60 Years of Disability Benefits: A Milestone in Social Security

Disability benefits have helped many Americans have a good quality of life despite their financial and disabling circumstances. For those of you who were unaware, the Social Security Act was signed by President Roosevelt in 1935. This initial Act was a means to provide security to those who were financially unable to provide for themselves and living below the standards poverty.

Social Security Disability Benefits

The Social Security Act has had many amendments and changes since then to parallel new laws. For example, 20 years after it was signed and passed, a program called Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) was passed as well. SSDI was only one of several Social Security Amendments that were established in 1956. There are a couple Social Security Disability Benefit programs, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) which was enacted to protect workers who were no longer able to work or financially provide for their families due to a disabling medical condition. This program functions similar to an insurance program since you have to have paid into these disability benefits via FICA taxes.

The Stats on Disability Benefits

The Social Security Administration’s SSDI program has helped many disabled workers and their families over the years, and the following are a few stats the SSA offers, including:

“About 9 million disabled workers and 2 million of their dependents receive disability benefits from Social Security… Among disabled workers, 4 out of 5 beneficiaries rely on these benefits for at least half of their income; for more than a third of beneficiaries, it is their only source of income. Social Security disability benefits lift 3 million people out of poverty each year.”

By no means does the SSA allow for SSDI recipients to live lavishly; the average benefit amount and the main source of income for recipients per month is $1,200.

Learn More about Disability Benefits

This year, 2016, marks the 60th anniversary of the Social Security Administration’s Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. If you want to learn more or celebrate SSDI with the SSA, you can view stories from SSDI recipients or watch some videos regarding this program.