at the top managment levels and in finance of course. I am considering disability myself, depression perhaps.

On the sick id get a flat to live in, council tax paid, sick benefits, free dental treatment and a bonus every time the temp drops below freezing for 5 days? and of course a travel pass. To me this is the big one

I will be better off leaving this job to join the sick (i earn approx 20k per year with no dependents btw which is better than many households in the UK)

Why should I work when I can be sick and be better off? I can spendmy time writing or making music or something as a therapy

The problem is not people claiming benefits, its the fact that we are ALL SLAVES. 40% tax is slavery, 20 % tax is slavery... when the rich pay 13% or less (sometimes nothing)

BTW for all you tax payers, you are NOT paying for people to stay on disability, you pay taxes for the gov to pay their debt, they borrow more money and that is then divided up in the budget. We stop paying this debt, we can all be free.

double post

Originally posted by korathin

Not everyone who is unemployed is on drugs. And I doubt the addicts are smart enough to apply for disability.

The problem is all the inflation is strangling the American economy.

Really? Do you really think because someone is an addict they are stupid?

That is simply not true, addicts are often much more clever than a clean person because they are willing to go to great links to find a fix and aren't constrained by morals.

Companies won't hire long term unemployed. If you become unemployable then you are disabled in a manner of speaking. we can bitch about welfare and the sort forever, but what we really should do is talk about how we can ensure that anyone who wants to work can work. And I know some of you would be willing to give everyone a job for $1 hour, so just save it.