Once they decided that depression was genuinely a disability everyone that didn't want to work ran down to their local Social security office and applied. I know people who did exactly that - perfectly capable of working but decided they'd prefer to live the good life on the taxpayer dime. Talk about unsustainable.

No mystery at all. When you want war without end against an enemy that has no real definition, and that war has no stated objectives or end in sight? You end up with a lot of disabled veterans you buy into supporting.

A simply call to your local SS office will verify that they are backlogged currently due to returning vets.

~Heff

OP your source's grasp of statistics and data is truly underwhelming.
Every month that fewer people on disability DIE than are added to the disability rolls will be a record month.

That's the figure your are quoting: the aggregate sum of persons receiving disability payments - the only way to get off that list is to DIE. Disabilities don't go away, that's the way the benefits system works - there's no such thing as a temporary disability when it comes to receiving government benefits.

Not saying there aren't scammers in the system, but you should be aware that not all disabilities are immediately apparent to the casual observer.

ganjoa

Baby boomers working later in life.

Must it be more difficult to comprehend?

I just found out, that a friends brother, is on disability, because he is angry and cannot work with other people.
He doesn't like being told what to do.

Could someone please explain to me, how this is acceptable?
The numbers you are posting OP, don't surprise me at all. Until they tighten up the reigns on what qualifies as disabled, it is going to get worse.

The average disability check is $1100 a month multiply that by 8,830,036 works out to be $ around $9.2 billion dollars every month multiply that by 12 months $116 billion dollas a year.

That is a big problem depression, and anexity qualifiers for disability? MEH

Anyone able to work should be there are those who simply can't someone sitting there telling me near 10 million a people are on disability there is something rotten in denmark.

Same way when people tell me 40 million are on welfare.

Originally posted by neo96
That is a big problem depression, and anexity qualifiers for disability? MEH

Anyone able to work should be there are those who simply can't someone sitting there telling me near 10 million a people are on disability there is something rotten in denmark.

I know that there are people who game the system. Given my own experience trying to get disability though, it has been next to impossible. I am aware that even mentioning that I am attempting to get disability will gain the ire of many posters, regardless of the medical issue, but it is what it is.

It is extremely frustrating to me that people are even considered for disability with things like anxiety and depression, much less accepted!

I have many medical issues, but the main issue is very, very severe osteoporosis. My back/spine has been broken for nearly 18 months now, as well as my hip. They will not heal due to the osteoporosis, and if you have ever broken a bone, you can imagine that this is debilitating. It basically feels like the moment you broke that bone, but it never improves and the pain never stops. It is a constant state of severe pain. I have to make sure I sneeze and cough in a certain way because I am in danger of breaking my neck...

And yet, I am told by SSD that I am perfectly fine to work 40 hours a week, and there are plenty of jobs I can do. They even said that one of those jobs was shipping/stocking as well as construction!

Then they give it to people who have something like depression? While my medical bills continue to stack up due to continuing treatment and I go further into debt to literally save my life, it is determined that someone who is depressed is more worthy of assistance?

It is truly and deeply insulting. I am currently on my third appeal.

Originally posted by 200Plus
It's an ugly road to reach a beautiful goal.

At times that's the definition of life, though.

Meh. I know at least a dozen people personally who are on Disability and have literally nothing wrong with them. Generally they did have something wrong, back spasms, herniated disks, something minor - and they got pushed through the system and the problems ceased, and they continue.

Not only do many of them collect disability, but many of them work on top of that under the table doing jobs they are "disabled" from doing. I know an entire family who is on disability for no real reasons whatsoever - things like elevated heart rate and back pain.

The government needs the healthy people to be dependent, because it is the healthy ones that can cause the most trouble. Screw the ones that actually NEED the benefits. Disability has become just like every other dependency program. It is now nothing more than a big dangling teet for the public to suckle on and forget out to survive on their own.